Stories of Identity

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GIRLHOOD
Photo and poem by AD, age 17

Girlhood 
It means I’m strong 
It reminds me that I will be a woman one day 
Although, I never know when that day will come 

If I were a woman 
I would be reminded that a body weighs more than a brain
And that they had to take away both to measure it 

If I were a woman 
I would be honey, a peach, or a doll 
Without actually existing 

If I were a woman 
The pressure of the guideline would be so great 
It would’ve left a dent between the girl and I 

If I were a woman 
I would be a girl again, not something inanimate 

Why refuse me in a skirt, when the same words were spoken in a suit?
If I am an object, let me be a symbol 
Let me be a woman

TO BE
Photo and prose by Shiv Dev Singh, age 19

I start lying to the world the moment I step out of my room; there's no need to turn on a switch; it's automatic. Growing up gay in a country like India, where tradition, religion, and social norms form the fabric of society and have been draped over the lives of everyone who lives here, is simply brutal. You start to feel the burden of history and the disappointment before you even disappoint someone; you start to feel as though your being is wrong. Without ever having to make a conscious decision to hide my sexuality, I did; it was innate, and that is tragic. I felt wrong. To have to worry about whether my grandparents, who are some of my best friends, would still love me the same way or look at me in the same light was scary. Knowing that dozens of people I grew up with and who were a part of my childhood would disapprove of me was unsettling and chilling. Forget that for now, to hear the Supreme Court debate the right of my existence, not the right to get married, but the right to exist, to be, to breathe, to live and to love, was the scariest.

THE WAY
Photo and prose by Talia, age 17

My adventurousness makes me strong because when I feel misguided or lost I use curiosity to find a methodical way back to happiness. When I do something instead of sitting in what may feel like peril, I stand up (metaphorically) and use my imagination to get to where I want to be. I have faith within myself to get me where I want to go. Something I'm very grateful for, there's always something to be explored.