ameera, wisconsin, muslim youth leadership councilmember (she/her)
never enough.
Not masculine enough for my family or for what society thinks I should be,
not feminine enough for how a faggot or tranny is usually seen,
not talented enough to be a master of one trade,
not skilled in enough to be a jack of all,
not Muslim or religious enough to feel at home in a masjid,
not queer enough to feel at home with gays,
not quiet enough to enjoy the company of nerds,
not talkative enough to be a socialite,
not skinny enough,
not active enough,
not cultured enough,
not selfless enough,
not selfish enough,
not thoughtful enough,
not practical enough,
not thorough enough,
not nice enough,
not tough enough,
not considerate enough,
not successful enough,
not rich enough,
Not white enough,
not black enough,
Never good enough. never happy.
Never able to please others, never able to please ourselves.
Never good enough.
We are the misfits. And we are ok with ourselves.
We are ok.
We are perfect not despite, but because of our imperfections.
We are. Never enough.
And that means we are enough.
“At the age of 16, I didn’t know non-binary, transgender, queer and blackness identities could co-exist with one another. At the age of 23 I am a representation of all those identities and I am proud, and liberated. Because I make my own journey, and folks choose to be apart of it or not but they can’t take what’s mine.” — Aidan, Philadelphia
#WorldMentalHealthDay gives us the opportunity to stand in solidarity and fight stigma that surrounds mental health.
“We the Animals” is never a condemnation of a young boy’s homosexuality — instead, it’s an exploration of a family through the eyes of a child who is feeling out the rights and wrongs from within a world where there are too many inconsistencies to be completely sure.“
