"As an AFAB (assigned female at birth) person who identifies as nonbinary and is medically transitioning via hormones and (eventual) surgery, I had a hard time developing my language around what all that means to me in terms of my transition and outward expression. I would often see words like 'transman' or 'ftm' or other transgender identities, but these all seemed deeply rooted in the gender binary. When I learned of the word transmasculine, it was like a cool drink of water on a hot day, incredibly refreshing and satisfying. Transmasculine, to me, is a secondary layer of my identity (the base layer being my nonbinary identity). I don't identify with any gender, intrinsically, but know that my body and mind feel comfortable in clothing that is most commonly associated with men/males/masculinity, as they are currently defined and understood by societies dominant binary narrative. Transmasculine, to me, means I am transgender with a masculine of center presentation. When I'm introducing myself in trans spaces, I will often say, 'Hi, my name is AJ! I use they/them pronouns, and identify as an AFAB transmasculine nonbinary person.' I don't always disclose that I am AFAB or transmasculine, as those are supplementary pieces to my core nonbinary identity, but adding them in helps clarify to those around me (and sometimes myself, on dysphoric days) where I fall in terms of all the infinite possible identities. These supplementary terms sort of triangulate me in the universal gender map, which I think is super neat." - AJ Hedrich, 26, Alburquerque, NM