The reading excerpts from “Beyond the Gender Binary” by Alok Vaid Manon touches base on gender by going into depth about conformity, fluidity, and experiences Alok has been through as an individual who identifies as nonbinary in society. Throughout reading the excerpts I learned more about the experiences one goes through when living in society as someone who identifies as nonbinary. However, I also learned more about gender as a whole and how the continuous evolution of the topic gender hasn’t quite fully been accepted in society, nor has society grasped the whole subject of gender and the ideas within that subject. We can think of gender as the root of a tree and the more we learn about different ways others associate with gender, the tree will continue to grow with different branches. Therefore, when we create more space for others when it comes to identifying with gender, the concept  of gender as a whole will continue to grow and evolve. An important topic I learned from the text is the idea that the gender system as a whole is not only outdated but has been the cause of a lot of problems in society today. Alok tries to open us up to the ideology that the whole gender system has constantly found ways to exclude individuals who don’t label or identify themselves simply as just a male or a female. Alok goes into detail about the gender binary and how it is set up for people to fail; this also includes individuals like me and you. You may be thinking, what is the gender binary? The gender binary is a system of gender classification in which all people are categorized as being either male or female. Alok describes the gender binary system as being more concerned with gender norms than it is with updating and educating the system on the different categories of gender individuals associate themselves with that isn’t just a male or a female. Alok states, “we are led to believe that there are only two genders, ‘man’  and ‘woman’, and these genders are narrow, separate, and opposite. We are taught from a very young age that this is how things have always been and this is the only way to live.” This statement resonated with me because growing up my parents were separated and I lived with my mom but I visited my dad every weekend and during the summertime. Even though I identify myself as a woman I have always liked dressing like a tomboy as well as playing video games and playing sports. My mom was always against me enjoying and dressing as what was called “boyish” things. I was always taught from my mom that boys can only like boy things such as sports, wrestling, and the color blue; and girls like me can only like girl things such as the color pink, barbie dolls, playing dress-up, and make-up. My mom, without realizing it, made me feel ashamed for enjoying things that I was taught were only specifically meant for boys. Gender was distinctly separated in my household and she made sure that I understood that anything other than associating as a girl or being interested in “girly” things was never to be tolerated or talked about nor would it ever be accepted in her home. I feel as though as society continues to evolve; moving forward we should take the initiative to change the gender binary system so it is more inclusive to all who don’t associate themselves in the most simplest way as a male or female but make it inclusive to those who associate themselves in other ways we may not even know of yet. It is important to include everyone in the conversation of gender so it is fair and comprehensive. Another important topic I learned throughout the excerpts by Alok is the fact that power and control both contribute to the broken gender binary system and overall the world as a whole. With control people can gain power and with power people can continuously control the narrative and conversation of gender without letting outsiders give their input and suggestions. Alok states, “Arguments against gender non-conforming people are about maintaining power and control.” This is a powerful statement because it helps us to understand that when we allow society to continuously control the conversation about gender, then we are allowing the binary norm system to maintain the power and control they have over the ideology of gender and what terms we use to associate gender with. If we want the binary norm to evolve and become more inclusive and considerate to all individuals in the world, then we need to regain the power and control back to steer the direction of our own narratives; making sure everyone’s voice is heard and everyone is seen and accepted once and for all. Lastly, a third important topic I learned throughout Alok’s excerpts is another strategy that people use to make the gender binary system seem like a given instead of a decision; dismissal. Alok states, “In order to even get a seat at the table, people have to believe that you exist.” Another powerful and impactful statement made by Alok because it acknowledges the fact that people still refuse to acknowledge that gender non-conforming people exist.