coming out as a white privilege (Beckett, 2010), what is suggested here is implied racism, that CJ is at an advantage for being white “because the family and people around them may be more liberal as they are less religious and face less persecution for being diff erent” (FA). This racist myth that white people and families are more liberal and accepting is a dangerous and misleading discourse, both because of the obvious slandering of non-whites, but also because of the complacent, unexamined and arrogant position in which it places whites.
Sexuality and relationships Nearly half of the participants connected
gender identity and sexual identity: RW – As a queer person, CJ has found it hard to work out what gender even means any more – how can you be a lesbian or gay if you fancy people of all bodies and all genders? What are you even attracted to? Queerness has made it hard to have a set gendered position from which to fancy people from. By being queer, they have realised that gender sort of disappears within attraction and that therefore their gender also sort of disappears. However, the most common view was
that CJ would struggle to fi nd romantic or sexual partners as a non-binary person: FA – People might fi nd it diffi cult, as it’s not traditionally an attractive quality, as people are generally attracted to their very feminine or very masculine qualities. GC – When it comes to dating, the whole process is more awkward and uncomfortable … CJ is scared that they won’t fi nd someone understanding enough to have a relationship. There was a clear heteronormative
message that relationships and sex are reserved for those in opposite gender pairs: GC – All of CJ’s friends had relationships with people of the opposite gender but CJ didn’t have any stereotypical relationships and felt out of place or diff erent. A minority suggested CJ could fi nd a way
around this by dating only other non-binary people, or no longer viewing themselves as sexual: JU – CJ might start doing online searches with people who are similar, to start a relationship. To the contrary, CJ may be asexual, which not having to feel forced to engage in intimacy with people of the opposite gender, CJ would feel much better. In much the same way, most participants
also suggested CJ only found friendship and support amongst sexual and gender minority people:
Context 155, February 2018
JL – They found it hard to fit in with other people of the same biological sex. LH – They have found a small community of people that identify as gender non- binary like them, and they find support and friendship in each other. IY – CJ may now have been able to find support groups in LGBT+ forums and meets where they can establish more solid in- groups with other people who feel the same way.
Outcomes Once CJ had made the choice to live
as a non-binary person, their life was presented as ‘bittersweet’ (LM): LM – CJ has both been relieved to finally understand more about who they are and to accept their identity, but also CJ has experienced further bullying as a result of choosing to label themselves as ‘non-binary’. RW – Being more visible in their non-binary identity feels good, but doesn’t always feel safe or easy. Discrimination and prejudice were
described as coming from many areas: DT – This may also affect CJ’s opportunities within the workforce, as interviewers may be biased and therefore less likely to hire someone who identified as non-binary. This could in turn lead to unemployment, which could lead to living in poverty and possibly homelessness. This would greatly disadvantage their life changes and quality of life. EH – CJ may have lost friends and family because of their decision. The results of this were seen as having
a negative impact on CJ’s mental health: GC – Sometimes they feel like they might be depressed, as they don’t leave their room. PR – Initially, it was a time of high anxiety and low self-esteem. NW – CJ still loses strength on certain days and feels like his existence is not acknowledged. To cope with this stigma and
discrimination, a number of participants positioned CJ as an activist: JU – CJ may be inspired to stand up to these people for others who identify as non- binary gender as well, trying to alter their point of view. The only exception to CJ’s dismal
future was presented by the minority of participants who themselves identified as non-binary: JU – This confidence will give CJ greater opportunities in life, as they may feel better
when meeting new people and doing job interviews. TA – CJ felt much more like themselves, and so had the confidence to do things they never would’ve done before they came out, from public speaking to running a marathon to volunteering for groups that helped young trans people.
Discussion The stories created to describe CJ’s
journey to living as non-binary reflect those of coming out models in the sexual minority (for example, Cass, 1979; Savin-Williams, 1998) and trans literature (for example, Lev, 2004): confusion, research, identity shift, acceptance, celebration. However, what is markedly different is that none of the binary- gendered participants foresaw a positive future for CJ, in stark contrast to the excelling future presented by non-binary participants. This suggests that gender- binary participants see non-binary as a “problem” (RH), as a bad choice, or else due to a biological “mutation” (MC). CJ has to adapt to maintain their wellbeing, or remove themselves from mainstream society. In moving from a binary representation of gender, a new binary of non-binary vs binary is created. Barker (2012) describes how, if people break out of one set of cultural norms, a new set of cultural norms will then apply. The large range of gender terms now available speaks to this idea, that social contexts operate by categorising others and, in so doing, create power relationships between these categories to construct hierarchies. This previously happened in 1870 when the word ‘homosexuality’ was first coined, thus creating an identity label to separate and subjugate those who engaged in non-heteronormative love and behaviour that had been present in society since recorded history began (Foucault, 1976/1998). Tajfel’s theory of in-groups/out-groups (Tajfel & Turner, 1979) might help to understand this for the participants in this study, in that belonging and social identity might be particularly pertinent for this sample because of their youth, especially as 83% were university undergraduates, finding their way after leaving home (like CJ).
Conclusion
The data speak to current social constructions of non-binary identity,
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The social construction of non-binary gender identity
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