"in which the main character goes against the traditions of their society"

looking back

"What have you got there, Dylan?" he asked, "writing a love letter, or is it a list of potential girlfriends from school?" God, he was so wrong.

I had moved over in front of the mirror at this point, mainly to continue avoiding his eye contact. I was afraid looking him directly in the eye would make it all so much more real. I was sure he'd think something was up if I looked at him straight on. Instead I made eye contact with my own reflection again so it did feel real and serious. I truly felt that who was staring back at me was just a person, neither man nor woman.

I'll never forget the moment, without eye contact, I just said it. "Ah Dad."

"What's up, son?"

"That's the problem. I'm not a boy." I could see his cheeks as well as mine grow pinker and pinker.

"What do you mean, Dylan?"

"I'm not a girl either since I'm nonbinary."

Looking back on this split-second from years ago, it set me free in so many ways. I was not hiding so much anymore. I'm so lucky with my parents. Since I came out to them, I was better able to ignore the negative things in school. They died down quickly anyway. Being able to dress however I wanted at home helped a lot. It took a long time, but parents did get around the correct pronouns. It's funny how much language affects people. A simple thing like a pronoun can make the world of difference to people like me.