International Non-Binary People Day
This relatively new holiday was chosen because it is exactly between International Men’s Day and International Women’s Day. Despite non-binary people being celebrated historically in many cultures for centuries, the first International Non-Binary Peoples Day was only in 2012. This year it is celebrated on July 14th.
What is Non-Binary?
Gender identity continues to evolve, almost on a daily basis. Some individuals feel out of sync with societal or cultural representations of their gender. Non-binary includes those who do no identify themselves as a man or a woman. They may identify as both or neither. It’s a gray area with non-oppressive and non-conforming titles. Some non-binary people also consider themselves transgender.
As a result new terms are being created to allow individuals to define themselves. Cultural and societal ‘norms’ restrict many individuals from defining themselves in terms of gender identity. However many individuals do not feel comfortable being pigeonholed into a male or a female category.
How long has non-binary people been recognized?
The non-binary term has been around for centuries, just under a different guise. In ancient Egyptian, Indian, south Asian and Mesopotamian cultures there were more than two gender identities. Some cultures believed individuals that defined themselves outside the male or female gender had supernatural powers. Unfortunately throughout history, more notably during times of war and colonization, the practice of expressing oneself as neither male nor female was outlawed.
It is only recently, as current societies and cultures evolve to accept people of different beliefs and self expression, that individuals are able to more openly express themselves. dictionary.com has only recently caught up with the Urban Dictionary and officially added ’enby’ as“a person whose gender identity is nonbinary, not fitting into the male/female division.” The steps are continuing to be made to improve awareness and acceptance.
