A minority within the LGBT community

[Shana A]

A minority within the LGBT community

By SONALI KOHLI
Published November 16, 2011, 1:19 am

http://www.dailybruin.com/index.php/article/2011/11/a_minority_within_the_lgbt_community

Editor's Note: Throughout this article, Ryth Mendez is referred to by the gender pronouns "they" or "their." Mendez, who is genderqueer and does not identify as only male or female, prefers these pronouns to "he" or "she." For Mendez, "they" encompasses multiple genders.

Ryth Mendez doesn't identify as just male or just female.

Mendez prefers "they" instead of gender pronouns, and goes by "Ryth" instead of "Ruth," their birth name, to discourage people from gendering them right away.

Mendez is genderqueer, which the fifth-year Asian American studies student defines for themself as embodying all genders.