Binding is a technique involving compression of the chest to flatten its appearance. While anyone can practice binding, it is most common among transgender male or nonbinary individuals as a form of gender expression. Designated binders exist, but binders can also be made from materials at home such as sports bras or layering shirts. People…
Tag: Transgender
Hijra, The Third Gender of India
Hijra are the third gender recognized predominantly in India, as well as some areas in Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Nepal. It is an encompassing term that includes eunuchs, intersex, and transgender people. Hijra, once seen as valued religious and spiritual healers, are now socially “untouchable” and marginalized people. Today they live in rundown areas called Gharanas.1 This group faces social, emotional, and…
Transition and Gender Affirming Surgery
Transition is the process for trans individuals to express their internal gender identity outwardly through emotional, social, or medical means. Gender dysphoria is defined as strong negative feelings such as distress an individual experiences when their sex assigned at birth does not match their social and psychological identity.1 Keep in mind that there is a…
Gender Binary
The gender binary is a system that pairs together sex (which is based on an individual’s reproductive anatomy) and gender (which refers to the socially constructed ideas and expectations that a culture has for certain sex). More specifically, it classifies two distinguishable, distinct, and oftentimes contrasting genders: males who identify as men and females who…
Cissexism and Cisnormativity
With the increased amount of media attention towards transgender community, along with wider access to information regarding trans people across the globe, many people in North America and Europe have seen a dramatic cultural shift towards recognizing the struggles of trans people. However, as transgender people continue to gain affirmation of their individual and bodily…
Gender Dysphoria
Although traditionally, the words ‘sex’ and ‘gender’ have been used interchangeably, it is important to note that there is a significant difference between the meanings of the two. The term sex is used to describe a person’s biology. It can include gonads, sex chromosomes, sex hormones, internal reproductive organs, and external genitalia.3 Gender refers to a society’s…
Gender Identity
Gender can be complicated! Many people experience gender in a way that is entirely unique to them. Learn more about the diversity of gender identities and pronouns so we can begin to break down the gender binary together!
History of the Third Gender in Native American Tribes
Introduction Western cultures typically ascribe to the gender binary, or the gender system that is characterized by the existence of two genders based on sex: male and female. This is assumed to be ‘natural’ as it is based on an anatomical or biological basis, which is believed to be more ‘objective.’ However, numerous Native American…
Teaching Comprehensive Sex Education
Welcome, sexual health educators! We would first like to thank you for your contribution towards a happier and healthier future for each of your students. Comprehensive sex education is critical, and as an educator you directly affect the lives of all those you teach and all of their future sexual partners. Whether you are just…