In the Excerpt “Beyond the Gender Binary ” by Alok Vaid Menon begins he begins the reading calling out the idea that gender binary is set up to fail the people. I think he thinks it is so limiting and unfair to the Nonbinary or people in general. Discrimination against non-binary people happen because of how normal it is to be gender binary. We were taught that this is the way. Alok talks about some issues surrounding his everyday life, as a person that is beyond the gender binary. From a Young age Alok feels like babies are born with no decision for self (which I don’t expect them to have) and divided into two categories boy or girl and this is how we decide how they will be treated, what kind of things will be given to them, over time this has become what is normal. Once again going back to non-binary this makes them kind of an outcast when they reject the norms that society created. It’s not really supposed to be like that. Something must be done; the ways things are understood must be changed. In order for gender-variant people to have support and justice for non-binary people, one must accept that there are ways of being that are not man or woman.
Alok goes on to discuss the real discrimination that nonbinary people go through. Over time murder rates increase, more physical violence, job discrimination among gender non-conforming people increased He got this information from a 2015 transgender survey. If the survey was done in 2015, I wonder what the results would be for a 2021 survey. Did things get better, is it the same or did it get worse. I hope and want to assume that maybe it got better because after 2015 more awareness was spread. In general, it’s not a good thing the non-Binary community is being harmed and discriminated against. What can be done about this? many things spreading awareness, making laws and protesting. Alok wants the gender binary to be put to rest. Harm from gender binary comes in all kinds of ways. That’s the thing pain does not have to be visible to be real. The same thing goes for the violence it doesn’t have to be physical to be felt. Before reading I felt like Gender Binary wasn’t a problem. Seems like it is because I was given so much information and views on the effects of gender binary being normal. It is not my fault I grew up under that being the norm. The problem is now that it is too normal, non-binary people are discriminated against.
Hey Mamadou, when you mentioned all the statistics Alok had brought up in the book’s excerpt I was shocked because I feel like that slipped my mind while I was reading it. You also made a really good point about how since the survey is from 2015 now in 2022 the results have to have changed and hopefully it’s less rates of violence and discrimination because of the awareness and people getting educated on rhe subject. But also, whos to say? It might be higher which is terrible, if it’s becoming a more knowledgable topic there are bound to be people who will have negative opinions about it
unfortunately its only gotten worse 🙁
https://www.forbes.com/sites/jamiewareham/2021/11/11/375-transgender-people-murdered-in-2021-deadliest-year-since-records-began/?sh=3aa27bb4321c
I like your wishful thinking that since 2015 we would have more acceptance, but unfortunately it has only gotten worse as time goes on. During the Tru m p Era, and in the aftermath of, violence towards LGBT people has continued to increase at an alarming rate. It has only increased as years pass, and black trans women remain the most at-risk. 375 transgender people were murdered in 2021.
I found some info from this article, that you may find interesting to read:
https://www.forbes.com/sites/jamiewareham/2021/11/11/375-transgender-people-murdered-in-2021-deadliest-year-since-records-began/?sh=51d7ae46321c
“Since 2008, “The Trans Murder Monitoring report” has been recording homicides that happen every year between October 1 and September 30.
Since the project began 13 years ago, they have recorded 4039 deaths. The number of fatalities has risen from 2019’s 331 and 2020’s 350 to 375 in 2021.
Although we must view the data in the context of being the ‘tip of the iceberg,’ the report authors note the “alarming” upwards trend throughout their data from 2008 to 2020.
“Behind the statistical representation of numbers and percentages, there are people whose lives we value and who we, as societies, failed to protect,” report authors say.”
also, a gentle reminder that Alok’s pronouns are they/them/theirs.
so,”he” gets replaced with “they”, “him” is replaced with “them” and “his” would be replaced with “theirs”
hope this helps!
Hello Mamadou,
All in all, I really enjoyed reading your response. In your second paragraph, I like how you brought up the surveys. Especially when you said “Harm from gender binary comes in all kinds of ways. That’s the thing pain does not have to be visible to be real. The same thing goes for the violence it doesn’t have to be physical to be felt.” I remember there was a time period when simply riding the train and walking down the streets was dangerous because people would get beaten, yelled at, or picked on simply for standing out and being different. There has always been violence against the LGBTW+ community and sadly there still is violence and discrimination around.