I cannot speak for the entire nonbinary community. Nonbinary stands for a lot of different things and we come in all different shapes and sizes and colors. We all have such different ideas and lifestyles, but I feel like there are some things that people forget and neglect to think about, especially when it comes to dating people who are not one gender or the other. A lot of people look at us and are like "I guess I can date you" despite the fact that you and your genitalia do not match whatsoever.

First: some background. I am a female bodied nonbinary (more specifically agender/gender fluid) with a shaved head and a nose ring. I definately could come across as a lesbian or just a regular arts student. Obviously going to art school helps this because we all do crazy stuff to our bodies. For crying out loud, people do stick and pokes; I thought those were only done in prisons. I am a panromantic demisexual, I like people but still have to have a romantic attraction to further along all of the sexual stuff in that relationship.

When you date someone period, respect is a must. We must treat people with respect and with love. When loving people who are nonbinary, it is the same thing. However, while recognizing the vanishing of the binary, more and more are getting educated on why awareness of gender diversity is important. To those who are learning all about gender diversity through this: Yay. Listen to the nonbinaries around you. If they want to be called something, make sure you say that.

Pronouns are not a suggestion. When you love a cis person and they misgender you, you could think it was just a misunderstanding. But for every missgendering, you are just proving to them that your gender is not valid and it totally is valid. Regardless of what gender you identify as, even if it sounds weird to you, it is not weird and it is completely valid. Never forget that you are the only person who matters in your gender transformation.

Also, ask questions. I don't know if everyone feels as comfortable about talking about their identity as I do, but you should never feel like you should know everything. If you have questions, ask them. If they don't have an answer, Google. There are a lot of great online resources out there. A lot of that is at our fingertips.

Lastly, nonbinary people are still regular people. We are real and existing people who have jobs and lives just like you. So love your special someone, regardless of the gender. I feel as if this whole article in a way is counterintuitive because of the fact that these things are things that are important for dating anyone, regardless of gender. So love who you wanna love and don't be afraid to be yourself!