Trans Binary Vs. Non-binary

[Guest ericc]

Before I start my opinions and Theories, I just want to say that I'm not trying to be rude, discriminating or blaming anyone. So please no negitive comments, it's just some of my opinions and theories.

One of the things that I've noticed is that even though Non-Binaries are still excepted within the Transgender Communities, it's not being noticed enough. It seems like The Gender Binary System still plays an active role even in the Transgender Communites. People who are FTM or MTF feel they need to pass through the Gender Binary System in order to be truely happy and excepted in society. Plus it makes it more difficult for them to come out of the closet and causes more fears and anxiety for them about what people might think or say if they found out that they are confused about their Gender. It seems like everything is still tied down towards Binary. Though with Non-Binary, you are not the stereotypical Masculine Man or Feminine Women, I'm thinking if the Transgender community was more open to the option of presenting the Non-Binary option, wouldn't trasitioning be less stressful? Sure it's more of a risk to take within society not conforming to the Gender Binary System but at the same time wouldn't it cause less anxiety and more exceptance to indivisuality and all forms of Gender?

Just a thought and theory, you can agree or disagree.

[Guest NicolaiAE]

I'm none too bright when it comes to subjects like this. (I actually had to look up what gender binary system was ) Since I have no idea what I'm saying, I guess I can try to answer

I think society will continue with the Gender Binary System because its been used for a long time, and I guess, society is indifferent to change. I'm guessing I'm not Binary because I'm not really trying to be the masculine man, just the man I see in my mind to be me, but I don't know.

Someone with a higher intelligence will answer this rather than me

-Nicolai

[Guest ericc]

I've been reading a little more on some other forums and I guess from what I've read, It depends on the person and how they feel about living within their biological sex.

[Guest ericc]

I do appolizige about this stereotypical question, I was just curious.

[Guest Elizabeth K]

No no no

Good topic - don't apologize

As a transperson let me add my few opinions. I never thought about the binary thing when I was puzzlig out my identity becase I knew I wasn't what I looked like I was, and I knew I was a girl. When I got into therapy a thousand years later, I found out I wasn't a girl, I was a woman - okay... so I just got older? NO..

I knowI am simply female and always have been. I guess I never considered I was any way androgynous.

Now I have a better idea of gender and sex. They are distinctly different. My gender has always been female, but I was assigned male at birth, making my 'sex' male. So everyone said.

But as a transwoman? I will parter with a person - and I don't care about their gender or their sex, or shades in between or lack thereof... I look at the person now. Everyone is possible for everyone, if we just let go...

So the binary work has disappeared for me - yet I have chosen to live female, one of the conventional halves. Or is it?

Donno

Lizzy

[Guest CharlieRose]

Transpeople have a kind of weird relationship with gender... I think the tendency to lean towards non-binary, to accept the feminine AND masculine characteristics that you have, rather than making them all one or the other, is something that's happening more and more with the times. In my own personal observations, the guys and gals who are more uptight about staying in the binary tend to be older. Not necessarily, but usually.

I think that we're getting better at it, gender-non-conforming behavior is becoming more accepted in general, so I think that betraying both sides of the binary is becoming less odd. Not that everyone's ok with it, just that it's better than it used to be.

I think it is important to remember that you don't have to shut yourself up in a box when you switch sides. Gender is so complex and has so many factors that there is never, ever any kind of one size fits all, even in gender variance. Like, "All transwomen need SRS." Why not leave it to each woman to decide? Why not accept that it's not within everyone's means or comfort zones?

I know I don't fit into the binary, and I'm ok with it. While I don't think that it'll ever completely be done away with, I think that in betweens or off-centers like me are all just part of the natural straight-->queer variation of humanity and it's important to remember that everyone has a place in that.

[Guest Joanna Phipps]

No no no

Good topic - don't apologize

As a transperson let me add my few opinions. I never thought about the binary thing when I was puzzlig out my identity becase I knew I wasn't what I looked like I was, and I knew I was a girl. When I got into therapy a thousand years later, I found out I wasn't a girl, I was a woman - okay... so I just got older? NO..

I knowI am simply female and always have been. I guess I never considered I was any way androgynous.

Now I have a better idea of gender and sex. They are distinctly different. My gender has always been female, but I was assigned male at birth, making my 'sex' male. So everyone said.

But as a transwoman? I will parter with a person - and I don't care about their gender or their sex, or shades in between or lack thereof... I look at the person now. Everyone is possible for everyone, if we just let go...

