In reading “Beyond The Gender Binary” by Alok Vaid Menon, it gave me a better understanding that gender is more than being a “man” or “woman” , which are the two gender identities we would normally acknowledge. Gender non-conforming individuals don’t necessarily match with the traditional, cultural and social expectations used to classify a person as masculine nor feminine. These individuals are classified solely through the expression of their own identity that can be based on their behavior to their outer appearance, from the clothes they wear to the pronouns they’d prefer to be called. In order for them to fit in today’s society they don’t want to be wrongly discriminated against and oppressed by those who classify them as either “fake” or “abnormal” in the eyes of the media and possibly even political views. 

It was brought to my attention that within the same category as either male or female our bodies naturally don’t justify that we all share the same characteristics. Menon mentions “Body hair and body shape vary within genders. There are many women with body hair and facial hair and many men without it. Not all women are able to bear children and not all men are physically strong. There are many men with curves and many women without them” (Menon 52). To me this meant that not everybody fits the exact representation that society describes us to be whether one is a man or woman. We have our own differences and flaws just like somebody who is not strictly addressed through gender. People often go about living their lives disguised of their true identity in order to be accepted by a society that would rather stick to what is considered normal than value somebody else’s creativity that is left hidden from the world.  

I often would worry that growing up it was wrong for me to have hair all over my arms, legs and some parts of my face because I was a female. This was a misconception I had since girls would often get called out by boys for being “too hairy” because that is so called a “masculine trait” however it is something biologically we can’t control. We often have methods that can prevent the production of hair temporarily or permanently through shaving, waxing and laser hair removal. In reality body/facial hair does not contribute to any given gender because society and the media want to be in control and have a say in that individual’s identity. 

Throughout the rest of the reading it is not fair that gender non-conforming people are faced with physical/sexual violence, false accusations, hate crimes and other harmful behavior that affects their mental health and security throughout the public. In connection with one of my classmates’ snapshots, the quote they posted stated “Respecting someone’s pronouns is suicide prevention. Pass it on”. This is very important because people would just assume someone’s gender identity rather than addressing them correctly and treating them like a regular human being. We all need to learn to be supportive and create a safe space to those gender nonconforming individuals who face challenges that keep them from feeling comfortable and confident in their own skin.