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Since gender is a construct, there are many ways in which we as individuals each go against traditional gender norms. Some people are working to deconstruct their gender identity from the traditional norms, which can look many ways. One example of that is a preference to be seen as a complete person without gender being assigned to them, which some people refer to as an 'agender' identity. But because identities are complex, someone who aligns with that same description could also prefer to be indentified as 'nonbinary', or simply prefer to call themselves queer. Some people identify as 'gender fluid', and consider themselves to exist in a changing state across the gender spectrum and beyond. While many people strongly identify with different existing labels for queer gender identities, it is important to remember the ways that aspects of self identity can be assigned to us in ways that serves patriarchy more than it serves ourselves- and that attempting to reach a peak image of femininity, masculinity, or even androgyny is often driven by social pressure to perform for the gender binary.
Nonbinary Identity:
Nonbinary Identity:
Some people who have a queer gender identity prefer to be called, or go by the label of nonbinary. Nonbinary, as a term, refers to acknowledging the presence of a traditional male-female gender binary, while choosing to identify outside of that. Some people express themselves in ways typically identified (through gender stereotypes) as masculine or feminine, but that doesn't mean that they identify with the gender associated with the stereotyped features (eg. a nonbinary person who wears a dress does not necessarily identify as a woman just because society traditionally associates dresses with femininity and womanhood). Some nonbinary individuals prefer to keep to a more strictly androgynous presentation and try to avoid clothes that are strongly gendered to either end of the binary sex spectrum.
Transgender Identities:
Transgender Identities:
Some individuals strongly feel that they do not identify with their assigned-at birth gender, and they make the choice to transition their gender to the opposite end in the binary- becoming a transgender individual, also known as a trans person. This traditonally looks one of two ways-
1. a woman transitions to be a man, and becomes a trans man, or a transmasculine person.
2. a man transitions to be a woman, and becomes a trans woman, or a transfeminine person.
Trans identities are very unique however, and just as there are countless ways for humans to curate their own self identity, there are countless positions for humans to land on the gender binary spectrum. And keeping in mind that gender and sex are often not one in the same thing, and that sex is far more complicated than 'male or female' from a biological standpoint, there is far more complexity to transitioning genders than moving from one end of the spectrum to the other. This is very much dependent on the individual, but an example of this can look like how for folks who are intersex, sometimes the health-affirming care and gender affirmation via clothes or presentation that an intersex person will participate in, can parallel gender transition or transgender affirming care- and for some intersex individuals, they therefore choose to embrace a transgender identity.
Historically in societies under colonization, the way you were raised, the color of your sheets, the job you had (or weren't allowed to have), and the life you were allowed to lead as a whole, was all determined by your sex. Sex, as a form of identity, has often taken the name of gender as well; however, gender is a construct that relies on assigning itself to your assigned-at-birth-sex. Now this can get tricky to understand, but it's often easiest when we fully separate sexual (sex-assigned-at-birth) and gender (how one expresses oneself) identities. That doesn't mean that the two groups don't heavily overlap, it just means that they are inherently separate and are applied differently to our lives. To live life in any physical body comes with a lot of nuances and differences in that experience in comparison to others, and to flatten that experience based on an incorrectly held societal definition of a biological sex binary, does no service to the truth of human diversity.
The constructs of gender impact both AMAB and AFAB people in society via enforcement via patriarchy, but there is a need to highlight not just the historic rates of violence against AFAB people across society but to particularly hold space for the context of the weaponization of our own reproductive system against us in the context of sexual assault, pregnancy, and access to reproductive healthcare.
Society creates these gender roles for us to play into, and with enforcement via the power structures inherent to patriarchy, both AFAB folks and many groups within LGBTQ+ circles who are seen by many to be 'queering' from 'traditional values' (Christian heteronormative monogamy), are often active participants as reinforcers of the harms of gender roles.
Sex Assigned at Birth:
Sex Assigned at Birth:
AFAB: Assigned Female At Birth, this is a term that is includes the majority of women who identify as cisgender women, transgender men, and non-binary folks, who are effected by the ownership of a 'traditionally' female body at birth. Traditional reproductive organs including but not limited to: Vagina, Cervix, Uterus, Ovaries, etc.
AMAB: Assigned Male At Birth, this is a term that includes the majority of men who identify as cisgender men, transgender women, and non-binary folks, who are effected by the ownership of a traditionally male body at birth. Genitalia including but not limited to: Prostate, Penis, Testes, Vas deferens, etc.
Intersex: There are also individuals who are intersex- and have a mixture of traditional sex characteristics; a percent of the population are born this way and some never find out. Intersex individuals have the right to live in their bodies however, and in whatever identity that they feel is right. As we briefly mentioned, many people have a slight variation and never find out they are intersex, due to the standard of assigning people to an oversimplified binary when deciding someone's sex based on developing body parts.
