This person may not look much different, but they have much to tell. For Logan Howard, life has, early on, been centered around catholicism. Logan was able to separate their bad experiences from the church and become their own person.
In the past couple of years, Logan has slowly been finding out their identity. They were able to take one step forward and came out as non-binary.
Logan’s experiences would forever change their view on religion and ultimately help them find their identity. “We got to sit on pillows, and that’s why I was an altar boy,” Logan said. During middle school, Logan would face bullying and was never a pleasant experience for Logan. After graduating middle school, the school decided not to transfer Logan’s credits holding them hostage and fabricated a fee.
After finishing middle school, Logan began to find out who they really were. Pushed by their experiences, “I am no longer a Catholic. I like the idea of it, but due to what I’ve seen and experienced, it is not for me. I consider myself agnostic. I believe that there is a higher being just not any that humans could fabricate.”
Logan was uncomfortable with his weight and appearance. They began a health regime of dieting and exercising to improve their health. Inspired by their friend Ben Profit, Logan came out as non-binary. “I saw Ben Profit and what Ben was doing. Ben was being Ben, and I admired that. Ben inspired me to come out as who I truly was, yet I am still discovering myself.”
His family would foster dogs growing up and some were too lovable to let go. Logan currently has two dogs, Crimson and Star. Logan’s family rescued Star from an abusive owner. They began to rehabilitate Star and eventually fell in love with it. “Crimson and Star love to play fight but only whenever I’m in a teams call. They keep me apologizing every time that I have to talk in a meeting. But, I still love them the same.”
Logan has many hobbies. He plays video games from Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege to Borderlands 2. Logan has been skateboarding for a time. “I’ve been into skateboarding for quite some time. Most of it was casual skateboarding. The real skateboarding started about a month or two ago.”
When asked about where Logan saw themself in the future, they responded, “I see myself in Colorado. My family is from there and I have been there a handful of times. No offense to Knoxville, but the nature scenery here pales into comparison to that of Colorado. I also see myself being a computer programmer. Computer programming has been something that I enjoy as of recent. As complex and as infuriating as it could be, it is a much needed skill that I enjoy doing.”
Be confident in who you are and be brave enough to show it. Identity is something that we should hold dear and not let others determine the parameters. We are all and we strive to be, as Nadia Williams once said, “Perfectly Imperfect”.
The Bobcat Times 