Struggling for Integration in Times of Evolution

In times when understanding of gender is evolving for a small group of people, society is having trouble comprehending these new concepts. Culture and politics are the areas of society that seem to be experiencing more issues when embracing non-binary gender.

“My name is Spencer and I am gender non-conformer.” I met Spencer in Salzburg, during the summer of 2015. This was the first time heard that word, and I was not entirely sure of what it meant. This was a new situation for me, I was not sure of how to address Spencer and I kept messing up the whole situation. Every day I kept calling Spencer “she” and referring as “her”, instead of “them” or “they”. I was convinced Spencer hated me, I could feel the annoyance building up in Spencer’s face every time I called them the wrong way. I was also getting frustrated; I could not understand why it was so hard for me to do something so simple, so I had to explain that this was the first time I was interacting with a non-binary gender person. For some reason, my brain was not getting the message that there was a new gender possibility. Although I did have a conversation with Spencer, I was too scared to ask them about their story, how it was to live as a gender non-conformer in a binary gender world, how they realized they were gender non-conformer and other facts that would help me understand better Spencer’s life and reality. It was not until the topic came up during a conversation with a group of friends a couple of years after meeting Spencer that I thought about life as a gender non-conformer.

In November 2016, the American NGO GLAAD carried out a study called "Accelerating Acceptance 2017", where 2,037 adults, both part of the LGBTQ community and non-LGTBQ+ participated. As a result of that study, they discovered that 12% of millennials (ages 18 to 34) identify as transgender or gender nonconforming (bigender, genderqueer, etc). But, what does being gender nonconforming mean? Well, a gender non-conformer is “a person whose gender expression is different from conventional expectations of masculinity and femininity”.

Out of the people that participated in the study, 9% said they knew someone who is unsure of questioning gender, 5% knew someone genderfluid, 4% someone bigender, 3% genderqueer and 2% agender. So if these numbers were to indicate something, should it be that society should be moving towards the understanding of non-binary genders? However, still close to a third of Americans don’t feel comfortable with the LGTBQ+ community, regardless their personal relationship to people who belong to it. Which leads to the question, why is society having such a hard time understanding non-binary gender? Could it be possible that religion, through the figures of Adam and Eve in a way set us to the automatic idea of gender as male and female? Could it be that these religious concepts mold society, culture and politics?

Living as outsiders

Having gender neutral bathrooms, not only in schools but in restaurants and other facilities is certainly a major improvement for people who do not identify with binary genders. However, usually, inclusive bathrooms are illustrated with the male and female icon, but not the icons that represent all the categories in the non binary gender specter.

Living in a binary structured society made us, cisgenders, ignorant of what it feels like for someone who cannot place themselves in either gender. While sex refers to one’s physical organs gender does it to how each one of us identify and express ourselves in relation to our sex, the identification part comes more easily that the expression. Verbal expression is almost impossible, since there are no specific pronouns for non binary people. The most common way to refer to non binary is “them”, but, as part of society, shouldn’t it be only fair that they have a pronoun just for them? But vocabulary is not the only way to discriminate. When it comes to fashion, clothing stores are either male or female, or in the case they sell both, the division is clear, they sell clothes either for women or men, but there is no option for non binary. Since there is a large group of millennials that do not identify as either, shouldn’t there be an option, at least in name for them?

From early education school teaches that the genders are two, male and female and for that are given different options: pink for girls, blue for boys, boys bathrooms and girls bathrooms, clothes for boys and clothes for girls. That division exists, not only in schools but also at home. Each individual is assigned a gender at birth and parents comply with the norms that society establishes for it.

Sweden is a country that should be considered an example in moving towards accepting non binary gender. In the case of Swedish language, a gender neutral pronoun has been created. The word “hen” can be used with people who do not identify with either option in the binary genders.

Why are politics so important?

It was the year 2016, almost at the end of the Obama administration when public schools receiving federal funds were forced to allow students to access bathrooms and locker rooms that matched their gender identity. However, January 2017, a new administration took over. Not just any, a republican one, with a Vice President known for being a Christian conservative anti LGTBQ+ politician. In his political career, Mike Pence has opposed to LGTBQ+ equality issues every time they arose. It was of no surprise when in February 2017 it was announced a step back in the gender identity inclusion policy in public schools, which since the beginning was opposed by Pence, who at the time said “The federal government has no business getting involved in issues of this nature,".

At a national level there is no bill to avoid the legal process required to be recognized as non-binary gender. Since republicans are defined in their party website as socially conservative and seeking to “uphold traditional values based largely on Judeo-Christian ethics” it is to be expected LGTBQ+ issues to be either pushed to the back of the agenda or completely dismissed. Especially considering they have majority in the House of Representatives and the Senate and therefore control the 115th United States Congress.

Although becoming legally recognized as non-binary is not part of the federal political agenda, the State of California seems to consider it an important matter. In January 2017 Senate Bill 179 was presented to have the legal process for non binary gender recognition removed and make it an automatic process, meaning no physician’s statement or court hearing would be needed for gender change petitions. This bill would not only legally recognize non-binary as a gender, being California the first State to do so in the United States, but also it would allow non binary gender people correct their gender in legal documentation, making the match their gender identity.

