AN INTERVIEW

Tik-Tok is normally a haven for humorous entertainment, and sometimes political conversation, however, there are times where the algorithm goes extremely wrong and my ‘for you page’ is bombarded with dozens of ‘gender reveal’ videos. Whilst some may simply view these as cringeworthy and sappy, the ritual exemplifies the deeply entrenched gender roles present within society that are assigned to us before we are even born.

The unconscious power of pink and blue slowly transforms into a regime that polices our bodies, behaviours, and reinforces a binary of two distinct, opposing forms of genders: masculinity and femininity.

So, what does this all mean for non-binary peoples? For individuals who do not exclusively identify as a man/woman or situate themselves in between, maneuvering through the ‘gender dichotomy’ can often compromise personal identity and well-being.

My sibling, Ollie, who possesses an endless supply of wisdom, agreed to share their perspective and personal journey as a nonbinary person…

What do you define as non-binary and what does this concept mean to you? “Non-binary” encompasses anyone that does not fit into the standard binary gender system. There are several ‘specific’ identities within this: non-binary, gender-fluid, gendernon conforming - I believe they all fall under the definition of non-binary (anything that differs from the boy/girl you were presumed at birth. Being non-binary rebels against the expectations of society and allows you to be able to do the things you’re too comfortable navigating thwith - without having to fall into a certain box. It’s certainly not easy to throw away society’s judgment, but it can rough the ge

be an important step in self-acceptance. Did you always know you were nonbinary? Short answer - no. But there were signs from childhood that make a lot of sense now. I was taught from a young age that there are expectations of boys and girls - but I didn’t have to follow them if I didn’t want to. I remember having an affinity for some feminine things that I didn’t really understand… I never gave any thought to this being out of the ordinary. I certainly didn’t conform to the same interests and attitudes as other boys throughout school. In grade 9 this made me somewhat of a target of bullying however, by my early teens I became okay with the person I was and as my cohort matured—I became accepted by almost everyone at school and got on quite well with people. In the years following, I learned about transgender people and non-binary identities (I was actually skeptical at first) and found myself relating more to the experiences of these peoples. Eventually… it just made sense to me that it was how I felt too. While I could accept myself as a guy that didn’t need to conform to hyper-masculinity who could endeavour to be a positive example to other men, like my father had been for me - it just didn’t feel right, I didn’t feel male, something felt missing and wrong -I felt “in-between” so to speak. What do you feel the biggest misconception of being non-binary is? That non-binary genders and transgenderism as a whole is an entirely new concept in society – This is not true. Non-binary people have existed in pre-colonial Americas, India, Southeast Asia, Indigenous Australia, Albania and premedieval Europe. Not to mention the

persistence of queer and transgender people as secretive communities that existed since classical Greece, Rome and even before that.

Do you feel that Imperialism has played a major part in shaping our understanding of gender in society? European colonialism has been the dominant power in the world. Their philosophy of cultural superiority took precedence, and they obliterated cultures under the guise of bringing ‘civilisation’ which was instead the dissolution of non-binary people and transgender identities. In India, “Hijra” people were “banned” under the British Raj, virtually making them non-existent in public until recent years. Non-binary identities were erased in south-east Asia and across the pacific with the advance of Western religion, and we know what happened with the cultural genocide of Native American people and Aboriginal Australians - this included the erasure of “Two-Spirit” people in the Americas, and non-binary identities in Indigenous Australian culture.

This discourse that being non-binary is some sort of hyper-woke concept, shunning ‘regular’ society - is ignorant. It doesn’t take into account thousands of years of history. We need to reassess why we put so much importance on gender roles in our society. The idea of men and women being what holds society together is but one worldview of many from around the world… but it’s come to be accepted as the only one. This is starting to change in many countries as transgender and non-binary people realise self-empowerment. Still, a long way to go, however. that within yourself. Trying to deny those thoughts out of fear of the difficulties you may face in life by being non-binary will eat you from the inside, because you would

basically be denying the existence of the person you actually are.

It is really easy to feel discouraged from ‘transitioning’ or coming out -due to pressure from the media, or people in your life. I know how scary it is, even in today’s society, and it’s confronting to have to face the unknown... but I see so many trans and nonbinary people living their life proudly and happy and I know that we can all get through it - we just need to trust in ourselves and

have the courage to be authentic… and true to ourselves.

I want to point out the importance of these decisions and identities not being final. A lot of people feel they have to “transition” into one thing from the other, but the reality is that things change. Nothing has to be fixed - you can feel a certain way, and then change your mind. I’ve known a lot of people that have been non-binary, then switched to feeling transgender in a binary sense, and then come back to feeling non-binary. It’s normal to explore yourself - see what works, what doesn’t - we already do it for other parts of our identity.

As long as you are being true to the way you are feeling, and not pushing down part of your identity, that is the most important. The other hurdles will be there - as they are for all of us, but having the confidence in yourself is the best way to overcome those obstacles.

What would you say to someone struggling to accept their gender and scared of what others will think? Be true to the person you are inside. If ender binary: ayou don’t fit with the gender you were presumed to be - it’s really important you reconcile n interview QUEER DIT | 90.9

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