MagiStream

What gender do you recognize as/what pronouns do you use?
I am bigender who prefers to be androgynous online and i prefer they/them pronouns due to this. I'm not going to be fussed how you guess my gender as though. -grins-

How do you feel about non-binary genders?
Oddly... Complicated as someone who technically counts as non-binary. See... On the one hand I think they are perfectly valid identifiers and identities. On the other hand I think there should be a distinction between gender, sex and gender expression. See... Let me explain my perfective.

A lot of non-binary genders tend to be genders that can fit into their broad category gender as their own sort of still in the gender. Something like a tomboy, which is a boyish girl that still identifies as a girl, would still count as a girl. By identifying them as their own genders rather than as sub genders or identifiers I feel it muddies the waters of helping people understand the concept.

On the other hand i do totally think that one can feel more masculine or feminine in a day. Or can be more androgynous. Or can be a not stereotypical male or female. I think there should be more acceptance into the idea that there can be a spectrum of femme/butch in female or equivalent in male that one can identify as an expression while not muddying the waters of understanding biological sex or trans. As it is non-binary genders get treated like trans, as though trans are just choosing a gender expression rather than being in distress, and sort of diminish the issues of dysphoria trans people face to the point where people throw trans into a wash with non-binary.

Do you thing gender neutrality when not talking about specific individuals is important?

Oh totally. I think it's fair to assume she or he if someone is dressed as a she or he but if you don't know or it's quite obvious someone is going for androgynous I think they/them is fair.

People bring up a lot of these things and forget that many cultures before colonization had "third genders" which were neutral, or both, or so on.
In my case it is the two-spirit. I believe as my ancestors did that the gender in a person is created by the feminine and masculine spirit and when they come together in one person they are a completely new and blessed individual.

Saying that indigenous people like me cannot uphold their cultural representation of gender is inherently racism and rooted in such colonization, as we were murdered and r-ped to "correct" us once our land was taken by the setters. If you try to remove this fact, it is highly disrespectful.

You may see it as silly to link spirituality with gender, or that our gender in general is such, but never tell us not to be who we are. We are spiritual people, and we have been here longer than anyone else in the Americas. We know our culture more than anyone else.

Howltrail wrote:People bring up a lot of these things and forget that many cultures before colonization had "third genders" which were neutral, or both, or so on.

Lots of people tend to forget that and sadly some of the peoples themselves have forgotten too. Brainwashed by Western dominant culture I also see a lot of hatred towards those that do not fall in neat categories within said peoples. I have one friend who is Native American and let's just say this winkte's parents weren't really thrilled with this.

During my anthropology studies we briefly touched upon such things but they were usually sort of waved away as being "primitive superstitions" and even the term we used back then was highly offensive (berdache). As I grew older I did my own digging and found it really liberating to see that the whole gender-range so to speak can be found through all human societies. This means that it is a real thing and not a modern invention by confused teens as some would like to claim.

Linking spirituality with gender sounds pretty reasonable to me. Most people cringe at the term spirituality but it's all about knowing yourself and everything around you.

What gender do you recognize as/what pronouns do you use?
Female and she/her pronouns.
My gender is a lot more complex than this, but I prefer to keep it private since it's not relevant. My gender can also shift in dreams.

How do you feel about non-binary genders?
I think that nonbinary genders are valid as anyone else's.

I usually find that the people against it only know the term from the media which seems to only show those who use being nonbinary to cause upset. I can guarantee that almost no nonbinary people are out to get anyone with their identity. It's sad that it is often represented in media as something used to target and offend people, because without someone to explain what gender identity is, people will probably believe it :/

I personally find it hard if someone's pronouns are it, an emoji, a very long word, or if they have no pronouns. "It" is used exclusively as an insult in our area, so while I'll try to refer to people by their pronouns, it can be hard because it sounds like I'm trying to offend someone.

Someone once told me that I could choose my identity. That's not true at all. If I could choose how I identified, I would be male and go by he/him. But the thought of being referred to as a man just makes me feel… weird, I can't really describe it, like an uncomfortable, unsettling feeling that makes me get goosebumps and makes me twitch. I identify as female and I can't change that. Being referred to as female feels right, and comfortable, and makes me happy. And gender identity is not how you present. I'm pretty androgynous when it comes to anything, I don't do stereotypical girl stuff like makeup or the colour pink, but I am still very much female, how I dress and what my hobbies are don't affect how I identify.

Do you thing gender neutrality when not talking about specific individuals is important?
Yes, I always try to refer to people as they/them if I don't know their gender.
Only thing is a lot of people tell me it's wrong and I should refer to them how they present and not by neutral terms, so I don't know. I've tried to eliminate pronouns if I don't know them, but I'm also very forgetful with names for some reason, so it can be hard.

Wow! This is such an old thread but still extremely relevant to this day. Back in 2014, I knew nothing about non-binary identities. Heck, I didn't even know about being transgender.

I'm so glad that more people are being educated nowadays, and, honestly, there is still a long way to go.

What gender do you recognize as/what pronouns do you use?
I am genderfluid and non-binary and have been since late 2020/early 2021. My pronouns are they/he!

How do you feel about non-binary genders?
100% valid. Gender is a social construct. Not everyone will fit into the mould of being either a man or woman.

Do you thing gender neutrality when not talking about specific individuals is important?
Yep. It recognises those who aren't a man or woman and makes them feel included. I know for me, it can make a huge difference in my day when people recognise that we're not all binary!