How does one become non-binary?

In the present, for a person to become legally recognized as non binary gender, they have to go through a legal process. It seems unfair that when born a gender is assigned according to the genitalia one is born with, but in order to be recognized as the gender one feels, has to go through an extensive and expensive process of which the result resides in the opinion of a person who until then is a stranger. In the past year there were two cases in the State of Oregon, where the Judge Amy Holmes granted the request of Jamie Shupe now non-binary and Patch now agender. According to Judge Holmes “I am of the view that non-binary or agender persons are real people whose gender identity is real. The applicants in these cases satisfied the statutory criteria and process for a gender change in Oregon, and I found that Oregon law is broad enough to allow me to grant these requests.” However, even though they were granted recognition, Judge Holmes admitted that “What the implications of this will be for the individuals granted this legal gender identity is unclear and will play out as time unfolds.”

How Media can help

While Shupe’s case marked a before and after in LGTBQ+ history, it is hard to believe that no powerful LGTBQ+ legal group represented this client. After the ruling there was no LGTBQ+ press release, no public demonstration, as if this was not an iconic event in the fight for equal civil rights in the LGTBQ+ community, which led to articles being titled “Oregon Court Allows a Person to Choose Neither Sex”. This shows clear misunderstanding of what gender identity is, and portrays it as a choice rather than a reality.

Xavier Piedra is an NYU journalism student that writes articles related to the LGTBQ+ community for Konbini US, a digital media company. He believes that “pieces he writes that tend to be on the more liberal side of things- such as the agender article- the reactions can be mixed.” He does is convinced that many times, negative comments come from ignorance about the topic, “In the particular case of the agender article this occurred and people kept treating the whole topic as a joke”. The problem with these types of responses, even though they are not the majority, is that at the end of the day, there is a person involved, trying to fight for gender identity recognition, who ends up being bullied instead of understood. He goes on to explain the one reason for the negative comments is “agender/non-binary is a topic not a lot of people are exposed to that often, so I can understand the confusion and questions. But the bullying or hateful comments are definitely uncalled for, and very much do not add to the conversation about these topics.” In articles reporting issues related to the topic it is common to find public comments such as “Most of this "non-binary" stuff is hogwash” or “How about just M, F, or W, for Weird.”

Being a minority within LGTBQ+

Although the LGTBQ+ community is known for their numerous famous spokespeople, there is nobody representing the non-binary part of the community. Usually, publicity and famous advocates help the understanding of certain groups or causes. In the case of Shupe’s legal battle, no LGTBQ+ group or person helped get the matter out to the media in a accurate way. One reason could be that the group of people who identify as non-binary are a relatively small group whose identity fall outside of the 5 letter acronym. According to Piedra “minorities within the LGBTQ community are still in that stage where there is some exposure, but it's cast aside since many people don't consider it to be "valid" as of now. I feel like a certain threshold has to be crossed in order to finally get that validation from people in and out of the LGBTQ community. It's especially important that the LGBTQ community is at the forefront of this since many gays and lesbians have their foot in the door, and if we can't even accept someone of our own kin, what stops heteronormative society from doing the same?”

Could religion be one of the reasons for not understanding?

Ever since the origin of society, the recognized genders have been male and female. Although social structures and norms have shifted, some things are hard to change; such is the case of gender. Many religions are based on creation myths, with stories that explain how human beings and animals came to have gender. Most stories explain how man and woman were created at the same time, as equals, such is the case of Genesis 1. This view of gender as only male and female can explain why Judeo-Christian societies, such as in the US have such a hard time understanding the possibility of non-binary gender. In ancient Greece, Plato wrote about 3 genders originally: male, female and androgynous. However, for attacking the Gods, androgynous were punished and half became heterosexual male and female while the other half became gays and lesbians, which in a way could explain why society (while still with difficulties) understands better homosexuality than gender identity, since the concept has been present since early times of history.

What we are left with

Many reasons could be found to blame for society’s inability to understand non-binary gender. While legal processes, fashion and vocabulary can be changed and modified to adapt to new genders, some things are harder to transform. Even if one does not consider itself to be religious, society was built under religious principles, and for that we are taught from early age that there are only two genders possible, male and female. Even if we have an open mind, because of the way society is built, we are not conscious of how we are discriminating those who do not belong to the categories we know. Since we live guided by the principle of dichotomy, we automatically only divide everything into two groups that are mutually exclusive, opposed or even contradictory. Dualism could in a way be to blame for this. This philosophy of mind in which there are only two fundamental categories for things or principles leave no room for the idea of a third gender. Not only that, but it also settles the idea of right and wrong, good and evil in our minds. It is no wonder that whatever is unknown and cannot therefore be categorized as good or right, will ultimately fall under the category “evil” or “wrong”. While researching for this article I contacted Spencer. I was happy when they answered, happy to help me out. It was good to know that although I was having a hard time addressing them the correct way, they still saw I was trying. At this point, having their story told and educating people about non-binary genders is a step towards inclusion.