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Being an elementary school kid is not easy. Everyone is perceived as Cisgender and Heterosexual. I always got along easily with girls and boys. I had the " Make ups handshakes and Sing" relationship with girls and that friendship is evolving. With boys it was more " Play soccer and fall" relationship. In grade 1,2,3 no one played with the opposite gender. But in grade four I broke the barrier between the boys and girls. I bravely walked over to the boys and asked to play soccer with them. I won the game. In grade five a large group of boys would sit at the back table. I was fed up with sitting with the girls and sat at the back with the boys. They tried to scare me away but it didn't work. After that I sat with them every day and eventually more girls sat at the back. Grade six: I only sat with the boys on my class. There were problems with grade six. Some girls weren't mentally tough and couldn't take a joke so they cried everyday. The principal ended up separating the boys and the girls into two classes so he could talk about "Sexual Harassment" . All the girls got was " You are valuable and worth it and just as good as a boy!" They only told us we were valuable and didn't tell us how to defend ourselves. The boys told me they were just told " don't you dare think you are better girls are not objects and you are not to hurt them!" . The education system fails everyone.

I was torn between girls and boys. I never really considered myself female or male and I just am fine living in the now. Gym class was terrible. Girls vs girls and boys vs boys never mixed unless it was dodge ball and even then it could be boys vs girls. More girls have joined the soccer game. Boys are in artist guild( a club at school) I hope at the end of the day everyone can just get along with each other regardless of religion and expression of sexuality/ gender. I have a Muslim friend who thinks that there is more than male/ female and a Christian friend who is OK with same sex marriage. I have an atheist friend ( I'm atheist also ) She is anti abortion. Despite every difference kids are more accepting than adults. I hope we can learn from each other.

Keep your chin up to the sky! All the way from Canada