“My name is Nude Pacifico.  I identify as queer moving towards gender non-conforming.  I grew up in Costa Rica and came to Canada in 2007. Growing up, in such a conservative country like Costa Rica, it really takes away a space for you to explore who you really are.  You have to conform to the gender binary. That was 27 years of my life. I tried my best to have a more accurate representation of myself in that country by wearing makeup and unisex clothing….but that had consequences.  I faced discrimination – for example in school I was bullied quite often. I was attacked physically and emotionally abused for many years. I have heard my own family using slurs like ‘faggot’ and ‘sissy’ to refer to me, ‘weak, good for nothing’.  I was once assaulted on the street in broad daylight by a group of straight men. I moved to Alberta, Canada for two and a half years but still felt restricted. It was not until moving to Toronto that I was given space and was able to carve out a space for myself to be me.

Thanks,
Nude”

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