beyondthebinaries

[beyondthebinaries]

[beyondthebinaries]

On the brighter side, the British Film Institute has released this list of ten wonderful transgender-themed films that show the evolution of the transgender portrayal through the lense.

[beyondthebinaries]

"Several of the most popular films in American history have imagery that suggests transgenderism. Unfortunately, the theme is usually connected to fear and hatred of transgender people. I will be analyzing pertinent quotations as part of my project on media depictions of gender conditions. Which will we be this time? Prostitute, psychopath, or punchline?"

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[beyondthebinaries]

Here we have a venn diagram. Notice there is no overlap; a common misconception. (source unknown)

[beyondthebinaries]

10 questions to never ask a transgender person by Laura Jane Grace

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The self-proclaimed Philosophactivist writes about "coming of gender" and the struggle of genderqueer people of color in her short piece "Trans Rites of Passage".

[beyondthebinaries]

What would your 10 year old self say if they saw you know?

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Gender neutral pronouns that have been invented.

[beyondthebinaries]

The University of Vermont has announced that they will recognize a third, nonbinary gender and incorporate gender-neutral pronouns into university records. 

Students will now have the option of choosing “male,” “female” or a third option, which is referred to as “transgender,” “genderqueer” or simply neutral. For a while now, University of Vermont students have also been able to formally denote the pronouns they want used in reference to themselves — “he,” “she,” “ze” or, most recently, “they.” 

Some history of the gender movement at Vermont:

By 2009, faculty members themselves began pushing for a broader solution to the identification issue, and Mr. Williams created a task force to look into how students could register a preferred first name without having to make a special request. The task force realized that the only way to guarantee a professor would properly refer to a student was to supply the student’s pronoun on class rosters and advisee lists. Then came the question of which gender-neutral pronoun to offer.

“Students proposed ‘they/them’ pronouns, but the faculty vetoed the idea because they said it is grammatically incorrect,” Mr. Williams recalled. “They said, ‘You don’t put a plural pronoun with a single individual.’” A second option, also being used in various trans communities, was “ze” (pronounced ZEE), a riff on the German pronoun “sie,” with “hir” replacing “his/her.” Bowing to the faculty, the task force selected “ze” and revised its information system, becoming the first school in the nation at which students could select their pronoun. They could also leave the field blank, or opt for “name only,” indicating a preference for being referred to by name instead of by pronoun.

The change fueled gender-awareness campaigns by students all over the country. So many administrators were receiving requests that, in 2012, the American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers convened a task force to draft a list of best practices for handling transgender student records.

So far, about 100 schools now allow students, and sometimes employees, to indicate a moniker other than their legal first name, according to the Consortium of Higher Education L.G.B.T Resource Professionals, and hundreds more have contacted Vermont on how to implement the pronoun choice.

In September, the university’s pronoun options were expanded yet again to include “they,” as grammarians have reminded naysayers that the English language is constantly evolving. Since 2009, 1,891 University of Vermont students have specified a preferred pronoun, with 14 opting for “ze,” 10 for “they” and another 228 for name only.

The New York Times piece linked here is a thorough look at how people with nonbinary gender identities are making themselves known on college campuses, and how some of those schools are finally starting to offer the affirmation and respect that all students deserve. A long read, but a good one. 

[beyondthebinaries]

Me when it comes to boobs

[beyondthebinaries]

Genderfluid of the Week: The Iron Giant

[beyondthebinaries]

30 Strikingly Beautiful Gender Non-Conforming/Gender Non-Binary Selfies

[beyondthebinaries]

Here's an eye opening explanation of identity illustrated by Sam Killerman, author of The Social Advocate's Handbook: Guide to Gender.

[beyondthebinaries]

[beyondthebinaries]

[beyondthebinaries]

There’s a lot of talk about whether or not porn is ethical, but there’s not much discussion about the fact that most people are watching porn illegally. Forget “ethical porn” – let’s talk ethical porn consumption. Though a small handful of Robin Hoods will feel they’re liberating porn to the masses, or take pride in being savvy enough to scam what they feel entitled to watch for free, the folks who go the extra mile to break the law are not actually the biggest culprits. It’s everybody else. Let’s face it, free porn is easy. It’s the first (FIVE?) page results on Google. There’s no need to pull out a credit card (if you’re lucky enough to own one). You don’t even need to register or log in to press play. (A big step in preventing underage users from gaining access.) But figuring out where to go and what to click is not the first priority for someone horny. I believe most viewers don’t think what they’re doing is that bad. Some may not even be aware they’re in the wrong to begin with. Who could blame them? A lack of media literacy around how porn is made leads fans to make […]