Non-Binary

What Does Non-Binary mean?

If you are wondering what “Non-Binary” means, this page will give you a brief explanation.

In the lexicon of trans-ideology, the notion of  “non-binary” refers to someone who does not identify exclusively as male or female; OR being both male and female at the same time; OR being neither male nor female.

The National Centre for Transgender Equality (NCTE) states:

“The idea that there are only two genders is sometimes called a “gender binary,” because binary means “having two parts” (male and female). Therefore, “non-binary” is one term people use to describe genders that don’t fall into one of these two categories, male or female.”

“Most people… are either male or female. But some people don’t neatly fit into the categories of “man” or “woman,” or “male” or “female.” For example, some people have a gender that blends elements of being a man or a woman, or a gender that is different than either male or female. Some people don’t identify with any gender. Some people’s gender changes over time.”

“People whose gender is not male or female use many different terms to describe themselves, with non-binary being one of the most common. Other terms include genderqueer, agender, bigender, and more. None of these terms mean exactly the same thing – but all speak to an experience of gender that is not simply male or female.”

“(Note: NCTE uses both the adjectives “male” and “female” and the nouns “man” and “woman” to refer to a person’s gender identity.)”

As you can see, the NCTE conflates sex with gender.

It is not possible to be both male and female at the same time, nor it is possible to be neither male or female. The NCTE points out in their website that Non-Binary is NOT the same as being intersex.  Their use of the terms man, woman, male, female are used to described an “innate gender identity”, which basically means feelings.

It is due to this notion of gender as an innate feeling that the list of genders grows longer and longer.  Examples are: agender, bigender, demigender, intergender, pangender, polygender, genderqueer, two-spirit, neutrois, novigender, and genderfuck.  This is just a small sample.  Currently there is a list of 112 genders.

This lengthy and growing list of genders is also the reason that the acronym LGBT kept growing and became LGBTQ and then LGBTQIA and eventually LGBTQQIP2SAA — all in an effort to recognize the ballooning number of gender identities.  This alphabet soup of eccentric identities reinforces the notion that all these “genders” are special and require recognition and validation.

But why does it have to be so complicated?

Non-binary simply just means a person is gender non-conforming to varying degrees, as the person does not relate to strong feminine-only or masculine-only traits and roles, especially those that align with their biological sex.  There’s nothing special about this.  Many people are gender non-conforming and don’t feel the need to celebrate themselves as having some special identity.  The problem is that the notion of “non-binary” denies sex instead of just rejecting sexual stereotypes.  This comes from Queer Theory (see Queer Theory 101).  The concept of non-binary has become incoherent, but Queer Theory itself is incoherent, being a branch of Postmodernism which rejects logic and material reality.

A far more helpful approach is to simply describe a person as either gender non-conforming or androgynous.  Androgyny as it was understood in the 1970’s was a person who had both masculine and feminine traits.  A feminine man or masculine woman was regarded as androgynous – think David Bowie in his Ziggy Stardust persona.  To be described as androgynous was not a bad thing, it wasn’t a dirty word or insult.  It simply indicated the presence of both traits, not necessarily in equal amounts.  However, an androgynous man or woman did not deny their sex.  An androgynous man knew he was a man.  He wasn’t out of touch with reality.  Unlike today’s mostly young people who describe themselves as non-binary, androgynous people challenged sexual stereotypes without claiming they had no sex or were both sexes.

It’s time to return to the concept of androgyny without the denial of sex.  It respects the fact that biological sex is real, while masculine and feminine traits may be present in varying degrees.

For those whose personality and preferences do not conform to expected sex-role stereotypes, the term gender non-conforming is also useful.  There was a time when women liking sports was considered gender non-conforming.  Women have been pushing the boundaries of sex-role stereotypes for a long time, refusing to conform.  It’s nothing new and non-binary people didn’t invent it.