We are all people, men, women and those who don’t quite fit those names. Here we are in this big world that has nothing left to discover, but ourselves. We are starting to realise the way we are is not as we had always thought.
Humanity slowly edges to a new era in which more genders are recognised. Many genders have existed for much time, but it is only now that they are being recognised. School has always taught children that there are only two genders, male and female.
Here’s the hard truth to some people, there are more than two genders. Gender is different to sex, and you might argue that biology shows that there are physically only two sexes, however you may not know of the less commonly known third sex known as intersex. Therefore biology cannot prove that there are only two genders/sexes.
When a child is born, their sex is identified as either male or female due to genitalia, and this is then presumed to be the gender and the child will live the life of that sex. For most people this does not affect them. These people are cisgender as their gender identity and expression match to the sex assigned at birth.
However this can be more problematic for other people. Though a child may be assigned female at birth, they might later realise they are not a girl and that they identify as a boy. This is their gender identity.
Transgender is when the gender of a person changes from what was assigned at birth. Transgender people are people whose gender does not fit their body. They are not simply a cross-dresser, but someone born in the wrong body. If someone is transgender, they dont have to become the opposite sex, as it could just be that they are gender non-conforming.
An estimate of the number of existing genders will suggest that there are 50+ genders, which may seem overwhelming however they should not be overlooked as non-existant. The other genders are not mental disorders, but real identities. They all exist and deserve to be recognised.
Recently, while watching a little kid draw stick men, she told me that the girls were the ones with long hair and a skirt and the boys had no hair and no skirt. She drew me too, as a stick girl with long hair and a skirt, and though I am a girl, I am a girl who never wears skirts and has short hair. She couldn’t draw me like that though, as that is how the boys are represented.
She wouldn’t be able to explain a person who doesn’t fit that binary because she never imagined that there could be anything else. All of her first learning experiences taught her that girls have long hair and skirts and boys don’t and that is it.
Maybe it’s time to teach kids the truth, so they know that their feelings aren’t wrong or unnatural if they feel different to the gender everyone says they are. Let them express themselves how they want, so they can figure themselves out in a way that is not threatening.
If you yourself are questioning your gender identity and it is stressful, do not worry as there is no need to label yourself. If you need to talk to someone about how you feel it is best to vent instead of bottling away feelings as it can be harmful. By a simple google search, you can find many LGBT helplines best suited to the country you live in. If you cant do that, you can try talking to a friend or someone you trust.
There is already enough hate in this world, so I’d like to encourage love. If you have a problem with this post please keep it to yourself. I would really appreciate some feedback so please leave a comment or like, thanks.
EqualityForAll 