Deconstructing/Decolonizing the Gender Binary:
Deconstructing/Decolonizing the Gender Binary:
Throughout European colonial history people believed that there are two genders, man and women. Gender is a societal construct that allows it only to exist as well as people choose to believe in it, and follow patriarchal values. The belief that there are only two genders, directly stems from the misheld belief that there are only two sexes. Even though there are two ends of the biological sex spectrum, it doesn't mean that there is not an array of biological expressions in between. While sex is never a determination of gender, biological sex can greatly impact the way we interact with the construct of gender, and aspects of self expression. It's important that we keep in mind the ways that people are forced into gender roles, and gender norms, without their consent by their society and community. However, that doesn't mean that sex=gender, and gender should never be a glorification of sexual biology over self expression. When anyone is expressing themselves genuinely, gender is not really present. Gender is a gaze and construct assigned to a type of expression. Even our descriptor words for these things are not exclusive to gender, such as: 'feminine', 'masculine', 'beautiful', 'handsome'. In fact the social gendering of these words is done through societal constructs being replicated and upheld. For many people, fully deconstructing gender can be a hard mental task- especially when we believe so much of our identity is assigned to gender; however, the fact remains that from a biological, neurological, and gender studies perspective, you are without gender right now, other than what society has assigned to you based on your visible sex characteristics. (eg. hair growth patterns, breasts and genitalia, etc)
Expanding on Lateral Violence Between the Sexes Under Patriarchy:
Expanding on Lateral Violence Between the Sexes Under Patriarchy:
Society creates these gender roles for us to play into, and with enforcement via the power structures inherent to colonial, patriarchal capitalism. While we frequently discuss the harms of men and cis-hetero individuals in general under patriarchy, both AFAB folks and many groups within LGBTQIA2S+ circles who are seen by many to be 'queering' from 'traditional values' (Christian heteronormative monogamy), are often active participants as reinforcers of the harms of gender roles, against both AFAB and AMAB individuals.
This can look like 'toxic masculinity' and 'toxic femininity' in action, with people acting out patterns of gendered behavior against each other; for example, a transmasculine individual recreating harmful toxic masculine dynamics such as refusing to participate with household tasks that have a feminine association under patriarchy, such as cooking or cleaning, or a woman attempting to gain power in a space by playing into standard femininity to appeal to existing male-dominated power structures or by attempting to recreate those power structures by acting as a "girlboss", which actually usually ends up modeling 'authority' off of toxic masculine behaviors such as domination and aggression. As a further example, transfeminine people can sometimes tend to lean into either toxic feminine or masculine behaviors as a way to attempt to reclaim power under patriarchy that is stripped from them when they reject their masculine assigned gender at birth. Some cishet men will also perform femininity in order to gain appeal/power with women/in queer spaces for personal or particularly sexual gain. On the flip-side, many men like to use the way that we all can tend to play into patriarchy in these ways as justification for the continuation of it, and even as a inlet for them to blame non-men and queer individuals for its existence in the first place.
Agender – A gender identity term for individuals who often conceptualize their gender as not aligning with any gender categories, having no other words that quite fit, and not caring about the project of gender altogether. Some people who are agender understand this identity to mean genderless.
Bigender – A gender identity term for a person identifying as two genders, either simultaneously or varying between the two.
Cisgender – A gender identity term for individuals whose gender identity aligns with the gender identity assumed based on their birth-assigned sex. Cisgender people receive benefits that trans and nonbinary do not receive. Abbreviated to “cis”. (See Cisgender Privilege)
Cisgender (Cis) Man - a man who was assigned male (or intersex) at birth and idenitifies as a cisgender man. Cisgender man is one of two gender identities included in the gender binary, with “cisgender woman” being the other in the binary. “Man” and “male” are not interchangeable.
Cisgender (Cis) Woman - a woman who was assigned female (or intersex) at birth and idenitifies as a cisgender woman. Cisgender woman is one of two gender identities included in the gender binary, with “cisgender man” being the other in the binary. “Woman” and “female” are not interchangeable.
Femininity – A set of attributes, behaviors, and roles associated with girls and women, which may be expressed and embodied by people regardless of their gender or birth-assigned sex. Performing femininity in a culturally established way is expected of people assigned female-at-birth.
Gender – A social construct framed by a society’s understanding of masculinity and femininity as related to roles, behaviors, expectations, activities, identities, and attributes. This term is often understood as a binary, however, historically and presently, gender is expansive and dynamic. The key elements of an individual's gender are gender identity, gender attribution, and gender expression.
Gender Attribution – The act of attributing a gender to another with or without knowledge of that person’s gender identity. In Western culture, these assumptions are rooted in our cultural understanding of gender as a binary system and how gender is socialized. Assuming a person’s gender pronouns is one example of gender attribution.
Gender Affirmation Surgeries – Surgical procedures that some trans folks pursue that create congruence between one’s body and one’s gender identity. Historically, gender affirmation surgery has been referred to as sex reassignment surgery.
