Wednesday, September 22, 2010

Binary-gender Privilege

I've been adding things to this list and it may not be up to date, to see the full list, please check HERE

You can reasonably expect that...
  • words to describe your gender not only exist in every natural language, but are commonplace
  • characters with your gender commonly appear in fiction as more than just a joke, and are often mentioned in serious non-fiction
  • everyone is aware that people of your gender exist and have met people with your gender
  • words exist to describe your sexuality and to describe people attracted to those of your gender, and most people have heard those words
  • there is a way to pass as your gender, and roles/clothing/actions associated with that gender that you can use if you wish to be read correctly
  • people will not have to "get used" to using your pronouns, as they use them for people on a daily basis, and will not tell you that your pronouns are "too hard" or treat them as some sort of novelty
  • no one will say that humans can not have your gender, or treat the words and pronouns you use to describe your gender as an insult
  • you can expect to find safe spaces for people of your gender
  • in gender-based safe spaces, it is obvious if people of your gender are welcomed/allowed or not (from the One With No Name)
  • it will be obvious which bathrooms, locker rooms, and facilities to try on clothes people of your gender are allowed to use (from the One With No Name)
  • you will not have a hard time finding a partner who has heard of your gender, much less one who understands and accepts your gender and pronouns
  • you will not have to educate people about what your gender is to have any hope of having that gender respected, because they have grown up around people who have that gender
  • when you see a gender therapist, zie has dealt with people of your gender and will treat you with respect
  • if your body is not "normal" for your gender, surgeries exist to help fix it and you won't be denied them due to your gender
  • you do not have to create an entirely new legal sex to be legally acknowledged as your gender
  • if parents raise a child as your gender, people will not consider this abuse
  • people do not think it's okay to tell people of your gender that asking your child to respect your gender and pronouns is wrong because no one has heard of your gender
  • from a young age, you are aware that people with your gender actually exist and will not have to go looking for or invent definitions that fit you. -(from AlextheSane)

I thought we needed one. I'm sure I'm missing some, critique is welcome & encouraged. Although some are somewhat binary trans specific, the fact that much of cis society doesn't accept trans genders can limit the amount of binary privilege they actually enjoy, but it's still there.

For example, with pronouns- a woman who doesn't look like a cis woman will not always have her pronouns respected, but she can still expect that people are accustomed to referring to people as 'she' and 'woman' and other words associated with her gender, and she won't have to deal with people struggling to add new language to their vocabulary to describe her gender. Also, in terms of safe space, women who happen to be trans are often excluded from so-called "women only" spaces (and let in trans men)- which erases their gender, but it's still blatant that, by all rights women should be able to join women-only spaces; however it can be difficult for non-binaries to tell if they'd be welcomed or accepted even in trans-only spaces.

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