Hi there,

Everyone is different and being respectful is all about making sure people feel comfortable and accepted. There are lots of simple ways to help anyone feel accepted.

Being non-binary is when someone’s gender identity doesn’t match being entirely male or female. It might mean that they identify with parts of being male, female, both, or neither. This might mean that they have a preferred name or pronoun (for example: he, she, they, etc.).

Lots of the time, all you need to do to be respectful is to use someone’s preferred name and pronouns. It’s okay to ask what pronouns someone prefers, you could even share your pronouns first to make it easier.

It can help to remember that you don’t need to ask lots of questions about someone’s gender identity. Before you ask something, try to ask yourself whether you’d feel comfortable being asked personal questions before asking them. We all say things that might be insensitive sometimes, if you do then often all you need to do is say sorry and move on.

It’s great that you made friends over the summer. There’s no rulebook to making friends with different life experiences as long as you’re being kind to others. If you’re ever struggling with friends of what to do though, remember that Childline is here for you.

Take care,

Sam