Welcome to Breaking Binaries

The blog for masc. presenting queer women, non-binary and trans masc. people

“I still believe that if your aim is to change the world, journalism is a more immediate short-term weapon”

Tom Stoppard

WORDS BY FAY BARRETT, IMAGES BY JAKAYLA TONEY (VIA UNSPLASH), SHANE (VIA UNSPLASH), ALYZA ENRIQUEZ (VIA THE GENDER SPECTRUM COLLECTION), ANNA SHVETS (VIA PEXELS)

Hi there!

Welcome to Breaking Binaries! I’m so excited to launch this blog! I’ve felt, for a long time, that trans masc., and non-binary people, as well as masculine presenting queer women, have been under-represented. It’s time to change the narrative and get the content that matters to us out there.

The above Tom Stoppard quote really spoke to me as a journalist and as a member of the gender-diverse community. Words are the conduit for change. I hope this blog can go someway towards that, even if it’s in a small way. If my content helps one person to understand themselves a little bit better, or feel more valued and seen, I’ll be happy.

I’m passionate in my exploration of gender-diversity. I’m fascinated by it. In telling other people’s stories, I’ve come to understand my own story better. I hope this work enables you to do the same.

I grew up under the shadow of Section 28, the barbaric government legislation that ran from 1988 to 2003. It prohibited the “promotion of homosexuality” (Margaret Thatcher’s words) in local authorities. This meant there was no mention of anything queer in schools. It also meant that queer, gender-diverse children like myself were denied the truth of their own existence. We were erased.The damage was devastating, many of us are still recovering, still trying to work ourselves out.

There was no access to books, no representation on TV. We had nothing to point to and say “that’s me”. Consequently, many of us grew up feeling confused and “wrong”.

Coming to a realisation of my self, post Section 28, partly fuels my fascination with exploring gender. I currently identify as a non-binary, masc. lesbian, although I’m starting to feel more able to claim the term “trans masc.”. My hope is that these pages help people who are trying to understand themselves, as well as speaking to those already standing firmly in all their queer glory.

Wherever you are on your journey, whether you’re a masc. queer woman looking for more butch rep, a trans masc. person looking for a space, or a non-binary person looking for enby content, I hope you find yourself in these pages xx

Breaking Binaries are open to collaborations and submissions. If you’d like to write/create content for us, please get in touch: faybarrett007@gmail.com