Yeadon-Lee, Tray

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University of Huddersfield RepositoryYeadon­Lee, TrayRemaking Gender: Non­binary gender identitiesOriginal CitationYeadon­Lee, Tray (2017) Remaking Gender: Non­binary gender identities. In: Non­Binary Genders, 8th September 2017, Open University, London. (Unpublished) This version is available at http://eprints.hud.ac.uk/id/eprint/33201/The University Repository is a digital collection of the research output of theUniversity, available on Open Access. Copyright and Moral Rights for the itemson this site are retained by the individual author and/or other copyright owners.Users may access full items free of charge; copies of full text items generallycan be reproduced, displayed or performed and given to third parties in anyformat or medium for personal research or study, educational or not­for­profitpurposes without prior permission or charge, provided:• The authors, title and full bibliographic details is credited in any copy;• A hyperlink and/or URL is included for the original metadata page; and• The content is not changed in any way.For more information, including our policy and submission procedure, pleasecontact the Repository Team at: E.mailbox@hud.ac.uk.http://eprints.hud.ac.uk/Remaking	Gender:	Non-binary	gender	identitiesDr Tray	Yeadon-LeeUniversity	of	Huddersfieldt.yeadon-lee@hud.ac.ukThe	Research	• How	are	NB	identities	being	lived	and	established	in	everyday	life?	• What	are	the	everyday	challenges	and	how	are	these	negotiated	and	overcome?	• Currently:	increasing	visibility	of	NB	identities in	popular	media	and	formal	recognition	of	NB	identities	in	some	countries• Transformation	in	understandings	of	gender	- suggestion	that	space	for	NB	to	live	socially	acknowledged	lives	being	created	• Is	this	occurring	in	everyday	practice	as	well	as	in	theory?Methods	• Online	Study: personal	narratives	of	NB	people	found	on	Internet	blogs	and	forums	– accounts	of	NB	identity	and	everyday	experience	(10	blogs,	4	forums)	• Blogs	and	forums	found	through	Google	searches	- All	publicly	available• Advantages	- lots	of	data	already	there,	data	is		‘community’	rather	than	researcher	driven		• Data	being	analysed thematically	using	NvivoResearch	Framework/approach:	Doing	Gender• ‘Doing	Gender’	approach	(based	in	‘ethnomethodology’)	- originally	devised	by	West	and	Zimmerman	(1987)	– how	gender	as	‘achieved’	in	interaction	within	everyday		life• Early	approaches	explored	reproduction	of	gender	conformity• Framework	since	developed	to	explore	how	gender	might	be	‘redone’	or	‘undone’	in	range	of	people’s	lives	(Hollander,	2012)• Approach	taken	up	in	trans	studies	(e.g.	Westbrook	and	Schilt,	2014)	- but	small	numbers	of	NB	people	in	research	samples	• NB	people’s	agency	is	under	emphasised	– e.g.	focus	on	how	cisgender	people		pressurise	trans	and	NB	people	to	conform	to	gender	binary	- little	attention	given	to	how	NB	peoplemanage	and/or	resist	this• Current	research	–attending	to	these	issues	and	sharpening	concepts	• also	exploring	how	fourth	concept	‘remaking	gender’	may	be	applied	when	looking	at	NB	people’s	everyday	lives	and	experiences.	• Today:	look	specifically	(though	briefly)	at	examples	of	how	NB	people	are	exercising	agency	and	can	be	seen	to	be	‘remaking	gender’	through:	• NB	understandings	of	gender	• Labels	and	terms• Everyday	visibility	and	recognition	processes	- coming	out	and	appearanceResearch	Findings• ‘Remaking	gender’	clearly	seen	in	NB	narratives	of	self	understanding• E.g.	