Beyond the Gender Binary

Zusatztext "There's no better time for a new conversation about the damaging effects of mainstream society's oppressive! dismissive! and silencing stance on who folks are supposed to be based on . . . what . . . ? Thank God we have Alok. And I'm learning a thing or two myself." Billy Porter! Emmy awardwinning actor! singer! and Broadway theater performer "This beautiful book is a beacon! just like Alok. Having Alok in my life has saved me in so many ways! and now you can have a little bit of them with you! too. When reading this book! all I feel is kindness. This is a step-by-step education on what it means to respect non-binary people. Alok is a human being who has a deep love and commitment to other human beings. They have come to us from the future to show us what life could be like if we all loved a little harder and dug a little deeper." Sam Smith! Grammy and Oscar awardwinning singer and songwriter "Beyond the Gender Binary is a literary vessel of light for those who are looking for hopefulness! honesty! and a stimulating education in the exploration of themselves. This book is a twenty-first-century survival guide for queer-identifying people of all walks of life--Alok provides a safe space of shared experiences! commitment! and love to expand the gender binary to create a brighter and more inclusive present and future. This book shares wisdom! knowledge! and the universal spirit of celebrating one's self by shattering the transphobic lens that hinders most gender non-conforming people. Beyond the Gender Binary will give readers everywhere the feeling that anything is possible within themselves! and that self-love through whatever choice of gender expression is truly attainable."Princess Nokia! musician and co-founder of the Smart Girl Club "A fierce! penetrating! and empowering call for change."-- Kirkus Reviews! starred review Informationen zum Autor Alok Vaid-Menon; Illustrated by Ashley Lukashevsky Klappentext Pocket Change Collective was born out of a need for space. Space to think. Space to connect. Space to be yourself. And this is your invitation to join us. "Thank God we have Alok. And I'm learning a thing or two myself."--Billy Porter, Emmy award-winning actor, singer, and Broadway theater performer "When reading this book, all I feel is kindness."--Sam Smith, Grammy and Oscar award-winning singer and songwriter "Beyond the Gender Binary will give readers everywhere the feeling that anything is possible within themselves"--Princess Nokia, musician and co-founder of the Smart Girl Club "A fierce, penetrating, and empowering call for change."-- Kirkus Reviews, starred review "An affirming, thoughtful read for all ages." -- School Library Journal, starred review In Beyond the Gender Binary, poet, artist, and LGBTQIA+ rights advocate Alok Vaid-Menon deconstructs, demystifies, and reimagines the gender binary. Pocket Change Collective is a series of small books with big ideas from today's leading activists and artists. In this installment, Beyond the Gender Binary, Alok Vaid-Menon challenges the world to see gender not in black and white, but in full color. Taking from their own experiences as a gender-nonconforming artist, they show us that gender is a malleable and creative form of expression. The only limit is your imagination. Prologue This is a book about the gender binary. Specifically, why we need to move beyond it. The gender binary is a cultural belief that there are only two distinct and opposite genders: man and woman. This belief is upheld by a system of power that exists to create conflict and division, not to celebrate creativity and diversity. We deserve more options. This false choice of boy or girl, man or woman, male or female is not natural­it is political. The real crisis is not that gender non-­conforming people exist, it's that we have bee...

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Alok Vaid-Menon; Illustrated by Ashley Lukashevsky

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Pocket Change Collective was born out of a need for space. Space to think. Space to connect. Space to be yourself. And this is your invitation to join us.

"Thank God we have Alok. And I'm learning a thing or two myself."--Billy Porter, Emmy award-winning actor, singer, and Broadway theater performer

"When reading this book, all I feel is kindness."--Sam Smith, Grammy and Oscar award-winning singer and songwriter

"Beyond the Gender Binary will give readers everywhere the feeling that anything is possible within themselves"--Princess Nokia, musician and co-founder of the Smart Girl Club

"A fierce, penetrating, and empowering call for change."-- Kirkus Reviews, starred review

"An affirming, thoughtful read for all ages." -- School Library Journal, starred review

In Beyond the Gender Binary, poet, artist, and LGBTQIA+ rights advocate Alok Vaid-Menon deconstructs, demystifies, and reimagines the gender binary.

Pocket Change Collective is a series of small books with big ideas from today's leading activists and artists. In this installment, Beyond the Gender Binary, Alok Vaid-Menon challenges the world to see gender not in black and white, but in full color. Taking from their own experiences as a gender-nonconforming artist, they show us that gender is a malleable and creative form of expression. The only limit is your imagination.

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Prologue

 
This is a book about the gender binary. Specifically, why we need to move beyond it. The gender binary is a cultural belief that there are only two distinct and opposite genders: man and woman. This belief is upheld by a system of power that exists to create conflict and division, not to celebrate creativity and diversity.
 
We deserve more options. This false choice of boy or girl, man or woman, male or female is not natural—­it is political. The real crisis is not that gender non-­conforming people exist, it’s that we have been taught to believe in only two genders in the first place.
 
Gender diversity is an integral part of our existence. It always has been, and it always will be.
 
There is a shocking disconnect between the way the government and the media speak about gender non-­conforming people and the reality of our lives. This gap between representation and reality continues to get worse. As we face heightened prejudice and harassment on the ground, more policies and public statements deriding us continue to be made. This disconnect is not a coincidence; it is a calculation. This is how it has always worked: The best way to eliminate a group is to demonize them, such that their disappearance is seen as an act of justice, not discrimination.
 
But this is about discrimination, and it’s time that we address it. The reality that many gender non-conforming people cannot go outside without fear of being attacked is unacceptable. The issue is not that we are failing to be men or women. It’s that the criteria used to evaluate us to begin with is the problem.

 
Beyond the Gender Binary

 
The days that I feel most beautiful are the days that I am most afraid.
 
They tell us to “be ourselves,” but if you listen closely, there’s more to that sentence: “. . . until you make them uncomfortable.”
 
Be yourself until you make them uncomfortable.
 
There is always a limit. A breaking point. Once you cross the line, then you are “too much” and are put back in your place.
 
In this way, acceptance of self-­expression becomes conditional. Express yourself using this template under these constraints with this time limit. Go! It’s like being handed over a Scantron sheet and demanded to paint a self-­portrait on it. It’s possible, of course, but why even bother when a canvas is within our reach?
 
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