"I just don't understand how you can be non-binary-gendered. That is, not female or male."
I want you to lie for me. If you’re a woman, say “I am a man.” If you’re a man, say “I am a woman.” Say it out loud. Say it to your reflection. Do you feel that little disconnect there, where the sentiment you’re articulating doesn’t match up with the reality you experience? You know you’re lying. Even if someone else comes up and says “Hey! That’s right! That’s definitely what you are,” you will still know you’re lying.
I can’t speak for everyone, but that’s what happens to me when I try to place myself as either male or female. I could stand up and say “I am a man,” and know, to my bones, that I was lying. Just as I’d be lying if I said “I am a woman.”
It’s not a matter of thinking, “I can’t be a man/woman if I want to do or like these things.” I know that as a woman, I could still have a career, join the military, roughhouse, be athletic, be great at science – all those stereotypically male things. I know that as a man, I could still stay at home, raise kids, bake, knit, show my emotions easily and often – all those stereotypically female things. My gender identity is not about what I want to do, it’s about who I am.
This is not a new idea. Cultures across the globe have acknowledged more than two genders, from the Middle Kingdom of Egypt to the Lakota of North America, from Mayan civilization to the Siberian Chuckhi. References to persons neither male nor female date back to some of humanity’s most ancient written records, such as the Sumerian creation myth, and survive in seminal religious texts such as the Ramayana and the Halakha.
If you want to learn more, the citation list on Wikipedia’s article on “Third gender” has links and references to scholarly articles, books, studies, and excerpts which might help you get an idea of the nature and history of various non-binary identities. Or you can look at more contemporary accounts, such as Neutrois.com, or the discussion on AVEN’s site on “What it feels like to be trans, genderqueer or genderless”. Remember that no single narrative will be able to represent all people, and different nonbinary people may have different preferred terms, explanations, and experiences.
REPEAT AFTER ME
GENDER IS A SOCIAL CONSTRUCT
IT HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH GENITALIA
YOU CAN BE BOTH OR NEITHER GENDER
YOU CAN BE A GENDER ALL YOUR OWN
YOU CAN BE A MAN AND HAVE A VAGINA
YOU CAN BE A WOMAN AND HAVE A PENIS
GENDER
IS
NOT
PHYSICAL
SEX
CLOTHES HAVE NOTHING TO DO WITH GENDER IDENTITY
TRANSBOYS CAN WEAR DRESSES, TRANSGIRLS CAN WEAR SUITS
GENDER IS A SOCIAL CONSTRUCT
GENDER
IS
NOT
PHYSICAL
SEX
Nepal to issue “third gender” IDs - Salon.com
salon.com
An official says Nepal’s government will begin issuing citizenship certificates with the category “third gender” for people who do not wish to be identified as male or female.
Activists hailed the decision, saying it was an achievement for gay and transgender rights.
Home Ministry Bhola Siwakot says an order to issue the certificates was sent to all district administration offices.
Nepal’s Supreme Court ruled in 2007 that the government should issue “third gender” citizenship certificates but it took five years to implement the decision.
Sunilbabu Pant of the Blue Diamond Society says the simple and clear guidelines for issuing the certificates should make life easier for sexual minorities.
Activists say “third gender” minorities have had difficulty getting jobs or passports, enrolling in schools or owning property without proper citizenship certificates.
New Zealand proposes third gender option for passports
Kiwis might be able to describe themselves as M, F or X on passports, if proposed changes go through in September
05 July 2012| By Anna Leach
The New Zealand government is reviewing gender options on passports and looking into more flexibility for transgender citizens.
The Department of Internal Affairs suggests that New Zealanders can chose M, F or X to describe their gender, with only a statutory witness declaration needed as confirmation, not a medical certificate.
If a transgender person changes identity on the passport, it would be shown on that document only and not on birth certificates or citizenship records.
Currently the Births, Deaths and Marriages Act 1995 legislates that an adult or guardian of a child can apply to have their birth certificate changed to a different gender.
The Department is asking for views about these proposals from those affected and expects to implement a new policy in September 2012.