Narratives	show	how	understandings	of	gender	are	being	reconstructed	(as	well	as	deconstructed)	•• Within	narratives,	typical	understandings:• Sex/gender	distinction• Separation	of	gender	identity	from	expression	• now	permeating	broader	cultural	discourses“Understanding	required	me	to	unpack	years	of	socialisation	and	assumptions	then	reassemble	myself,	piece	by	piece...	In	doing	this	I	realised	that	I	had	access	to	all	of	the	gendered	qualities	and	experiences	that	I	desired	if	I	let	go	of	binary	thinking,	and	an	illogical	need	to	conform	or	fit	with	the	expectations	of	others.	…I	started	down	the	path	buying	into	the	popular	story	line	of	binary	transformation,	however	I	put	down	this	book	when	I	realised	that	I	could	and	should	write	my	own	story”.	‘I	embrace	categorization	as	a	way	of	creating	places	for	acts,	identities	and	modes	of	being	which	otherwise	remain	unnamable’.	(Halberstam,	1999)• Function	of	NB	identity	labels:	• Lots	of	discussion	online:	Make	feelings/sense	of	self	nameable	• Belonging	and	community	– facilitate	making	connections	and	not	feeling	alone• useful	in	exploring,	understanding,	conveying	sense	of	self		and	identity	• ‘resources’	for	managing	stigma• developing	language	and	discoursebeyond	medical	model“I	know	labels	aren't	important	but	they	help	me	come	to	terms	with	things	internally	and	make	everything	less	confusing.”“When	I	first	came	to	the	conclusion	that	I	was	non-binary,	I	figured	I	was	gender	fluid. For	sure	this	concept	made	it	a	lot	easier	to	explain	my	situation	to	my	wife	and	for	her	to	absorb	it”.	“It	will	be	"cool".	It	will	be	seen	as	courageous	and	daring.	Not	stupid	and	weird.”• Some	drawbacks:	• Can	be	obstacle	of	confusion	for	some	as	can	be	adequately	described	by	more	than	one	may	label/term”Labels	are	just	labels	and	we	may	identify	one	way	one	day	and	another	way	the	next.	Confused?”“	I	can	describe	myself	in	several	ways:	I’m	a	non-girl;	an	androgyne;	a	feminine	boy;	an	FtA or	even	FtM;	queer	or	genderqueer	or	transmasculine.”• Confusion	as	terminology	changes	“Oh	dear.	Now	what	do	I	do	with	this,	presenting	genderqueer	socially	because	I	show	both	binaries	…	genderqueer	in	bed	with	wife,	but	blended	non-binary	core,	female	no	op	body	on	heavy	hormones	….	So	the	umbrella	term	Nonbinary fits,	but	genderqueer	fits	to,	so	does	NB	MTF.	Anyone's	head	hurting?”• Overall –labels	and	terms	shown	to	be	useful	discursive	resources	for	NB	people	– enable	agency,	self	understanding	and	also	contributing	to	the	remaking	of	broader	social	understandings	of	gender	as	(inc gender	neutral	pronouns,	too)	Visibility	and	Recognition:	coming	‘out’• Many	people	are	exercising	agency	by	coming	out	– but	most	are	‘out’	only	to	a	select	few	- show	preference	for	‘strategic	outness’	(Orne,	2012)	• Main	obstacle:	lack	of	understanding/awareness	from	others	(showing	time	lag	in	social	understandings)• Issues	commonly	encountered	–being	laughed	at,	disbelieved,	ignored,	undermined,	hostility	and	transphobia• Due	to	this	some	tolerate	misgendering for	peaceful	life	–being	out	mainly	online	"I've found that rather than having	people try to argue with methat my	gender is invalid, they tend to just	pretend that I neverCame	out to	them as non-binary in the first place.”