Gender Binary by Aidan Innis

Article: "Colonization of gender: From tradition to modern day"

ainnis002 — 2025-10-17 02:26:41 UTC

This article speaks about how European colonization perpetuated a rigid gender binary in the Western world. Many indigenous cultures viewed gender in a much more fluid state, but European colonization in America widely banished these cultures and spread their own Christian hierarchical views everywhere they went. This article also contains accounts from guest speakers saying that even today, the lingering gender norms limit personal expression and cause constant misunderstanding of the LGBTQ+ community. Lastly, this article makes a connection between the gender binary and the patriarchy and furthers the point that the patriarchy is harmful for all people. I found this reading to be very insightful on the various unnatural ideologies about gender that were greatly perpetuated by colonization, patriarchy, and Western capitalism.

Picture: Public Bathroom Signage

ainnis002 — 2025-10-17 02:33:30 UTC

This photo depicts the restroom signage that has been standard in America for over half a century now. The purpose of these signs is to separate public restrooms into male- and female-only spaces. In addition, these signs show what the overarching assumptions are about how men and women look. These signs, while simple, are also prime examples of the social construct of gender identity.

Video/Reel: Alok Vaid-Menon Speaks about the Gender Binary

ainnis002 — 2025-10-17 02:37:33 UTC

This is a quick reel of Alok Vaid-Menon, a popular figure in queer and non-binary spaces. They talk briefly about how the gender binary was created artificially as an institution, if you will, by people in power rather than a statement in fact. They also mention that the idea of a gender binary restricts so many people with divergent gender identities and often causes unnecessary oppression.

Instagram Post: Celebrating International Non-Binary People's Day

ainnis002 — 2025-10-17 03:06:59 UTC

I extracted this photo from a 2023 post celebrating International Non-Binary People's Day. This quote stood out to me in particular because of its positive message and use of metaphor. Vaid-Menon does not dismiss the ordinary man and woman; they include men and women in a much more vast "constellation" of people who identify in all types of ways. I enjoyed this metaphor because I truly believe that letting people define their gender identity will help us build each other up as a society.

Article: Gender symbol | Description, Examples, & History | Britannica

ainnis002 — 2025-10-17 03:18:04 UTC

This Britannica article on the gender symbols talks about their meanings and a brief history of their inception and usages. The article also touches on the various other symbols created for modern gender identities, such as transgender and bigender, as well as sexualities, such as male and female homosexuality. I learned that these symbols originated in astrology practices by the ancient Babylonians and were later adopted by the Greeks for alchemical and metallurgical practices. In Greek metallurgy, Iron represented Mars, which was associated with masculinity. Copper, represented by Venus, on the other hand, embodied femininity. These symbols were later used in many other fields such as botany, zoology, and medicine. I had no idea these symbols had such deep histories!

Meme

ainnis002 — 2025-10-17 03:33:22 UTC

This meme shows quite an unfortunate online listing of Non-Binary pride t-shirts. The listing contradicts itself by advertising the t-shirts in men's and women's variants, which brings in the irony of the non-binary identity not conforming to a binary gender identity. Another funny addition to the Palpatine "ironic" meme.

Twitter Post: Nikki Giovanni Interview Commentary

ainnis002 — 2025-10-17 03:39:29 UTC

I got this from a repost of a repost 😅 of an interview talking about how brave the younger generation of trans people are today. They've become so good at rejecting traditionalists trying to tell them how to be and to conform to a binary gender. I believe this is a very valid statement, and this ideology should be embraced.

YouTube Video: "The Problem With the Gender “Binary” "

ainnis002 — 2025-10-17 03:45:05 UTC

In this video, Jon Stewart talks about the increasingly fluid modern idea of gender identity and expression. He provides examples of conservative figures affirming that there are only two genders. Stewart then shows that there is a spectrum of gender identity within the binary. While the video is comedic and satirical in nature, it brings to light that the idea of a rigid gender binary being the end-all be-all is simply incorrect.

Trump's Executive Order

ainnis002 — 2025-10-17 04:03:25 UTC

This White House publication shows an executive order made by Donald Trump in January of this Year. The executive order essentially redefines federal policy to only recognize a person's biological sex (male or female), not their gender identity. Also, this order emphasizes that Women's safety would be protected if single-sex facilities, like public bathrooms and Women's prisons, were to remain the norm. I believe this order is quite destructive to the progress we've made as a nation in accepting gender fluidity and queerness. Keeping Americans confined in the gender binary does so much more bad to our society than good.

Twitter Post: Commentary on the Capitalist Roots of Gender Binary

ainnis002 — 2025-10-17 05:06:48 UTC

This is a thought-provoking Twitter post highlighting an excerpt of a book challenging the established binaries of gender. The excerpt talks about how many other cultures around the world view gender very differently from Western society, like some cultures depict one gender, while others understand multiple. Also, the passage highlights that the gender binary is rooted in colonial and imperialist ideologies, which sought to categorize people as "superior or inferior to each other." It was eye-opening to read that the gender binary has such deep capitalistic roots as well.