Real bodies
CRASHING THE CIS-TEM
After coming out as non-binary and finding their queer community, 21-year-old fashion student Kieran Pruett (she/they), from Plymouth, learned how to love the parts of themself they used to hate
As told to Thomas Stichbury
Photography Francisco Gomez de Villaboa
LOVING LONDON: Moving to the capital empowered Kieran to explore their identity
“Coming out as non-binary meant that, for the first time in my life, I felt valid”
I first discovered the term non-binary, or gender-fluid, when I was 17, not long after I had come out as gay. Coming out as nonbinary meant that, for the first time in my life, I finally felt valid.
For me, the term set me free from the restrictions of the gender I identified as previously. In particular, moving to London empowered me to explore my gender identity and the multiple facets within it. Arriving in a more inclusive place, I was no longer frightened to question myself; I could delve into my non-binary identity and become the femme person I’ve always subconsciously wanted to be.