“they've	had	plenty	of	time	to	think	about	it	and	STILL	say	all	the	time	that	they	are	just	too	old	to	understand	the	young	people	saying	that	gender	doesn't	exist	(despite	many	explanations	that	gender	DOES	exist	but	is	more	complicated	than	the	binary …”“I came out as genderfluid and posted my pronouns. My boyfriendsparents	absolutely saw, so they knew for sure. But after that theywent above and beyond from just	ignoring my identity and insteadmaking sure to insert gendered words all the time ("this is a	BOYsweater, I hope that doesn't bother you?" Stuff like that). Verydisrespectful and very	awkward.”	• Better	outcomes– largely	in	context	of	intimate	relationships	and	immediate	family	environments• Also,	by	coming	out	gradually	and/or	less	formally,	e.g:		“I	was	out	drinking	with	a	couple	of	friends	and	the	topic	of	transgender	and	nonbinary identity	came	up.	Seeing	as	we	were	on	the	topic	anyway,	I	figured	I	might	as	well	just	come	out	and	say	that	I	relate	to	the	idea	of	being	genderqueer	and	don’t	see	myself	as	entirely	female.	I’d	had	a	few	drinks	at	this	point	and	I’m	not	sure	how	well	I	got	the	point	across,	but	they	seemed	to	get	it.”Marriages	– many	survive	through	slow	coming	out	process	and	slow	adjustment	for	partner	And	because	NB	often	seen	by	partners	as	more	tolerable	than	binary	transition“Actually,	I	think	it	is	because	I	am	non-binary	that	I	think	my	marriage	is	surviving.	If	I	were	to	transition,	I	think	my	wife	would	pull	out		… the	idea	of	my	being	bigender has	allowed	her	to	realise that	she	is	not	losing	her	fully	male/masculine	husband,	she	is	actually	gaining	a	girlfriend.	There	are	things	that	still	make	her	very	uncomfortable	… with	time	she	is	slowly	coping.”• Stories	of	coming	out	suggest	that	gender	is	slowly	being	remade	in	context	of	NB	peoples	lives.	However,	while	this	involves	agency	it	is	also	involving	NB	people:• Engaging	in	a	lot	of	emotion	work	with	others• Engaging	in	continuous	management	of	the	self,	situations	and	other	peopleVisibility	and	Recognition:	Appearance• Different	approaches	to	role	of	appearance:• Some	see	appearance	as	crucial	in	achieving	bodily	comfort	and/or	enabling	them	to	personally	express	their	NB	identity	and	to	be	visible• Many	(but	not	all)	go	through	physical	transition	of	some	kind	e.g:• many	have	low	dose	hormones	and	some	surgeries	to	create	androgynous	or	‘gender	blended’	bodies	• others	go	through	binary	physical	transition	and	then	adopt	an	‘opposite’	or	mixed	gender	presentation• Appearance	choices	influenced	by	context	and	can	change“To put it short I want to look like a	female and	dress like a guy or more	androgynous.	”“Afab NB	here	:)	My	goto andro clothing	includes	heavy	boots,	either	hiking	boots	or	more	"goth"	military	style,	army	jacket	covered	in	buttons,	and	heavy	silver	jewelry	… typically	masculine	clothing	really	seems	to	offset	my	more	feminine	features.	Also,	the	coat	helps	mask	my	figure	a	bit	more,	which	I	find	helps	me	feel	more	comfortable.”“My	work	presentation....	Yes	those	are	real	boobs.	Yes	the	mustache	is	gray	and	I	am	not	young.	That	looks	like	genderqueer	to	me	 … At	home	I	am	far	more	male	and	genderqueer.	Hard	genderqueer	in	lingerie	and	an	open	dress	shirt.	Outside,	the	nails	get	tucked	into	ﬁsts	or	pockets,	and	its	all	male	for	the	wifes needs.	Its	about	her	needs,	not	mine.	The	kids	needs,	not	mine.”