At the moment one of the big topics of discussion is our gender identity. How people see us and refer to us is a major part of our lives. So when someone gets it wrong it doesn’t make us feel good.
I’ve been watching documentaries about this very subject a lot over the last few months in the hopes that I can understand it myself. Now, like most people, I know when people say they are male or female. I even get it when someone tells me that they were born one gender and have since began to live in the opposite gender.
Of course in these situations it is simple to know how we speak to these people and refer to them in conversation. We also know how bad they might feel if we were to get it wrong; probably more so in the case of someone who has transitioned.
But what about those that don’t assign any gender to themselves?
There are a number of people coming out as non-binary or gender neutral which, from my understanding, is a way to say that they do not wish to tick one gender box. Some might say that this is a new trend or fad that people are going through however the more I think about it the more I don’t believe that’s true. With the current environment in which people are being allowed to express their true identities freely, people are finding the courage to be who they want to be without the fear of persecution that was once the norm.
Looking back at noted artist from the last century we have individuals like Grace Jones and Prince who sported an androgynous look only to be celebrated for thier uniqueness.
Ok so we know that this is not a new thing, but why do people feel like this?
We as a race assign roles to gender. We decide what it means to look like a man or woman and also how one is supposed to behave. The way people feel doesn’t always fit in with the rules as we a more complex than that. In a world where guidelines are meant to be strictly followed, expression and creativity are stifled. After all isn’t how we represent ourselves a part of our creative identity? I am sure there are also more complex elements that also play a part, like a person’s psychology, however the basics is that it is how we feel inside. Surely that is what really matters.
Our language doesn’t accommodate this very well which tells me that it too must evolve with the times. With new words being added to the dictionary regularly shouldn’t we add one that applies to a gender neutral person. I suggest ‘Re’ as it already is often used as a short for ‘regarding’. So why not as a pronoun.
It’s really important that people are allowed to be who they really are. By trying to change or alter them to fit in with your norm you are only suppressing the beautiful person waiting to bloom.
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