Today, I’m Julien. This is the name I chose in 2020, and this is the name that will continue to follow me. I’m not a new person — but an amalgamation of Madison and Madi and Drew and Jamie. Self-identity is a crazy, beautiful and fluid concept. No matter how you identify, remember to listen to yourself and your needs. No one is ever confined to a box — in fact, I encourage you to try to break out of it. Let yourself evolve — not into someone new, but into someone free.

Everyone comes out in different ways at different times in their life — over and over again. Sometimes people will be confused, and you have to go the extra step, but that’s okay. The lesson isn’t that people have to stop asking questions — it’s that they need to start asking themselves when and why they’re asking. People should still be able to feel like they’re the ones steering their own stories.

Everyone’s journey looks different, and this is only the beginning of mine. But that’s one of the beautiful parts of being in the LGBTQ+ community: There are no rules and no single mold you’re supposed to fit into. In a time when so many people are trying to tell us there’s something wrong with us, there’s bravery in embracing who you are — and showing the world just how beautiful that can be.