Gender Binary – A socially constructed gender system in which gender is classified into two distinct and opposite categories. These gender categories are both narrowly defined and disconnected from one another. They are strictly enforced through rigid gender roles and expectations. Further, there is a hierarchy inherent to the classification, in which one gender, men/boys/masculinity, has access to power and privilege and the other, women/girls/femininity, is marginalized and oppressed. These classifications are seen as immutable; those assigned male at birth should identify as men and embody masculinity, and those assigned female at birth should identify as women and embody femininity. This binary system excludes nonbinary, genderqueer, and gender non-conforming individuals. All people are harmed by the gender binary system, but your place within the system determines the degree and quality of harm. The gender binary is weaponized through conquest, colonization, and continued occupation of indigenous peoples’ lands. The gender binary system is inherently violent and foregrounds all gender-based oppression.
Gender Dysphoria – Discomfort and/or distress that varies in intensity, duration, and interval for an individual extending from the disjuncture between one’s conceptualization of their gender and the way their body is. Serves as a medical term and diagnosis in the the American Psychological Association’s (APA) Diagnostics and Statistical Manual (DSM-5), which contributes to the stigmatization of transgender identities as a mental disorder. Clinically speaking, gender dysphoria is present when a person experiences significant distress related to their gender. The concept of dysphoria, rather than the diagnosis, is employed frequently by the trans/nonbinary community to name their experience. Not all trans people experience gender dysphoria, and not everyone views gender dysphoria as a mental health diagnosis.
Gender Essentialism – Gender essentialism is the belief that there is a universal experience of gender, often linked to sex assignment at birth. Gender essentialism often fails to address the intersections of race, class, and sexuality.
Gender Expression – The way in which someone expresses their gender, either consciously or unconsciously. This can encompass everything that communicates our gender to others, including clothing, hairstyle, body language, manner of speaking, social interactions, and gender roles. Most people have some blend of masculine and feminine qualities that comprise their gender expression, and this expression can also vary depending on the social context. There is not always a direct translation between gender identity and gender expression. A person’s gender expression may or may not align with the way people attribute gender to that person.
Gender Euphoria - The inverse of Gender Dysphoria. This is a state of comfort, joy, or satisfaction with one’s gender expression or attribution.
Gender Fluid or Genderfluid – A gender identity term for people whose gender expression is variable across time and space.
Gender Identity – A person’s individual understanding of their own gender and the language they use to describe this understanding. This can also be considered one’s innate and personal experience of gender.
Gender-Inclusive – A term used to describe language and spaces that validate the existence and experiences of all gender identities and expressions, especially marginalized gender identities.
Gender Marker – The identification of your gender on legal documents, often conflated with legal sex.
Gender Nonconforming – A term that describes a person whose behavior or appearance does nto conform to societal and cultural expectations of what is appropriate for their gender. This term is usually more related to gender expression or gender attribution than gender identity. It is usually used as a descriptor. Although rare, some people do use this term as a gender identity term.
Gender Roles – A set of social and behavioral norms that are considered appropriate for particular genders. Gender roles change across time, space, culture, region, and context. When viewed in Western culture, gender roles are expressed within the gender binary system.
Genderqueer – A gender identity term for people who conceptualize their gender as beyond, existing outside of, or not included within the gender binary. This term is linked to the academic discipline of Queer Theory and carries a political and/or disruptive connotation. As an identity term, genderqueer is sometimes conceptualized as a type of nonbinary identity. Genderqueer is sometimes written as GenderQueer. (See Queer)
Nonbinary – A gender identity term for a person who identifies outside of the gender binary. Nonbinary is also conceptualized as an array of genders at some distance form the gender binary. Nonbinary is sometimes written as “non-binary.” A common abbreviation for nonbinary is enby.
Coming Out:
Coming Out:
Coming out to your parents, friends, teachers, and family (etc.) can be very difficult. Getting the courage enough to say to someone you love (and not the mirror) can be a big jump. For many people it can be jump out of fear into love and support, but for others these people can be an unsafe person to talk to. Unfortunately in several states, it is now required that teachers notify parents if a child comes forward about a queer identity. So when deciding whether or not to come out, it's important to start with someone you know you can trust and who will guarantee your safety and acceptance. If you don't feel like this is available for you, than it's important to be strong and brave in keeping yourself safe. No one in the queer community wants you to be in an unsafe environment because of coming out, so make sure you choose a time where you have safe resources if need be. Many parents especially young parents, are devoted to making sure a child feels comfortable coming out to them or know about the choices they have when it comes to love later in life.
This is a free encyclopedia for all gender and social systems that affect us and how we function. It's a great resource for Activists of all kinds, to take a better look at intersectionality, sexism, etc.
There is more research being done to finish this page, please be patient with us!
There is more research being done to finish this page, please be patient with us!
If you would like to help us write about commonly silenced areas or personal experiences you may have with these topics, contact us at thisisactivism2023@gmail.com or fill out our Comments page. We want our website to be a continuous growth of knowledge to share with each other in a positive way. There are so many things we don't talk about and we should!
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