Jareth Nebula is now trying to raise awareness of those who feel they are from another planet.
A former transgender human who claims that they now identify as an agender alien wants to raise awareness of those who feel so different that they believe they belong to another planet.
Jareth Nebula, 33, who legally changed his name four years ago, was born female and later transitioned to become a man when he was 29 – but no longer believes he belongs to any human gender.
Working as a receptionist at a barber shop and living alone in Washington, USA, Jareth, who is single, wants people to accept his identity and in an ideal world would rather be called ‘thing’ or ‘it’ than he.
Calling himself Jareth after David Bowie’s character in the 1986 fantasy movie Labyrinth and Nebula, like a space cloud, he said: “After coming out as transgender and believing I had finally found myself, I realised I was wrong – I wasn’t male or female, or even human.
“I don’t think or feel like humans. I can’t really explain it to others – I’m simply otherworldly.
“I didn’t feel comfortable as either gender or even anything in between. I know I’m stuck in a human form and that’s how I’m perceived by others – but to me, I’m an alien with no gender.”
Jareth first felt he did not fit in with the crowd when he was diagnosed with Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (EDS) – which is a rare lifelong condition affecting connective tissue and resulting in stretchy skin and an increased range of joint mobility.
Although Jareth was born with the condition, he was not diagnosed until he was 26.
Nicknamed ‘Mr Elastic’ by his doctors, due to his stretchy skin, the condition can cause him chronic pain.
Its one benefit is that his skin is wrinkle free, which makes him appear younger.
Jareth, who does not want to disclose his birth name, said: “The condition means I can pop my joints out on purpose, which was a fun party trick when I was a kid.
“Now I realise why I could do that. My pain in my joints got worse as I got older and I would find it harder to move day to day.”
He continued: “I get to a chiropractor once every two weeks and see a physical therapist once a week, as well as smoking medicinal marijuana for the pain – but there is currently no cure for EDS.”
Luckily, Jareth’s work is very accommodating – but he claims his diagnosis made him realise he was completely different from other people.
Although he says he was once a “hyper-feminine female” and modeled modelled in his teens, at 29, Jareth decided he was a trans male.
He began taking testosterone injections at the start of his transition, started to dress in a masculine way and had surgery to remove his breasts.
But neither gender seemed to fit his personality, so he decided to do further research into alternative gender identification.
He said: “I thought being a trans man would solve all of my issues and inner battles with finding out who I was, but I wasn’t as happy as I expected to be.”
He added: “I felt like I was trying to fit into someone else’s box. I didn’t want to be constrained – that’s when I discovered what agender was.
“I’d always been obsessed with aliens, too, and what it means to be extraterrestrial, so the idea of being an agender alien fit perfectly as an identity for me.”
Being agender, which is defined as a person who does not identify themselves as having a particular gender, means Jareth does not want to look either male or female, but is happy to be called ‘he’ or ‘him’.
His new look, which does not conform to gender stereotypes, includes plenty of body modifications to appear as unique as possible.
“To feel less human, I have a huge circuit board tattooed on my face – which makes me feel more android and disconnected from humanity,” he explained.
“I don’t have nipples, as I had them removed during my top trans surgery. I shave off my eyebrows and have lip, septum and nose bridge piercings.”
He added: “On top of this I also have 78 stars tattooed all over my body – and I hope to get 333 stars eventually, as three has always been my lucky number throughout life.”
Jareth’s alternative fashion also sets him apart from the crowd, as he enjoys neon, gothic, pastel and Japanese pop culture clothing.
Despite finally being happy with his new identity, Jareth claims that not everyone has been understanding and accepting of his lifestyle change.
His family, who he doesn’t wish to name, have not supported his decision to become an alien – although they understood and backed his transitioning from female to male.
He said: “My family still see me as a trans man, because they don’t understand what agender or alien really means.
“I have online friends who support me, but offline is harder. Not everyone understands – but that’s okay. I don’t expect them to get it, I only want acceptance.”
As well as the difficulties he faces with friends and family, Jareth has also received hate online from strangers who disagree with his alien identity.
Commenting on how he deals with trolling, Jareth said: “People treat me like a freak because I’m an alien, but it’s a completely valid thing to call yourself.
“Who is anyone to tell you who you can or can’t be? If someone wants to identify as anything, even an animal, let them.”
He continued: “I feel sorry for people who attack me online. I think they lack empathy and just want to target me, so I deal with it pretty well by brushing it off.
“I’m happy with who I am and will continue to become more alien-like every day.”