So the binary work has disappeared for me - yet I have chosen to live female, one of the conventional halves. Or is it?

Donno

Lizzy

This is reminding me of the sexual orientation discussion we had going on the MTF board. I am female (love the line I am Woman) but got the wrong body (kinda what you were saying Lizzy). This might help but then again it might confuse the issue more : "From My perspective, as a woman, if I prefer women that makes me a lesbian; however in the early days the world still sees me somewhat as a male therefore a preference for women would in their eyes make me straight. It gets more confusing because if I prefer men, then in my mind im am straight but the world sees me as gay. In their eyes there is no way I could be a lesbian becase they dont see me as female (yet)."http://www.lauras-playground.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=843&view=findpost&p=99868

Gender == Female; factory equipment == semifunctional male, birth sex == male, brain sex == female, gender identity == female, sexual preference == nominally lesbian but also fluid (men, women, both, neither)

[Guest Jeannine Bean]

Before I start my opinions and Theories, I just want to say that I'm not trying to be rude, discriminating or blaming anyone. So please no negitive comments, it's just some of my opinions and theories.

One of the things that I've noticed is that even though Non-Binaries are still excepted within the Transgender Communities, it's not being noticed enough. It seems like The Gender Binary System still plays an active role even in the Transgender Communites. People who are FTM or MTF feel they need to pass through the Gender Binary System in order to be truely happy and excepted in society. Plus it makes it more difficult for them to come out of the closet and causes more fears and anxiety for them about what people might think or say if they found out that they are confused about their Gender. It seems like everything is still tied down towards Binary. Though with Non-Binary, you are not the stereotypical Masculine Man or Feminine Women, I'm thinking if the Transgender community was more open to the option of presenting the Non-Binary option, wouldn't trasitioning be less stressful? Sure it's more of a risk to take within society not conforming to the Gender Binary System but at the same time wouldn't it cause less anxiety and more exceptance to indivisuality and all forms of Gender?

Just a thought and theory, you can agree or disagree.

Ericc,

I couldn't agree with you more. I used to go to transgender support groups, and I went to two different conferences. I felt more "shoved into a box" of the gender binary among those people than I had before.

People I admired a lot as a kid, were generally androgynous in some way.. a couple of Dr. Who's companions (okay for you old-time Dr. Who nerds, Leela and Ace, though I admired Tegan a lot as well)... real people like David Bowie and Annie Lennox. Growing up I idolized Cher (yea, I know, I know) and Sigourney Weaver.

Anyways, I notice all of these people, particularly all the musicians I named, are pretty nonstandard in their gender expression. We can find Bowie or Lennox crossdressed (and DB looks like McCavity Cat's Alien Sisterbrother sometimes). Cher played "the man" on the Sony and Cher show IMHO. And Weaver is somehow oh-so-butch and oh-so-femme at the same time.

I don't want to be shoved into a box! I just want to live in a society where I can do what I want and no one care so long as I'm not hurting someone! I'd love to trade roles left and right and just dress and look how I dress and look... and still be employed based on how well I do a particular job.

--Jeannine

[Guest Joanna Phipps]

Before I start my opinions and Theories, I just want to say that I'm not trying to be rude, discriminating or blaming anyone. So please no negitive comments, it's just some of my opinions and theories.

One of the things that I've noticed is that even though Non-Binaries are still excepted within the Transgender Communities, it's not being noticed enough. It seems like The Gender Binary System still plays an active role even in the Transgender Communites. People who are FTM or MTF feel they need to pass through the Gender Binary System in order to be truely happy and excepted in society. Plus it makes it more difficult for them to come out of the closet and causes more fears and anxiety for them about what people might think or say if they found out that they are confused about their Gender. It seems like everything is still tied down towards Binary. Though with Non-Binary, you are not the stereotypical Masculine Man or Feminine Women, I'm thinking if the Transgender community was more open to the option of presenting the Non-Binary option, wouldn't trasitioning be less stressful? Sure it's more of a risk to take within society not conforming to the Gender Binary System but at the same time wouldn't it cause less anxiety and more exceptance to indivisuality and all forms of Gender?

Just a thought and theory, you can agree or disagree.

Those of us who are FTM or MTF seem to see the binary because of the way we are transitioning; however that doesn't mean that it is the only thing we see and know of. The Trans community is a rainbow with everyone having something valuable to add; sex wise we might seem to fit the binary but sexuality wise... thats a whole other story.