Dismantling the Gender Binary Around the World: How Different Societies View Non-Binary Identities

With the rise in acceptance of LGBT rights, Western culture is slowly moving away from the idea that there are only two genders, male and female. While many people are still not accepting of non-binary identities, and the media likes to paint them as a new phenomenon, the reality is that third genders have been a respected and celebrated part of many non-Western and Indigenous cultures for centuries. The research for this project was done in two parts, with the first part looking into eight different third gender groups around the world: Muxes (Juchit√°n, Southern Mexico), Kathoey (Thailand), Hijra (India), Two-Spirit (Indigenous North America), Fa'afafine (Samoa), Waria (Indonesia), Calabai, Calalai, Bissu (South Sulawesi, Indonesia), and Mahu (Hawaii). The second part heard from non-binary students at Union College, about various topics such as their own identities, thoughts about current and future non-binary representation in the media, and what can be done to make Union College a more accepting place. The goal of this project is to educate people on and expose them to different gender identities and cultures, along with educating people on how to be more accepting, and realizing that gender is a spectrum.