“How can you care about our culture but be friends with a s.3.x. coach?” “You’re traditional but you have all these tattoos” “In our culture you shouldn’t show your skin” “Is your husband okay with this?” As someone who proudly wears and celebrates the culture that I come from, it comes with some really oppressive ideas of what participating in culture actually means, without giving space for the nuance of third culture. Culture is defined as the all-encompassing amalgamation of language, music, food, clothing, religion, rituals, behaviours, beliefs, and customs of a group of people. Because there are so many aspects to what makes up culture, culture itself is practiced so differently, person to person. THIRD culture is equally as important: defined as the culture that’s created in the mixing of the culture a child is raised in, paired with the culture of their parents. For me: my third culture is the co-existence of pottu’s and tattoos. It’s in the understanding that s3x-positively is rooted in the ability to choose, and to remove stigma and shame from conversations we quite frankly don’t need it in. It’s in the ripped jeans and gold jewelry. It’s in bare arms, but a thick braid. It’s in eating a sandwich for lunch, but rice with my hands for dinner. So here’s to embracing our culture — and for other children of immigrants like me — especially, our third culture. & a reminder? We’re allowed to choose what that looks like. How does your culture exist for you?