Karla's Critical Resource Essay

Title: The End of Gender As We Know It

Article: Which Box Do You Check? Some States Are Offering a Nonbinary Option: Critical Response Post (https://www.nytimes.com/2019/05/29/us/nonbinary-drivers-licenses.html)

Male? Female? Other? Gender in the 21st century can be confusing, especially for those who are only familiar with the boy/girl binary genders. In the New York Times article, “Which Box Do You Check? Some States Are Offering A Nonbinary Option”, journalist Amy Harmon reports that states that are beginning to offer “x” gender boxes as an alternative to the “male/female” boxes on government identification. In the article, Harmon brings up that these social and legal changes have “highlighted how disorienting it can be to lose the gendered cues”. In this essay, I will support Harmon’s argument on how confusing gender in the modern day can be, outline some of the challenges people face when adjusting to gender as a nonbinary concept and discuss why it is important that society make this shift despite the obstacles.

I agree with Harmon’s point that the loss of gendered cues will cause confusion throughout society. Afterall, our behavior, “pronouns, names, appearances and mannerisms” are ways that we commonly express gender and prove that gender has “[shaped] so much of social interaction” in our everyday lives. One example would be gender reveal parties, in which we show that before a baby is even born, they are already associated with colors depending on their predicted gender. Gender has seeped so far into our lives that it would definitely be confusing to alter the long-established concept.

Despite this, I also agree with Harmon’s assertion that the challenges that people will face in learning about gender are part of a necessary and valid learning curve. Without getting through these mistakes, we can’t reach a more gender-inclusive society where everyone feels comfortable in their identity. Harmon highlights many of the obstacles and questions that people often face when they are introduced to the concept of nonbinary gender. One of these obstacles include learning to “[use] ‘they’ for one person”. Many people say that this is one of the things that is confusing and maybe deters others from making the effort to acknowledge someone’s gender identity.

To realize why the effort is still necessary, an open conversation needs to be had so that more people understand how much the ability to express one’s gender affects their life. In fact, kids who are gender-nonconforming have an “elevated risk of suicide”. According to Harmon, this risk can be reduced through “social affirmation”, meaning that we need to educate ourselves on the topic so that we can be more inclusive. As I talked about before, gender is such a big part of our lives, so it’s no wonder that those who are unable to express it feel so oppressed.

Throughout the article, Harmon brings up many points that I agree with, like the point that changing the social rules of gender will be confusing to society. Regardless, we must go through a brief period of open confusion in order to reach a society in which people feel comfortable living as themselves. While the topic of doing away with the binary view of gender may seem like it doesn’t affect people who fall into the boy/girl genders, binary gender means that the traits we associate with boys and girls become restricting to everyone. The movement to ditch the gender binary relates to the course “Sex and Resistance” because more people are becoming aware of the fact that gender does not equal sex, and that resisting a binary gender system is in the best interest of many.

Word count: 573

Works Cited

Harmon, Amy. “Which Box Do You Check? Some States Are Offering a Nonbinary Option.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 29 May 2019, www.nytimes.com/2019/05/29/us/nonbinary-drivers-licenses.html.