Khalil Poole is Gender Nonconforming and Uses Makeup as a Form of Self Expression

His alarm goes off at 4:30 a.m. Most students won’t be awake for another two hours. He grabs the makeup bag that holds his favorite products. He takes out his Jeffree Star Blue Blood pallet and his favorite NYX Cosmetics black lipstick. He still needs to pick out an outfit for the day. It will depend on his mood- it always does. Whether he decides to wear knee high black boots or bright pink fur, Khalil Poole will look in the mirror, face to face with not only a stunning eyeshadow job, but the realization that he is able to be himself.

Poole is gender nonconforming and also uses makeup and clothing as a way to express himself. Gender nonconforming means that someone identifies as the sex they were born as, but doesn’t follow the typical gender norms.

“I’m a dude, but I don’t follow the typical stereotypes of a dude,” Poole said. “I would always see dresses and say, ‘How would that look on me?’ Or I would see long hair and wonder what I would look like with long hair.”

Poole started his fascination with makeup a few years ago. Ever since he was younger, Poole would find himself wandering from the little boys section to the little girls section in stores. He was always interested in playing with Barbies rather than “roughing it up outdoors with the other boys.” Now that Poole is older, he is able to express himself the way he always wanted to.

“When I started embracing it, I bought my first wig,” Poole said. “I was like, ‘Oh my God, this is what it feels like to have long hair.’ It was a progression. The first week I tried makeup, I wasn’t very good. The first time I wore heels it was very difficult.”

While FHN strives to be an accepting place every day, society isn’t always accepting of the LGBT community. Poole ignores the negativity, knowing that some people just don’t understand the differences in others.

“People are going to have something to say no matter what you do,” Poole said. “Don’t let those comments wear you down. I laugh at them.”

Positivity is something that keeps Poole inspired. He is surrounded by friends who love his makeup looks and style.

“My number one supporters are my friends,” Poole said. “They tell me that gender norms are dumb. What’s in between your legs doesn’t deter how you dress, how you act, how you talk or whatever.”

Poole wants to keep advocating for the LGBT community by breaking the gender norms, but he also wants to express his advocacy in a different way. Other than makeup, Poole expresses his creativity through illustration. He enjoys spending his free time writing and illustrating comics where his characters are a part of the LGBT community. His characters can be transgender, bisexual or gender nonconforming, something you don’t find in every comic book.

“I just feel like if we [members of the LGBT community] have more visibility people would accept it more,” Poole said. “I do want to sort of advocate for the LGBT community because a lot of people don’t really do it, especially when we have so much negativity going on. For example, transgender people got banned from the military. I feel like a lot of people turn a blind eye to it and brush it off.”

When Poole is able to dress the way he wants and do his makeup, he feels comfortable in his own skin. He is able to embrace his true self and feel the most like himself.

“It’s a way I can feel comfortable,” Poole said. “Don’t care about what other people say. If people give you compliments, take those compliments. Just be happy with yourself.”