10 Myths About Non-Binary People Debunked
10 Myths About Non-Binary People Debunked
Non-binary may express a combination of feminine and masculine or neither in their gender expression. But there are a lot of myths going around about what exactly non-binary is. Let's debunk them!
Non-binary may express a combination of feminine and masculine or neither in their gender expression. But there are a lot of myths going around about what exactly non-binary is. Let's debunk them!
Do you consider yourself non-binary?
That means you express a mix of feminine and masculine or neither within your gender identity.
There's a lot to learn about gender identity and non-binary people. Let's crack these myths!
1. This is just a fad - Non-binary people can express our genders in any way that works for us, but at the end of the day, our gender identities still don’t fit solely into “male” or “female.”
2. You're just confused - Being non-binary does not mean that we’re confused about our genders. It simply means that our gender is not solely male or female, or that we have no gender.
3. You are a new concept - Non-binary people have been around in all societies for a very long time. In mainstream American society, we simply have received no societal space or attention until recently.
4. You all fit on a spectrum (from masculine to feminine) - Many people like to say that the binary gender system only allows us two colors, when really the full possibilities of gender exist as a whole range of color.
5. You're gender-queer? That's so political! - Even though being a trans or cis man or a trans or cis woman certainly has political implications, it is first and foremost recognized as a gender identity.
6. You want to destroy gender - Usually, though, the conversation is about building space for a whole world of genders. It’s not about disallowing binary people, trans or cis, from having binary genders.
7. Your pronouns are ridiculous - When there are unfamiliar pronouns involved, this reluctance can grow even more quickly. But instead, the focus should be on respecting the needs of the person who is transitioning.
8. You don't medically transition - Now that the Standards of Care have been updated, non-binary medical transition is slowly becoming more accessible.
9. Non-binary equals inter-sex - This idea that intersex and non-binary people are the same comes from the insistence that our gender identities must “match” our sexes, and therefore that the sexes of non-binary people must not be M/F.
10. You don't experience trans oppression - In fact, we suffer significant impacts of anti-transgender bias and in some cases, are at higher risk for discrimination and violence than our binary transgender counterparts.
Do you have a better understanding of non-binary gender now? How can you be more sensitive to your non-binary friends?
Do you have a better understanding of non-binary gender now? How can you be more sensitive to your non-binary friends?