Oh the endless quest to be more special than everyone else. How tiring it is, how strenuous, how exigent, how pointless.
The “friendly reminder” bit is always charming, because of the way it assumes you’re interested in the person saying it, and lavish attention on her them daily, and know all about Them but just need the occasional loving refresher course.
But even better is the woman saying “I am not a woman.” Yeah you are. Just as the people helping a woman deliver a baby know what sex the baby is, you are a woman because you are a woman. Words aren’t magic, and saying “I am not a woman” doesn’t make you not a woman any more than saying “I am Victoria Station” makes you Victoria Station.
“I am nonbinary” is just childish and banal. We’re all “nonbinary”; get over yourself.
“I occupy a space outside the gender binary” is grotesquely self-admiring and ooky. No you don’t. You’re not magic, you’re not special, you’re not unique, you’re not Unlike all those boring drones who are utterly determinedly “binary.” You’re a human like other humans. Deal with it.
It’s not that it’s “hard to wrap our heads around.” It’s that it’s stupid and meaningless and made-up and childish.
Everybody just grow up.
Comments
18 responses to “A space outside of the species binary”
In some bigoted countries, they probably make nonbinary people live as NBs for an entire year before allowing them to change their birth certificates!
“I occupy a space outside the gender binary” – reminds me of the latter part of the excellent front fell off sketch.
Holme: Epic! Thank you!
I believe they occupy a part of outer space myself. (Thanks Holmes for the laugh!)
This from my local public radio station about “LGBTQ+ terms” pretty much sums up the sloppiness of the discourse:
Never mind that the word “bisexual” implies there are two sexes for it to even make sense as a word.
What about the definition of “sex” then, you may ask? Well…
It’s also necessary when two persons want to make babies together, regardless of their self-professed gender(s), if they have any that is.
Finally, there’s this term to ponder. Or not.
To cut to the chase: lesbians don’t have penises because sexual orientation is about sex, not gender. Heterosexual people are attracted to the opposite sex, that’s what the word literally means. Break it down into its parts and look it up in a dictionary published in the 20th century, if you can still find one.
I have several, if anyone needs to borrow. I plan to hide them from the trans activists when they come around to burn all unsuitable books (every book which uses the word woman would be the first, I imagine).
J.A., it is remarkable how much awkward dancing about TRAs have to do to avoid the fact they’re trying to define homosexuals and lesbians out of existence.
That inconvenient little particle, “sex,” keeps popping up in all sorts of places. I’ve already had people tell me that the term “same-sex attraction” is ipso facto transphobic. I suppose “bisexual” must be transphobic too, I mean it’s got the binary right in it there. I expect the TRAs will have to correct it to “bigenderal,” (though that sounds like a boiler suit for those with massive posteriors), or some even clumsier circumlocution.
This paragraph about how “sexual orientation” mustn’t have anything to do with sexes, but must have to do with genders instead, is hilarious. That forbidden particle pops up around every corner, like in “homoSEXual.” I’m sure they’d just come up with a new word for it, like “same-gender attracted,” if their purpose weren’t to bully their way into the pants of people who aren’t attracted to them at all. It would spoil the whole party if homosexuals were actually allowed to define themselves.
Oh that is good; thanks Holms!
A person named Janelle Monáe has recently declared herself non-binary with the stunning and brave remark, “I feel all of my energy.”
Holms@2, oh my god that was funny!
Given that definition of homosexual and the existence of the Gender Wiki homosexuals must be a lot rarer than I previously thought.
@Lady Mondegreen – I like Janelle Monae’s writing, very much in the tradition of Prince, very funky. But her declaration kind of made me go, “No, Please don’t do this!.”
I often wonder what the rest of us are if there are some elevated “Nonbinaries” floating in the imported air above us. Are we binaries? Where’s my other half? But also, why don’t I have a big diesel truck, with fake bull balls on the trailer hitch and a bumper sticker that says “Nobody Rides for Free!” Why don’t I like country music that sings about Murica and getting the commies off the range? Why don’t I wear a Power Suit to work and command people to get me coffee?
Am I, am I, nonbinary? Is there a cure?
Mike Haubrich @12
Like Maria?
https://youtu.be/Mp8FF6AMZjE
We’re just not special like they are, Mike. I know it’s hard to wrap one’s head around, but we just don’t feel all of our energy.
We buy nary a one of these concocted genders.
Okay, Sackbut, if I ruin my work computer by spitting coffee on it, you’ll owe me a laptop. Because bosses don’t like having computers ruined by mirthful employees. (First, they don’t like us to be mirthful; they suspect we’re up to something,)
:) Maria was where I got that, one of my favorite Blondie songs.
High five, Mike!
Down low, LM!
I think Amanda and Laurie need to huddle and get their stories straight on this topic.