CMV: I feel like non-binary genders are just a ploy for attention and are actually disrepectful towards trans men/women

In my mind, gender exists in the sense that concepts like dignity and aesthetics exist. They are not "there" in the sense of being discoverable like the elements on the periodic table. But they are "there" in the sense that a writer discovers the character in a novel. We discover our gender within ourself.

However, I do want to re-iterate: You believe gender is a product of socialization. And society must recognize your chosen gender, otherwise your gender is not a valid one. If that's the case, then all society must do to create a gender is discover and acknowledge said gender.

Lets replace community with council. If the people in my community decide that "bawiddah-gender" is now a gender, then now exists and people are now free to ascribe to it. The gender was discovered by me, the society around me validated the discovery, and now we are all free to be "bawiddah-gender."

Anthropology can be of help here. They have discovered societies with other forms of gender. Some Native American tribes acknowledge Two-Spirit gender. Two-Spirit individuals are expected to play with masculinity and femininity. There's a lot of interesting details about this gender, but that's besides the point. A Native Tribe clearly constitute a legitimate society. And some of them unambiguously acknowledge that the Two-Spirited gender exists.

If gender is constructed, you must accept that me and my friends could make legitimate my "bawiddah-gender". If gender is discovered, you must accept that Native Americans have discovered Two-Spirit and that Western Society must now accommodate at least that gender. And once you get a single new gender, you'll end up admitting a bunch more.

/r/changemyview Thread Parent