6/9/15

Skit: why do I need gender inclusion

Gender inclusion is a big deal.  It can't be male or female space. We need to include more complex stories when we are trying to make comprehensive spaces to talk about differences in socialization, expectations and stereotypes when it comes to gender. To broaden who we accept and allow in these spaces only serve to add to our narratives and understanding of gender. Gender inclusion doesn't just serve the gender variant community but it also helps women. Any woman that doesn't want to remove body hair but is told it is unprofessional needs gender inclusion. Anybody who prefers single occupancy bathrooms needs gender inclusion. Anybody who wants their  employer to pay for hormones for medical conditions need gender inclusion. Any man that wants paternity leave to be as long as maternity leave needs gender inclusion. Anybody who is sick of society telling them who they can be or like because of what their gender is needs gender inclusion. We to need to work on accepting that gender doesn't have to be constant, it can change and evolve with our understanding of ourselves and how we relate to the world around us. In particular we need to work on making women's spaces that include, but are not limited to females, women, female bodied people, female/ woman identified pepole, people who express or feel a more feminine gender, gurls, and questing folks. Just because you have boobs and or a vagina does not mean you are a female and does not entitleyou to women's spaces.  On the other hand how much or lack of of vigina/boob envy you have doesn't exclude you from these spaces.  I personally like the word gurl because it is an all inclusive of all things feminine. Everyone who does not identity fully as Non-gendered , Agendered, Male, masculine,  Queer gendered, questing, and or other gender fall under gurl; along with female bodied people and pepole with at least two x chromosomes who choose to do so. To exclude a person who claims the identity is to invalidate them and all who had been or would have been denied before them.  Though the following example is not the same, I would imagine that it holds the same sentiment.  Black women were denied access to women spaces in times of segregation. They were dealt two blows,  the main one being racism, and the more subtle connotation that the color of your skin means your not women enough for this space ; or you're not really a women at all. Ones physically appearance doesn't dictate or equal expression, experience, or identity. So why do we assume such when it comes to gender?

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