• NB	accounts	of	appearance	show	considerable	agency,	mainly:• As	this	involves	engaging	in	‘accountability’	processes	(Hollander,	2012)	– that	others	will	assess	them	in	relation	to	binary	gender	expectations• Again,	means	engagement	in	a	lot	of	emotion	work	with	others• and	management	of	the	self,	situations	and	other	people,	• NB	appearance	can	be	seen	as	challenging	by	others		– risk	of	variety	of	unwanted	responses	(inc violence)• Forums	and	Blogs	spaces	for	learning	various	strategies	and	coping	mechanisms“I	feel	like	I	can	wear	anything	that	suits	me,	as	long	as	I	can	explain	what	suits	me	about	it	to	someone	who	asks	and	accept	the	consequences.	So,	for	example,	my	wearing	a	top	with	a	pattern	and	flow	common	to	apparel	sold	in	"women's"	departments	might	lead	to	an	exchange	like	this:	"That's	a	women's	top.	You're	not	a	woman.	What	are	you	doing	wearing	that?"	[me]	"Thank	you	for	noticing	I'm	not	a	woman.	I'm	wearing	it	because	I	like	the	pattern,	and	how	it	feels."	"But	you're	a	man.	Men	don't	wear	tops	like	that."	[me]	"Men	don't	wear	tops	like	that	--you're	right.	But	I'm	not	a	man,	so	I'm	not	concerned	with	what	men	do	and	don't	wear,	thank	you."☞• Other	appearance	Issues	:• Clothes	don’t	always	enable	desired	effect	– ‘body	matters’”I'm	almost	always	still	read	as	female,	just	because	of	my	body	shape”• DFAB	NB	people	can	find	it	harder	to	be	visually	visible	as	NB,	or	‘stand	out’	as	not	conforming	to	binary	gender	“It doesn't take much for an AMAB	person to be	visually gender-nonconforming, put on a skirt ormakeup and BAM you stand	out. An AFAB person on the other hand can sometimes get a buzz cutand	wear all men's	clothes and still	have	everyone	treat them like a "normal" woman.	”• Problems	with	being	NB	at	work.	DMAB	people	appear	to	face	particular	challenges,	depending	on	occupation,	e.g.	Jacob	Tobia Huff	post	blog	2014“So,	the	first	morning	before	work,	as	I	put	on	my	pants,	blouse,	heels	and	pearls,	self-doubt	came	roaring	back.	Would	I	still	have	the	respect	of	my	boss	if	I	showed	up	in	heels?	Would	I	be	treated	as	a	professional	if	I	wore	earrings?	Would	I	be	taken	seriously	wearing	lipstick?”	Would	my	colleagues	respect	me	for	who	I	am?	Jacob	Tobia (2014)• Politics	of	appearance	re	visibility• For	many	–appearance	(involving	bodily	transition	or	not)	is	tied	to	personal	preference,	should	not	be	seen		evidence	or	‘proof’	of	being	NB• Most	useful	strategy	for	gaining	visibility	– move	away	from	appearance	as	a	signifier	• Advantages	– prevents	some	cisgender	people	(e.g.	Piers	Morgan)	undermining	NB	people	by	referring	to	issues	of	appearance		• Avoids/challenges	pressures	of	‘not	being	non-binary	enough’	(accountability	– being	assessed	by	other	NB	and	trans	people	too)"For me, that I am afab female outside both	genetically and presentation, even when in total	mental guy mode, makes me nonbinary. I don't	care that they don't match.There are no rules for	nonbinary.	"“I definitely feel that sort of pressure of	like "I need to be nonbinary enough". I think it's	because our society focuses a lot onappearance	and also because nonbinarygenders are only	marginally and inconsistentlyrecognized,	so the	external pressure is real.”