#3 Genderqueer

Local actress Tiah-Paige shares their thoughts on gender identity, accidentally coming out, and the supportive LGBT+ community in Norfolk.

Genderqueer image credit: Sára Lapinová.

Transcript: Hi, I’m Tiah-Paige Burrell, I’m a young actress based in Norfolk and I am panromantic, demisexual and genderqueer. I came out by accident actually. I was intending to come out, but not in the way that I had. Basically I went to some online Norfolk queer community groups to say, look, I think I’m pan and demi, but I’ve got no idea how to borach the subject with my family and friends. And about 10, maybe not even 20 seconds after I’d posted that my mum sent me a screenshot of the post saying “you just have”.

And I don’t think I’ve ever panicked so much in about 5 seconds as I had in that moment, cause I had no idea how she was going to take it. Then I was very lucky because she turned around and said “What did you think I was going to say? Of course I support you”. And that was quite lucky cause I know a lot of people don’t have their family support, but it was such a relief to know that I did.

As for my genderqueer, that took a lot longer for me to discover. I identified as a cis female for so long, but I realised that I wasn’t happy in just that. I realised that I didn’t really fit with the sort of female norms that a lot of females around me did. I just, I felt like I was something more, something outside of that, but I couldn’t figure out what it was, until I met a very lovely nonbinary pal of mine.

We’re very good friends now and they helped me discover sort of all the different gender identities there are, and also just gave me the confidence and the motivation just to come out and sort of be who I want to be rather than trying to fit in with societal pressures. So this year, very recently actually I came out as genderqueer as well, but that was a rollercoaster of a journey trying to figure that one out. Yeah, so that’s just a little into my story.

I would like to mention how welcoming the community is in Norfolk. Like I’ve never been to a Pride event, but just based on my interactions with all the LGBT+ people within the community, it’s just so supportive and so lovely to have people who’ve been through similar experiences, and people who haven’t, but can share theirs. It’s been so lovely just to have friends who get it.

So the more sort of LGBT+ people I meet in Norfolk, the more I feel like I fit in and that’s just such a lovely thing to have, that support in the community. I wanted to thank everyone in the LGBT+ community really because it’s just been such an onslaught of happiness. Sorry, that was really cheesy, but it has been, and I’m proud that I am panromantic, demisexual and genderqueer. Thank you very much.