What is the gender binary? What about the sex binary?
The gender binary is the societally imposed idea that there are two distinct genders.
The sex binary is the societally imposed idea that there are two biological sexes.
Why are these ideas harmful?
The gender binary restricts gender and gender expression, because it makes certain traits mutually exclusive to women and men.
It leaves no space for nonbinary genders/shames and endangers those that identify and express outside their gender assigned at birth.
The sex binary erases intersex individuals as well as cisgender individuals that have secondary traits (body hair variance, voice tonal variance) that do not match the binary ideals.
Sexuality
Gay vs. Straight? Maybe not.
The erasure of sexuality in early education directly hurts queer women
So what does this mean for women?
Women are held to a rigid gender presentation standard that, if deviated from or subverted, calls their gender and sexual identity into question.
Pits women against other women; straight girls thinking that "appearing gay" is inherently negative. and the aggression of cisgender women toward transgender women.
Things to note for everyday life!
transsexual is a touchy word, only some people prefer the term, but it is safest to go with transgender when you are making a blanket statement
The spectrum of nonbinary gender is highly varied! When unsure of pronouns and also unsure of wether the environment is currently a safe space for the person you are unsure about, go with they/their pronouns until the point is clarified for you/until it is safe to ask!
Why are these ideas harmful?
Sexuality
So what does this mean for women?
Things to note for everyday life!