From Dots to Lines

                   In a society so reliant on data, science, and statistics to help us understand the world around us, how is it that we still choose to categorize in people in such a simplistic way when it comes to sex, sexuality and gender? This binary approach to people has become quite outdated.  We seem to understand that giving people binary options to describe themselves, such as: as fat versus thin, short versus tall, rich versus poor would be inadequate. Most people would be uncomfortable choosing one over the other and would likely tell you that they fall somewhere between the two. In fact, we have created all kinds of ways to collect, summarize, and analyze information that is gathered according to a spectrum. So what do we have to gain by sticking to the traditional male versus female categories that are still presented to us everywhere we go? At what point do we ask whether providing only two options for sex, gender, and sexuality is perpetuating ongoing, harmful confusion? Most importantly, could changing this binary system be beneficial? I believe that giving people the option to place their gender, sex and sexuality along spectrums would increase inclusivity, assist in dismantling harmful gender norms, and continue to normalize diversity in regards these areas.

           Image taken from: http://sitn.hms.harvard.edu/flash/2016/gender-lines-science-transgender-identity/

              Male or Female, choose a side. For some of us, there is an obvious answer, but for others, it is a loaded question. First of all, this is in fact several questions: Male or Female could be in reference to our physical sex, our gender-expression, or our sexual preferences. So what happens to the folks whose sexuality, gender and sex are complex? We have long been aware of trans individuals and individuals who don’t identify with either gender, so why haven’t we made a place for them? Mia Mckenzie, Shira Tarrant, and Susan Stryker, to name a few, have all addressed the binary system’s exclusion of those in the trans, gender-queer, and intersex communities.  Switching to a spectrum to identify sex, from the binary system we use today, would allow all people to identify themselves with confidence; should they chose to do so.

            Next up are gender roles. Warning: this one is personal. I have never been what one would consider a “girly girl”. As a child I was far more interested in climbing trees, launching trucks off slides, or building fortresses out of sand; anytime my sister came near me with a fashion doll, she was met with a hard eye roll. My mother eventually gave up trying to put me in dresses and opted for more practical clothing for a girl with my interests. As I got older, the majority of my friends were boys based on the fact that we had more interests in common. I didn’t “get” most of the girls around me and was pretty well lost when it came to talking about make-up, hair, or other grade-school girl topics (I feel you Mia McKenzie!). Needless to say, this led to a lot of confusion. I spent a lot of time thinking about what was wrong with me. I often felt like I didn’t fit in anywhere, I questioned my sexuality, and wondered whether I should just learn how to be a girl. I have since figured out that sex, gender-expression, and sexuality operate on individual scales and eventually settled into myself; but damn, that would have been nice to know when I was younger. 

Young Eroca (happily not in a dress)

            Society is slowly learning to acknowledge and accept sex, gender, and sexual diversity. Thanks to the third wave of feminism, intersectionality, and LGBTQ+ activism, we are making progress. Attention is being drawn to gender specific toys, media coverage about transgendered folks, gender-neutral washrooms, pride parades, and government assistance with gender reassignment surgeries are all becoming more common, but we have a long way to go before these issues dissolve. Perhaps if people were aware of just how many of us do not feel represented by the binary, it would be easier for the general public to let go of old ways and introduce more inclusive system for allowing people to express themselves.