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Welcome to Amplify Respect! This is a publication and a community, dedicated to learning through joyful curiosity and respectful language.

You are welcome here if you're LGBTQ+, an ally, or just curious about a nonbinary writer's experience. Relatable weekly true stories. We talk about what it's like to be trans and nonbinary, hiking, travel, martial arts, and getting published!

I’m Rey Katz, a queer, non-binary writer.

I am passionate about using respectful language to help understand ourselves and each other and build empathy and a supportive online community.

I wrote about how growing up with martial arts helped me accept my nonbinary body for POPSUGAR. I dug into the craft of writing nonbinary characters for Catapult. I reported on how to write about trans people with respect for The Postscript. I’ve also been published in Brevity’s Nonfiction Blog, Clinch: A Martial Arts Literary Magazine, Open Letters Review, and other publications.

Testimonials

Russell Nohelty says:

They’re the best. I learn so much from them.

Anastasia Selby (they/them) says:

Rey is truly a treasure- their writing is so down to earth and accessible and also so, so important and enlightening.

Frankie de la Cretaz says:

Rey is lovely and I’m glad to see them having an impact. ❤️

Allegra Chapman says:

If you're keen to be an ally to your trans and non-binary siblings on this planet but feel unsure of how to go about it or don't feel confident in your understanding of gender identity issues, writers like Rey are invaluable. Their writing is informative and challenging, whilst always remaining accessible, welcoming and supportive. Also they're really funny and entertaining. Check them out!

Johnny B. Truant says:

Thanks for being you. It’s taken me time to see through the binary/hetero/cis that I took as standard and unwavering through most of my life, so it’s always great to hear voices I haven’t heard before.

says:

I love how good you are at asking questions and initiating dialog that prompts so many of us to think more deeply, in a very nuanced way, about both gender as a cultural phenomenon, and our own relationship to, and experience of, gender.

It's also very encouraging to see how many readers who are cis-het find something to identify with in these conversations. It's fun to see how we all have relatable experiences to share, even when our genders (or lack thereof), and the way we express them, are so different.

With your guidance, the conversation has a sense of gentle curiosity that I find very welcoming and accessible.

says:

I have been trawling for uplifting posts about trans/non-binary people. Unfortunately most of what I’m finding is hateful rhetoric, but your helpful article emerged like a shining beacon of hope!

If you’d like to learn more about what having a non-binary gender means, start here!

What does nonbinary mean?

What does nonbinary mean? You might be curious about what makes me nonbinary, or how that differs from being a woman or man. You perhaps can’t envision another gender identity other than woman or man. Thanks for reading Amplify Respect: Non-Binary Community! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.

Amplify Respect: Non-Binary CommunityRey Katz (they/them)

Then check out these other great and useful articles!

So, your kid came out as trans. Now what?

Folks, I am unqualified to answer this question from a parenting perspective. I don’t have kids, I don’t take care of kids regularly, and I’ve never had a young kid come out to me as trans. Yet you all keep asking me about your trans kids (and their nonbinary partners, and their friends, etc…)

Amplify Respect: Non-Binary CommunityRey Katz (they/them)

What does it mean to know yourself?

“How do you know you’re nonbinary?” (or trans, etc, etc) I just know. I’m going to tell you a story to help you understand how strongly I know this about myself.Thanks for reading Amplify Respect: Non-Binary Community! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.

Amplify Respect: Non-Binary CommunityRey Katz (they/them)

Gender isn't just for young people

Gender is SO hard to untangle because it means so many different things. Most people have an innate sense of what gender feels right to them. But then that gets complicated. We have to deal with sexism, what we wear, how we act, what we look like, what kind of bodies we have, gender roles, expectations, medical care, and legislation.

Amplify Respect: Non-Binary CommunityRey Katz (they/them)

How to survive the holidays with family (if you're LGBTQ+)

If you’re in my family and reading this guide about how to survive the holidays with family, this is not about you!! For real. Many people, especially if they are LGBTQ+, dread attending family holiday events. If this resonates, you are not alone. I’ll share some tips for how to survive the holidays with family if you’re LGBTQ+ in this post.

Amplify Respect: Non-Binary CommunityRey Katz (they/them)

Gender is morally neutral

It is not morally better to be a woman than a non-binary person or a man. It is not worse. It simply is who you are. Gender is morally neutral. It is okay to interrogate your gender and change how you think about it and present yourself over your lifetime.

Amplify Respect: Non-Binary CommunityRey Katz (they/them)

Debunking bisexual myths: we are actually reasonable people

I’m going to debunk some bisexual myths in this week’s newsletter. I think I first called myself bisexual around 2009. I was pretty convinced I was a straight girl before then, despite some evidence to the contrary. “Bisexual” was my first step of coming out as an LGBTQ person. I later came out as nonbinary, quite gradually, perhaps starting around 2017.

Amplify Respect: Non-Binary CommunityRey Katz (they/them)

Does anyone love their name?

I had to choose my name before I could start writing about myself. I didn't know how much using my birth name was holding me back, a very nice name that made my stomach clench. I had, statistically, as feminine coded a name as is possible. Apparently, zero boys were given my birth name in my birth year. And I didn't consider myself a girl, but not quite…

Amplify Respect: Non-Binary CommunityRey Katz (they/them)

Thanks so much for reading! Your support means the world to me.

Take care,

Rey

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