Ananda

Sometimes I feel like I don’t fit into any categories anywhere. I’m mixed race, black and white. And even as a mixed race person, I look white, so I can’t fit in with a crowd of black people or other visibly mixed race people. So let’s say I wander over to the white part of society, as soon as they find out I’m mixed race I become the token black friend or, even worse, the token “ethnic friend.”

Then, I came out as bisexual. I was always aware of homophobia and transphobia, but biphobia was never something I’d noticed. But how I’ve noticed it now! You forget that queer people can be as just as dismissive and phobic as straight cis people can be to queer people. Perhaps that’s something I can get used to, but being asked by a straight, white, cis boy if I’d be up for a threesome purely because of my sexuality, will always be annoying.

My learning difficulties also make me feel like I don’t belong when, in education, you’re only noticed if you’re incredibly bright or have a prominent, noticeable learning difficulty. When you’re in the middle of the spectrum, like the majority of people, or have a smaller, less visible learning difficulty, like myself, life and education seem unfair and as though there isn’t a category for you.

I could go on about the unfair categorisation that goes on with regards to mental health, but you really don’t want to get me started. ♦