• Alternative	strategy	- educate	others	to:• learn	to	look	beyond	the	gender	binary	• not	to	read	off	gender	from	the	body• Both	approaches	to	appearance	can	be	seen	to	engage	in	remaking	gender,	e,g :• unexpected	and	creative	‘gender’	appearances	raises	questions	from	onlookers	• uncoupling	gender	presentation	from	gender	identity	challenges	and	transforms	assumptions	about	the	gender	binary• Both	involve	emotion	work	and	self/other	management	Look	instead	for	cues	or	signals:	“I	used	to	feel	doomed	to	always	look	like	a	usually-wrong	gender	…	A	couple	weeks	ago	I	went	to	a	party	where	an	18-year-old	came	in	with	a	cap	that	had	"boy"	written	on	one	side	of	the	brim	and	"girl"	on	the	other.	That	alone	was	enough	to	tell	their	gender.That's	all	it	takes	to	"pass"	in	a	crowd	where	people	don't	think	the	appearance	of	your	body	is	relevant	to	the	question	of	your	gender.	Once	people	learn	not	to	assume	from	your	appearance	,	and	actually	ask	you	or	don't	care,	even	that	won't	be	necessary.”“Sometimes	I	have	rad	conversations	with	strangers	because	of	my	gender	tag.	This	one	time	at	work,	a	middle	aged	woman	was	like,	“oh	my	god!	I’ve	been	laughing	at	a	young	person	in	my	family	for	saying	they	were	genderqueer!	I	totally	thought	they	were	making	it	up;	I’m	gonna go	call	them	right	now!”	• Everyday	stories	and	discussions	being	shared	on	blogs	and	forums	show	that	NB	people	are	‘remaking	gender’	at	local	as	well	as	cultural/structural	levels	(e.g.	media/policy)• The	blogs	and	forums	are	important	resources	for	NB	people and	enables	bloggers,	forum	posters	and	readers	to:• Explore	their	identities	and	become	critically	knowledgeable	about	gender	–influence/change	existing	understandings	of	gender	(and	transgender)	in	everyday	practices,	and	understandings	of	trans	based	on	medical	models• Learn	about	and	explore	options	and	strategies	for	NB	identity	management	• Become	aware	of	potential	obstacles	and	dangers	and	explore	how	they	might	deal	with	difficult	situations• Build	confidence	around	NB	issues	and	assertiveness	in	everyday	living• Gender	being	remade	but	costs	for	NB	people	– e.g.	emotion	work	and	management	of	the	self,	situations	and	other	peopleConcluding	Comments	References• Davidmann,	Sara (2010) Beyond	borders:	lived	experiences	of	atypically	gendered	transsexual	people. In:	Transgender	Identities:	Towards	a	Social	Analysis	of	Gender	Diversity.	Routledge	Research	in	Gender	and	Society	.	Routledge,	New	York,	London,	pp.	186-207.• West,	C.,	&	Zimmerman,	D.	H.	(1987).	Doing	gender. Gender	&	society, 1(2),	125-151.• Hollander,	J.	A.	(2013).	“I	demand	more	of	people”	Accountability,	interaction,	and	gender	change. Gender	&	Society, 27(1),	5-29.• Westbrook,	L.,	&	Schilt,	K.	(2014).	Doing	gender,	determining	gender:	Transgender	people,	gender	panics,	and	the	maintenance	of	the	sex/gender/sexuality	system. Gender	&	Society, 28(1),	32-57.• Lorber,	J.	(2000).	Using	gender	to	undo	gender:	A	feminist	degenderingmovement. Feminist	theory, 1(1),	79-95.• Monro,	S	(2005)	Beyond	Male	and	Female:	Poststructuralism	and	the	Spectrum	of	Gender,	International	Journal	of	Transgenderism,	8:1,	3-22• 1999,	Annamarie	Jagose interview	with	Jack	Halberstam• https://www.atria.nl/ezines/IAV_606661/IAV_606661_2010_51/g29_halberstam.html• Jacob	Tobia (2014)	Why	I’m	Genderqueer,	Professional	and	Unafraid• http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jacob-tobia/genderqueer-professional-_b_5476239.html

Remaking Gender: Non-binary gender identities

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