Each year though the month of June, Pride is celebrated by members of the Lesbian, Gay Bisexual, Trans and Queer (LGBTQ), community and allies nationwide. Rainbow flags fly high, people celebrate loudly and remember the lives of LGBTQ members taken too soon.
Pride can be found everywhere, especially here on campus through TAMUK’s very own Unity club.
Evan Apollo Hernandez, senior fine arts major and secretary of Unity, has faced many challenges in promoting his gender identity. From being kicked out of the Catholic church and picking out his new name, he’s faced many highs and lows that culminate into who he is today.
“My name is Evan Apollo Hernandez. I let my mom choose my name because I didn’t know what would suit me,” he said. “All I knew was that I wanted a Greek middle name because of my practice and religion.”
Hernandez identifies as nonbinary transmasculine.
“This means I am assigned female at birth, but I don’t feel like a female, but I also don’t exactly feel like a male even though I express myself in a masculine way,” he said.
He recounts knowing from a young age his gender identity was different from his assigned sex at birth.
“Believe it or not, I was three when I realized I didn’t feel like a girl,” Hernandez said. “I was devastated when I was growing up because I looked like a girl, I sounded like a girl, and had to act feminine. If I didn’t act feminine, my family and strangers would ask questions and that was always uncomfortable. It hit me hard when I was in middle school. I never felt like I belonged and it just made me isolate myself more because I was also being bullied for being bisexual even though I never told anyone that I was.”
Hernandez came out in August 2017 to close friends and to family in December of the same year.
“My parents and grandmother took it very well, however, my older brother did not,” he said.
Hernandez has received many reactions to his coming out.
“I’ve gotten really good reactions where people welcome me openly, and I’ve gotten reactions that I did expect such as people telling me ‘you’ll always be (old name/deadname) to me’ or ‘no, you’re still (deadname)’, and I’ve gotten worse reactions where people call me crazy.”
Deadname is a term used to describe someone’s birth name that they no longer recognize.
“When talking to someone that goes by a different name than their deadname, please use the name they go by unless they say differently,” he said.
Hernandez says he was kicked out of his Catholic church but has found comfort in
Paganism.
“When I tell people my pronouns, I just say He/Him to avoid much tension… even now it’s tough for me to correct people because I’m still seen as very feminine,” he said. “I’m still terrified to correct people, especially with knowing how many people would be willing to harass me for it, seeing as many people are against the LGBTQ community.
Hernandez started transitioning socially in August 2017 and medically in July 2018.
“Personally, a really good support system is what I recommend to anyone whether it’s family or friends or even a support group on the internet. Support is one of the best things you can have,” he said.
TAMUK’s Unity is an LGBTQ organization for students to support one another.
“Members in Unity have walked with me to protect me when I don’t feel safe. When I changed my pronouns from He/Him to He/They, everyone automatically listened to me and didn’t question me. Unity showed me that I have a community that cares and accepts me, and that’s what I needed. Everyone is so open, accepting and loving. Even if you need someone to vent to or talk to, there’s almost always someone available, even if it’s 3 a.m.,” he said.
According to its Twitter biography, Unity provides an environment for students that fosters a sense of belonging and promotes the interest of the LGBTQ+ community.
For more information regarding the organization contact tamukunity@gmail.com or message them @unitedjavelinas on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.
