Say Hello to Sophie...

Back in March I came out as being both bisexual, and femandrogyne. “Femandrogyne” refers to my gender identity, and it is one of many non-binary gender identities which are out there. “Androgyne” refers to someone who doesn’t feel fully male or fully female, but somewhere in-between. “Femandrogyne” refers to someone who is somewhere in-between male and female, but is leaning more towards the feminine side.

I recently decided to take an important step in dealing with my gender identity, in order to feel more comfortable and happy. And that step is to start living part-time under a feminine identity, by the name of Sophie.

I’m not going to be Sophie all of the time. I will still be Karl at work, and with my family. But, outside of these situations, I will be living as Sophie.

What this means in real terms is that I will start dressing in a feminine way, and I’m going to experiment with growing my hair longer. Recently, I shaved my beard off for the first time in 14 years. One day later I remembered why I’d stopped shaving in the first place – it’s really uncomfortable, and the results don’t last long. And so I’ve decided, in order to be comfortable, I’m going to keep the beard, but keep it very short. That way I don’t notice it’s there. (And, hey, if it works for Conchita Wurst...)

I’m also going to adopt the name Sophie, and so I would appreciate it if you call me this from now on (outside of work and family situations, where I will still be Karl), and use feminine pronouns when referring to me. But don’t worry if you slip up, it’s an easy thing to do. Even I may slip up on occasion (those of you who know me well know that I sometimes refer to myself in third person, and I may slip up these occasions).

With regards to social media, Facebook’s strict naming rules mean that my account there will only be safe there if the name I have on it is my legal name, and so I will still be Karl there, although the name Sophie will appear there as another name. However, on Twitter, I will be changing to Sophie, and my new Twitter handle will be @SophieKGreen.

Please note that I’m not, and have no plans, to ever undergo surgery, or have any other medical intervention to alter my body.

Please note that this isn’t any sort of sudden decision. I have been feeling this way for literally decades, but have been keeping it hidden until this year. It’s only now that I feel more comfortable about being true to who I really am.

I know that this may take some getting used to, it certainly will for me. But I hope I will have your support in doing this. I’ve already told some of my friends about this, and I’m pleased to say that they are all fine with it.

Many of you will know that I also have a girlfriend. I spoke to her about this before I told anyone else, and she is fine with it, and I love her very much.

So, there you have it. I’m Sophie now. I hope and trust you’re all able to respect that, and that I can be happy with who I am...