The Non-Binary Gender Thread, or "A Little from Column D, a Little from Column V"

On one level, there is the individual's belief that these terms do or don't carry certain preconceptions or standards; on another, there is the recognition that not everyone agrees. Taking on a gender term affects how people view you and what people expect of you. It also allows you to influence those expectations, depending on the label you choose.

 

It's not a want to have the title as much as it is what you identify as. Misgendering is generally rude and can cause someone to feel dysphoric.

 

So they don't believe the gender has meaning, but they want the benefits that come from identifying as one?

But that's the thing. Just saying you're a different gender doesn't change what people expect from you.

 

In case this stems from what I told you in that other thread : first, you can be both atheist and religious. Some budhists are, for instance. I was asking you whether you were a theist or an atheist. In other words are you a theist, yes or no. If you don' t know whether you are or aren' t a theist that' s fine, but surely you can see how non-sensical an answer "neither" would look to me in that case. As far as I know you can' believe and not believe in a god at the same time, not unless you' re coocoo for cocoa puffs.

And second, no, merely asking that question doesn' t begin to assume the guise of any battle in and of itself, you did.

Incidentally, reading this thread brought that little exchange we' ve had to my mind, I guess my position on this "issue" would be a mix between that of Hatok and Styx. Political correctness at large annoys me, getting hellbent on it seems pretty shallow indeed.

I don' t really differenciate between sex and gender, nor do I feel we' re severely lacking more precise words in that area. I can juggle with gender behavior stereotypes just fine in a conversation, but if it was starting to require a little more finesse then I would just define what I' m talking about precisely (or ask my interlocutor to do so) rather than waste my time using such a hazy (i.e. useless) concept as gender.

On a side-note, when you answered that you were very spiritual I had a vague idea of what you meant by that, but had it become relevant in the conversation I would have asked you to define spiritual : it seems as hazy a concept to me as gender.

 

Spiritual is the least "hazy" word I've come across to describe my belief, just as genderfluid is the least "hazy" term I find for that particular aspect of my identity. They also come with far fewer stigmas. Vagaries to you may be clear as crystal to me, and vice-versa. Either form necessitates communication to accurately define someone, so what makes one preferable to the other? Because it contains less terms upon which to stumble? I'd prefer more terms over which one stumbles comparatively less.

 

^ Neither is objectively preferable. They' re conventions. I was just saying I don' t personally see the need for new words in that case, but if you feel like searching neologisms by all means knock yourself out. Speaking of conventions, in my mother tongue (and that of Styx I think) words have genders. What makes a chair feminine or a cheese masculine ? Nothing, it' s just an arbitrary convention. In my country vaginas are masculine and dicks are feminine, how about that ? ^^

 

/Merged\

Like before, Gender to me is a pretty common and useless label people use. I use them because socially they have more context than obscure and more foggy definitions of 'gender fluid', 'multi-gendered' and so on. I say I'm male, that's the label I put on myself. I probably am not the idea of male though, I am probably very much another type of gender. For arguments sake I am male. doesn't really matter what you label me as long ass I know who I am to myself.

 

On the question of self, I can only speak for myself. I know what sex I am, but I don't feel that I belong to any gender. I don't have a sense of gender of myself. Gender for me has more to do with how others perceive me; I neither fight nor conform to being labeled as male and the expectations that come with it, and I don't correct people if they mistakenly think I'm female. I can't connect myself with a gender or genders; I'm simply me. My questioning of self goes deeper than this but I won't bother you guys with that.

Like how others have said, I view gender as a social construct. I personally don't feel it, so whatever.

 

I don't like the direction this thread has gone. It was supposed to be welcoming for TQs and instead appears more caustic, critical, and unfriendly than anything. I can only argue for the other side for so long.

I think I'm just gonna have it locked up.

 

~Locked upon request of OP.

Remember to remain open to others views even when you don' agree with them. Bashing of opinions will not be tolerated.

Any questions feel free to PM me.