Gender as a non-binary experience Meg and Nelly
What is gender? Gender refers to the way in which a person feels and thinks about themselves, and the way they dress, speak or move. This can be different to the ‘sex’ they were given at birth. In other words, you may feel female and have a penis, you may feel male and have a vulva or may feel like a mix of the two. Eg: ● ● ● ● ● ●
Male Female Trans Gender neutral Gender fluid Intersex
Case studies We will be exploring gender as a non-binary experience through the use of case studies that demonstrate the breadth and longevity of non-binary individuals being highly influential and beneficial to our society. The cases we will refer to are: ● ● ● ● ●
Genetic variances The Guevedoces Performative gender Dr Alan L Hart Gender crossing in creative roles ● New York and the gender X
Genetic vs Aesthetic Most women are born with 46XX chromosomes, and most men with 46XY, however according to the World Health organisation, “In a few births per thousand, individuals will be born with a single sex chromosome (45X or 45Y) and some with three or more sex chromosomes (47XXX, 47XXY, 47XYY etc). In addition some males may be born 46XX due to misplaced DNA, and some women may be born 46XY due to a mutated Y chromosome.�
Guevedoce children Guevedoce is literally translated to “penis at twelve”, and also called “Machihembras” (first a woman, then a man), children in this small community in the Dominican Republic only become men after second puberty. During pregnancy, nobody displays a gender until 6 weeks. At this point the Y chromosome releases testosterone into the bloodstream causing male genitals to form. In this community, the males lack the enzyme that processes the testosterone and do not develop male characteristics until they experience second puberty in their teens, therefore appearing throughout childhood as female. As grown men, they have fully functional genitals and can reproduce.
Performative gender Judith Butler is a philosopher who has spoken widely on gender, including in two key books; Gender Trouble (1990) and Undoing Gender (2004). Butler states that gender is not a “performance”, something that an individual can put on and off like a costume, but rather is “performative”, not only communicating, but also creating an identity. Performative genders communicate an element of gender, as well as constructing an identity based around this, through repetition. Butler says that this is why the social idea of what gender is changes over time, because it is a cultural construct, rather than a fixed, timeless certainty.
Dr Alan L Hart Dr Hart was a reknowned radiologist, researcher of Tuberculosis and author who changed views on gender boundaries significantly during the 20th century, which was, for a large part, completely unaccepting of anything outside of the cis, straight agenda. Born Alberta Lucille Hart in 1890, Hart always displayed masculine characteristics and
one if trousers"
"always regarded herself as a boy, she early claimed that she would be only her family would permit her to cut her hair and wear (Boag, 2011)
In 1917, Hart’s uterus was removed as he transitioned into a male life. At this time this made Hart medically male as hysterectomies were considered a full sex-change. Hart went on to do incredible work in medical research and imaging, however struggled with ostracization for the rest of his life.
Gender crossing in creative roles Since Shakespearean times, those involved in the arts have walked, and crossed, the boundary between genders. Since the 1600s young men, mostly aged 16-21, have been used to play female roles upon the stage. This tradition continues today with the role of pantomime dames and lead boys. Modern drama developments in the late 19th and early 20th century lead to authors like Noel Coward creating media that was closely linked to the development of modern sexual identities. This was a time when homosexuality was still illegal and the arrest of Oscar Wilde being arrested for gross indecency (being gay) was still very much in the memory of society.
New York and the Gender X Recently in the last year, The New York City Council announced that citizens of New York will soon have the choice to change their gender category to “X�, showing that communities are becoming more acceptable of non-binary individuals and giving them freedom to legally identify themselves in a way which suits their individual situation. "You don't need a doctor to tell you who you are and you shouldn't need a doctor to change your birth certificate to reflect your true self," (Simko-Bednarski, 2019) Although this is is sign that gender role acceptance is moving more forward, but through smaller and impactful ways.
Therefore... 1. Our DNA is not binary but on a scale of genders 2. Gender can change physically as well as psychology throughout an individual’s life, without medical intervention 3. Performative gender is part of our identities and is not something that can be switched on and off. 4. Community idea of what dictates gender evolves over time, changing our idea and experience of it. 5. Gender roles have traditionally been blurred in creative communities throughout history 6. Non-binary genders are becoming recognised fully in science, sociology and law.
Bibliography ● ● ● ●
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Boag (2005) ‘Go west young man, go east young woman: searching for the trans in western gender history’ In: The western Historical Quarterly 26.4 477-97 Booth (2000) Alberta Lucille Hart/Dr Alan L. Hart: An Oregon “Pioneer” [online] At: http://www.ochcom.org/hart/ (Accessed 12/1/19) Farfan (2005) Noel Coward and Sexual modernism: private lives as queer comedy [article online] At: https://muse.jhu.edu/article/193279/summary (Accessed 12/1/19) Judith Butler: Your behaviour creates your gender (2011) [user-generated content online] Creat. Big think. 6th June 2011 At: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Bo7o2LYATDc# (Accessed on 12/1/19) McManus (2016) Shakespeare and gender: the ‘woman’s part’ [online] At: https://www.bl.uk/shakespeare/articles/shakespeare-and-gender-the-womans-part (Accessed 12/1/19) Mejia (2011) Alan L. Hart [online] At: http://outhistory.org/exhibits/show/tgi-bios/alan-l-hart (Accessed 12/1/19)
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Mosely (2015) Growing a penis at 12: the ‘Guevedoce’ boys of the Dominican Republic [Article online] At: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/science/science-news/11874983/DrMichael-Mosely-growing-a-penis-at-12.html (Accessed 12/1/19) Mosely (2015) The extraordinary case of the Guevedoces [online] At: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-34290981 (Accessed 12/1/19) Open culture (2018) Theorist Judith Butler explains how behaviour creates gender: a short introduction to “Gender Performativity” [online] At: http://www.openculture.com/2018/02/judith-butler-on-gender-performativity.html (Accessed 12/1/19) Simko-Bednarski (2019) New York City certificates get gender-neutral option [online press release] At: https://edition.cnn.com/2019/01/03/health/new-york-city-gender-neutral-birthcertificate-trnd/index.html (Accessed 12/1/19) World Health Organisation (2011) Genetic components of Sex and Gender [online] At: https://www.who.int/genomics/gender/en/index1.html (Accessed 12/1/19)