I’m Ariel Mendes, a proud trans non-binary and gender non-conforming agent from a giant, South Jap metropolis in Brazil, Belo Horizonte, and my pronouns are They/Them.
I used to be born and raised outdoors the mainstream expectations for gender roles in a typical middle-class household shaped by cis and heterosexual members, apart from me — what a problem for me and my household by way of leveraging expectations and rising collectively.
As a toddler, I cherished my mom’s excessive heels and make-up — “after all,” hidden from her and my two male brothers whereas dad was tremendous busy at work. I additionally most well-liked having feminine mates and enjoying home and dolls — Mariana Linhares was my first associate in crime, and we have been solely 4 years outdated.
Since I used to be a really younger little one, I took the ladies in my internal circles as function fashions, beginning with my mother, then my aunts, and lecturers. Female has all the time meant the best energy to me!
I’ve all the time felt obsessed with languages, humanities and social sciences as a result of it was there that I discovered some house to jot down, discuss and create issues. All of those, actually, made me really feel like a fish out of water in conversations with my males or man mates. That mentioned, it’s a proven fact that I used to be a gender non-conforming child prepared to come back out of the field.
As a gender non-congruent little one, I couldn’t get away from statistics and skilled bullying and discrimination, principally in class. That’s why I don’t have many mates from that point of my life — perhaps I used to be too completely different for many of them.
These days, I perceive that my colleagues and I weren’t educated to take care of that form of range — even with entry to a non-public college from the fourth largest and richest metropolis within the nation.
First steps, nonetheless discovering and prepared to do extra
It wasn’t a simple course of to depart college and restart from scratch — even after a number of years of powerful experiences. Nevertheless, this situation might have helped me expertise a profitable journey by way of regulation college on the second-best college in my nation.
I utilized to check regulation as a result of free speech and self expression have been already a part of my values, and never coincidentally, I publicly got here out for the primary time as a homosexual man with a public kiss at a freshman celebration. For the primary time in my life, I felt I had a spot on this world outdoors of dwelling.
From my perspective, the method of popping out was by no means a person journey, so I’ve questioned myself as to what I may have finished to enhance the expertise for my group in regulation college, as lots of my colleagues have been nonetheless within the closet.
From that problem, I’m proud that I took the result in encourage individuals occupying areas historically dominated by cis and hetero males, changing into the primary homosexual man to be the President of the Athletic Affiliation; then, the primary President of the League of Athletic Associations of my State; and in addition co-founded Fanta Uva Desportistas Unidos, the primary homosexual soccer crew to compete within the inner tournaments (a really man sport in Brazil).
For about ten years of my life, the alternance between homosexual and bisexual orientations stuffed me properly, and that fluidity was by no means a giant deal nor a limitation for my adventurous spirit.
I bear in mind myself dwelling fortunately and naturally as an LGBTQIAP+ agent wherever I lived — round ten completely different cities in Brazil, the US and Mozambique, and visiting greater than 20 international locations.
I nonetheless don’t know the way I overcame difficult conditions like touring and crossing borders in international locations similar to Ethiopia, Zambia and Zimbabwe — locations the place being homosexual continues to be a criminal offense. Additionally, I don’t know the way I managed to dwell with a person associate in Mozambique, a rustic the place homosexual relationships had solely ceased to be a criminal offense a pair months earlier than I moved there, which implies society was nonetheless unprepared and resistant.
Greater than being courageous and daring in touring overseas as a homosexual citizen to unsafe geographies, encouraging and releasing individuals has all the time been a part of my mission. I’m grateful for making a distinction in a number of lives.
I did it by main affinity teams, launching delight campaigns, and organizing occasions to enhance the expertise of the LGBTQIAP+ group within the workplaces I’ve been in, similar to Nubank, the largest digital financial institution on the earth with operations in Brazil, Colombia and Mexico.
What I didn’t know at the moment is that it was all simply the early beginnings for me whereas navigating amongst letters within the LGBTQIAP+ world.
One other turning level
Mainly, in Might 2021, I skilled a really intense week shifting to a brand new house in the course of the pandemic: metropolis, home and job.
The waves weren’t good in any respect, and a two-year relationship was gone on this identical interval. For the primary time in my life, I hit the underside and understood that perhaps overcoming the recurring query in my thoughts was the one method: am I trans? That’s how I began the chapter of my trans non-binary life at Rock Content material.
Earlier than shifting forward to this popping out course of, you will need to point out that I used to be already coping with some recurring episodes of gender dysphoria, however not with readability nor consciousness; solely after this intense week did the episodes start to happen with a a lot larger frequency.
As getting paralyzed in the course of a circuit of self-rejection, rejection by society and rejection on social networks, which wasn’t serving to that a lot, I began being curious and researching extra concerning the trans non-binary expertise and taking motion to embrace change. In any case, the brand new all the time comes, people! Giving up is just not an choice. Overcoming each setback or defeat is best than profitable. Taking down psychological enemies every day is a superb pleasure!
Being me at Rock Content material
What I can share from this expertise is that I felt fortunate for 2 primary causes: first, my household and internal circle of mates, on the whole, supplied me all of the help wanted, and second, the office at Rock Content material was heat and type.
Relating to the office, three main factors will final in my recollections:
- Diego Gomes, one among Rock Content material’s Founders and CEO, sending me a textual content message with some memes and fragments of Woman Gaga (one among my favourite artists) and his constant dedication and care to take advantage of acceptable use of my pronouns.
- Lakeshia Highsmith, our VP of Individuals and Tradition and the one I report back to, picked me up on the airport once I was in Washington, and had a tremendous dinner with me. We talked brazenly about gender identities, which demonstrated her true dedication and care about me as an individual.
- Final however not least, the way in which I used to be embraced by the entire HR Workforce, with messages and help once I determined to vary my company accounts from Gabriel (official identify) to Ariel (most well-liked identify). A particular thanks goes to Nicholas Inexperienced, Gabriela Crego, Miguel Frizon, Juliana Arges, Sofia Cabral, Vanessa Figueiredo, Amanda Soares and David Reis.
I’ve realized from the creator of Inclusify, Stefanie Ok Johnson, how essential it’s to dwell and lead in a method that acknowledges and celebrates distinctive and dissenting views whereas making a collaborative and open-minded setting the place everybody feels they honestly belong.
For now, what I can inform you is that Rock Content material is a heat and welcoming dwelling the place I be happy to be the most effective model of myself and to assist empower my group to achieve success in our office. GO ROQUEER (our Rocker community group)!
Thanks, universe. I’m nonetheless circulating inside the preliminary LGBTQIAP+, and I really feel I’ve my objective for all times renewed. That’s how my second strategy of popping out begins: welcome to my trans non-binary lifetime; it’s nonetheless day one!
Nobody can cease or silence you when you can set your boundaries! In case your spark ignites, comply with me — we’ve so much to perform collectively. The long run is non-binary!
This text can be within the new challenge of Rock Content material Journal, launched this August. On this challenge we deliver unimaginable content material about range, inclusion and accessibility, an especially essential subject for manufacturers and society in the present day. You may obtain the journal right here, it’s utterly free! Good studying!
