What's gender?

People may find this article interesting. (https://inews.co.uk/news/non-binary-american-uk-stuck-legal-limbo-gender-2242643)

about 25% of the world now legally recognises some form of non binary gender. The uk does not. The person in question is legally recognised as non binary in the country of origin. They have applied to get their non binary gender recognised under uk law. In principle the body involved has agreed. The paper work has been issued. But even if they get that paperwork other government bodies like the passport office and the dvla are saying they might not go along with it.

that said with  so many people with an X on their passport coming to live in the uk the government may be forced to make some sort of rule to account for their status at some point. At which point pressure to extend that rule to UK citizens will inevitably be brought to bare.

thing with none binary is it gets misused...

a person cant say they are none binary... but then say they are trans man to woman or something... because that is still inside the binary they just changed from one to the other inside that binary.

to be none binary a person has to say they are neither a man nor a woman but something else outside of that entirely. that is true none binary. but most people using it still call themselves a man or a woman and are still inside the binary themselves. which harms its definition and power as a word.

edit: but then theyd have trouble defining what none binary is, what is outside man or woman, they dont know, they dont have a name for it, because its sorta made up... after thinking on it myself the only conclusion i came to is that theyd have to make it like a sexuality where from straight and gay they had to go in between to make asexual... therefore none binary is redundant, they have no name for any other gender...  the only thing they could really validly say is instead that they consider themselves Agendered....

Caelus said:

edit: but then theyd have trouble defining what none binary is, what is outside man or woman, they dont know, they dont have a name for it

But we do have a name for it. Historically it was hermaphroditism and in modern medicine you’d say intersex.

Peter said:

Ok but the otherkin really do mean it. you kinda glossed over that one.

If you are asking do I accept them? As part of being LGBTQ? Depends on if it falls under MOGAI. If they are having a spiritual thing as some claim then it probably comes under religious freedom.  I don't proclaim to understand what exactly goes on in their heads but if it's important to them and it harms none I don't see how it would be any skin off my nose to call them whatever it is they want to be called. Even if it's a bit "out there".

""It often feels like non binary is a label adopted purely to give an individual a pretext to try and police the thinking of others. And that I think people find objectionable.""
Again I think that is optics, which is a shame, because most folks identifying as NB genuinely are not trying to pull someone's leg but just honestly trying to live their truth.

Peter said:

I'm fairly sure there is meaning independent of society. For example on a desert island with no society hunger thirst and boredom all have meaning.

Ah I think you misunderstod the definition of a construct. That's fine, the world isn't going to fall apart if it's been misunderstood.

Peter said:

Conversely if it doesn't matter what you do so long as it hurts no body it shouldn't mater if I accept it or not, so long as I still treat people well regardless of how they define their gender.

I think this comes back around to a similar area I mentioned in my first line. And earlier, when I explained your gender and how you experience it is %100 correct for YOU. If by which you mean you cannot understand my point of view because you aren't standing in my shoes (which would be weird because then you wouldn't be you, you'd be me) so you are just for lack of a better phrase "humouring" me then no I suppose the end result is the same more or less regardless. But the respect still matters construct or not, because I think you will agree that if someone would correct the pronouns they use for a dog they previously misidentified as a "good boy" when it's really a "good girl" not abiding by a request to use certain pronouns for trans/nb is worse than dehumanising if a person would respect a dog more than another person who has done them no harm. Which is why understanding doesn't have to be the pre-requisite of acceptance imo.

(I wasn't going to hit send on this as I already sent my other message regarding having to go on bed rest, but it was already more or less typed up anyway and I just realised it was still here as I was going through and closing down my tabs.) Take care of yourself Peter, I hope to see you around the forums again when I eventually come back. /gen

Peter said:

Ok but the otherkin really do mean it. you kinda glossed over that one.

If you are asking do I accept them? As part of being LGBTQ? Depends on if it falls under MOGAI. If they are having a spiritual thing as some claim then it probably comes under religious freedom.  I don't proclaim to understand what exactly goes on in their heads but if it's important to them and it harms none I don't see how it would be any skin off my nose to call them whatever it is they want to be called. Even if it's a bit "out there".

""It often feels like non binary is a label adopted purely to give an individual a pretext to try and police the thinking of others. And that I think people find objectionable.""
Again I think that is optics, which is a shame, because most folks identifying as NB genuinely are not trying to pull someone's leg but just honestly trying to live their truth.

Peter said:

I'm fairly sure there is meaning independent of society. For example on a desert island with no society hunger thirst and boredom all have meaning.

Ah I think you misunderstod the definition of a construct. That's fine, the world isn't going to fall apart if it's been misunderstood.

Peter said:

Conversely if it doesn't matter what you do so long as it hurts no body it shouldn't mater if I accept it or not, so long as I still treat people well regardless of how they define their gender.

I think this comes back around to a similar area I mentioned in my first line. And earlier, when I explained your gender and how you experience it is %100 correct for YOU. If by which you mean you cannot understand my point of view because you aren't standing in my shoes (which would be weird because then you wouldn't be you, you'd be me) so you are just for lack of a better phrase "humouring" me then no I suppose the end result is the same more or less regardless. But the respect still matters construct or not, because I think you will agree that if someone would correct the pronouns they use for a dog they previously misidentified as a "good boy" when it's really a "good girl" not abiding by a request to use certain pronouns for trans/nb is worse than dehumanising if a person would respect a dog more than another person who has done them no harm. Which is why understanding doesn't have to be the pre-requisite of acceptance imo.

(I wasn't going to hit send on this as I already sent my other message regarding having to go on bed rest, but it was already more or less typed up anyway and I just realised it was still here as I was going through and closing down my tabs.) Take care of yourself Peter, I hope to see you around the forums again when I eventually come back. /gen