Pakistani Muslim comes out as non-binary to President Obama live on TV (VIDEO)
A non-binary transgender person has come out to President Obama during a live Q&A session in London.
Maria Munir told Obama that they do not identify as a binary gender, and asked the President to do more, and to urge David Cameron to do more to include non-binary people in laws to protect LGBT people.
They said: “I’m about to do something terrifying which is come out to to you.”
Adding that they were sorry for being “emotional”, fighting back tears.
“It means that I don’t fit because I’m from a Pakistani-Muslim background which inevitably has complications .. I wish that yourself and David Cameron would take us seriously as transgender people.”
Obama responded to the 20 year old to say that he was “incredibly proud of the steps it sounds like you’ve already taken”.
Going on, Obama said he thought Cameron had been “ahead of the curve” on LGBT issues.
He added: “You should feel encouraged just by virtue of the fact that social attitudes have changed on this faster than I have seen on any other issue.
“It doesn’t feel fast enough for you and those impacted by it and that’s good. You shouldn’t feel satisfied. You should keep pushing.
“The trend lines are good on this. We’re moving in the right direction partly because of courageous and active young people like yourself. So stick with it.”
Check out the exchange below:
The moment an audience member at Obama’s London Q&A came out to the President #ObamaInUK https://t.co/9NabCusKKK https://t.co/YexdfC6RmI
— Sky News (@SkyNews) April 23, 2016
But despite Obama’s words, Munir said they thought he could have said more to support nonbinary person.
In an interview with BBC Newsbeat afterwards, they said: “It was something the President said about acting crazy – that if you need to get a social issue across sometimes you need to act a little crazy.”
“At that moment I felt my pulse intensify and thought that I’ve been sitting on this issue for such a long time. I haven’t come out to my parents, I just thought, it anyone in the world is going to accept me for who I am it should be the President of the United States. “
Student who came out as non-binary to Obama says his response on LGBT rights isn’t enough https://t.co/JnjRVYpb6Q https://t.co/ij0leH2NtZ
— Sky News (@SkyNews) April 23, 2016
