FROM THE EDITOR

Anyone who’s walked around campus in recent years can see that change is afoot. Students and others are taking a fluid approach to gender expression. (Pearls and a beard? Why not?) Change can be challenging—or exhilarating. We decided to explore it in this issue of Hue.

Many of the people in these stories are gender-nonconforming or nonbinary: Alums whose businesses offer gender-neutral clothing, Queer pioneers, Students across the gender spectrum. There’s no agenda here; we’re just taking note of what’s happening on campus and in the culture. As a college magazine, that’s what we do.

As we planned our stories, we talked a lot about words: nonbinary, transgender, gender-neutral, gender-nonconforming, gender-fluid, queer. Getting pronouns right was a priority. We took the issues of gender identity and presentation seriously. Though many students delight in their quest for authentic gender expression—their appearance, behavior, pronouns, names—we know that gender identity and presentation are complicated. We also know that what students are doing on campus may not be what they’re doing at home. It was important to respect everyone’s boundaries, and let them set the parameters of their participation in this issue. They were thoughtful and open and lovely.

Throughout FIT’s history, students have come here (to FIT and to New York City) to find themselves and be themselves, to find their people, to make the life they want—and that’s something to be proud of.

As noted, change can be exhilarating. To avoid it is as much of a statement as to celebrate it. We choose to celebrate.