Pride Month: Express your(gender)self
By John Barker
Each year in June, Pride month offers an annual reminder to not only celebrate the diversity and inclusion of the LGBTQ+ community, but also remember how many rights have often been hard fought for, and where progress can still be made. During Pride month this year, as well as binge-watching Heartstopper, and trying to identify Jane Austen’s original characters in Fire Island’s queer re-working of Pride and Prejudice, we’ve been reflecting on inclusivity at Equal Education.
We’ve particularly been thinking about gender identity (the way a person identifies internally in terms of their gender) and gender expression (the way they appear in terms of gender), in many ways reflecting the wider societal discussions that are taking place. Many of us have grown up in a society that has categorised people into one of two (binary) gender identities; male or female, and attributed certain language, interests, colours, professions, expectations etc. to those two gender identities. People whose gender identity or expression differs from the cultural norm and/or the biological sex assigned to them at birth, can often experience struggles that their cisgender peers don’t, and feel a sense of isolation through a lack of representation or opportunity to validate their identity. They may well be subject to marginalisation, discrimination, or persecution, and even within the LGBTQ+ community, awareness of gender identity has at times lagged behind that of sexual identity.
Thankfully, knowledge and awareness of different gender identities and expressions is improving, thanks to representation, art, advocacy, law changes, campaigns, education and more. But it would be misleading to think of differing gender identities and expressions, outside of the binary male/female options as a purely recent phenomenon. As this infographic shows, throughout history and all around the globe, there have been many traditions of gender fluidity and gender non-binary identies, including Ancient Rome, the indigineous Chukchi in Siberia, India, Native American tribes, and Maori cultures in New Zealand to name but a few. Really then, it seems that we are rediscovering a more ancient wisdom, beyond the limits of 20th century gender classification.
As we rediscover, and hopefully recelebrate, a variety of gender expressions, we want to recognise that gender identity applies to us all, and isn’t just something to be considered by those whose gender identity differs from limited binary choices or societal expectations. One way in which we can all reflect that is the communication of our desired gender identity language, including pronouns. By communicating our preferred pronouns we are normalising a culture whereby we shouldn’t assume someone’s gender identity by their name or appearance, and where gender identity can change. Therefore, at Equal Education we have now invited staff to include their preferred pronouns within their email signature if they wish to, and appreciate the huge variety of people we communicate with each day who have chosen to do so as well.
We’re proud of all those whose gender identity and expression has required bravery, of those who support and campaign for gender identity equity, for educators and artists who give voice to the marginalised and help change minds, and of the younger generations we’re working with who are building a more inclusive and accepting world than they inherited. Happy Pride month all.
