The North Carolina Football Club is proud of our diverse workforce and culture of acceptance. In celebration of International Non-Binary People’s Day, below is a Q&A with two members of our organization that identify under the non-binary umbrella > Varian Carroll (Merchandise)
1. How do you identify? What are your pronouns?
I use Non-Binary as a good umbrella term but specifically I’m Agender, which is a lack of gender. I use they/them pronouns.
2. What is the best piece of advice you’ve received / would give (relating to your personal journey)?
I think a big thing that helped me figure myself out was my sister; she’s the one that told me about gender identity and how male and female weren’t the only two genders. When I first started exploring my gender she told me that if I decided the label I’d chosen didn’t actually fit or wasn’t right, she’d support me changing my label. So a big piece of advice I’d give anyone is to not be afraid to try on different labels and see what really fits, don’t be afraid to change your label if it’s not right. But don’t feel like you have to have a label either, if you can’t find one that fits, there’s nothing wrong with simply being “not cis”.
3. How did you find support or representation within the sport / the club?
My first big show of support was actually from my boss! She was introduced to me with my deadname; when I told her I went by Varian and used they/them pronouns she didn’t miss a beat in changing to them! I’ve never had an issue with being misgendered in the club except for a few slip ups here and there, but people are always quick to correct themselves when that happens. I also have coworkers who are non-binary and it’s refreshing to see others like me in my place of work.
4. What are four (or however many you want) examples of good non-binary representation you like?
There’s a character in Rick Riordan’s series Magnus Chase and the God’s of Asgard that I absolutely adore! Her name is Alex Feirro, he’s genderfluid and very open and proud about it! Alex was the first character I ever saw who was anything like me.
I find a lot of representation from the content creators I watch. Ranboolive is a huge inspiration for me! They’re so creative and ambitious and open about their gender identity. I started watching Ranboo a few years ago before he came out and it’s been amazing seeing his journey of accepting himself and being open about who they are.
One place I don’t think many people would expect to find non-binary representation is in the film Matilda. While there aren’t any actual non-binary characters, I found myself relating to Matilda in a way I wasn’t expecting when I first watched the movie. Matilda’s biological father wanted a boy and throughout the film he calls Matilda “boy” and uses he/him pronouns despite Matilda trying to correct him, saying “I’m a girl” and being ignored. So while Matilda isn’t non-binary, that struggle she goes through with her father is a great representation of the struggle many non-binary youths, and even adults, go through with their family.
This isn’t a specific example of non-binary representation, but I’ve found that I have the easiest time finding representation in books. There are so many books about non-binary characters outside of ‘male to female’ or ‘female to male’ trans characters, which is the representation you’re most likely to find in mainstream media like movies or TV shows. When I read the summary of “I Wish You All the Best” by Mason Deaver I nearly cried because it was the first time I’d seen a book about someone like me, and from there I’ve found a bunch of books about characters who are outside the gender binary of male or female.
Katie Rosenthal (Courage Athletic Trainer)
**1. How do you identify? What are your pronouns? **
I identify as trans non-binary. I use they/them pronouns.
2. What is the best piece of advice you’ve received / would give (relating to your personal journey)?
It’s super cliche, but the best piece of advice I’ve received is to always be myself and never compromise what that means. I grew up in a very conservative town, so being true to my identity wasn’t always the safest. But eventually, the courage and the comfort in my own skin built up and I haven’t looked back since.
**3. How did you find support or representation within the sport / the club? **
Within the sport, there’s been such amazing queer representation, especially on the USWNT, since I became a fan over a decade ago. The climate of the sport has changed and become so much more accepting, even in the last 5 years, which has been incredible to see. Then the coolest things happened: Quinn and Kumi Yokoyama came out as trans in 2020 and 2021 respectively, right around the time I did. Watching these two bosses navigate the hatred and bigotry helped me process and navigate what I was facing.
As for the club, I feel so fortunate to be in an environment where I can be my most authentic self. I don’t have to hide my identity and I’m respected by players and staff alike. It’s been a learning curve for everyone, but the educating is worth it for a better and more inclusive future for all.
4. What are four (or however many you want) examples of good non-binary representation you like?
For starters, Quinn of OL Reign/CANWNT being the first openly trans/non-binary person to win Olympic Gold was HUGE. Another is professional runner Nikki Hiltz, who just won the US 1500m and will be competing for Team USA at Worlds in Budapest later this summer. They’ve been such a huge advocate for trans rights and trans youth sport’s participation and have done an incredible job of being visible to bring attention to issues bigger than themself.
I’ve also seen more books and shows having non-binary characters than ever, even Disney has one of us now! It’s exciting to see more representation and I can’t wait for it to be normalized.
Here are some great links as well about education and allyship:
https://www.stonewall.org.uk/about-us/news/10-ways-step-ally-non-binary-people
https://www.hrc.org/resources/be-an-ally-support-trans-equality
