Gender Fluidity describes a person’s experience of gender that is not fixed. A genderfluid person’s sense of their gender identity switches over time. It can be a choice with some people experiencing fluidity between masculine and feminine identities, while others may feel entirely non-binary.
Gender Fluidity comes under the umbrella term of non-binary, which acknowledges their experience of gender identities that don’t follow the traditional understanding of genders. There is however a difference between a non-binary person and a genderfluid person; non-binary identifies as a fixed gender or one sexuality without having any specification where a person doesn’t like to label themselves, whereas, a genderfluid person always shifts between their genders.
To understand fluidity, we have to acknowledge that fluidity can be distinct in two ways. A person’s internal sense of gender (gender identity) or their outward presentation of their gender (gender expression). A person may feel that their gender is both masculine and feminine; alternatively, they may use an identity which does not fit the binary system although it changes too.
Oppositely, how someone dresses, keeps hairstyles, or pronouns themselves display gender expression. Consequently, one day a genderqueer person could be wearing attire that expresses their manliness yet another time they could feel feminine, while at other times they might maintain a neutral-gender representation.
Genderfluid individuals can change their pronouns depending on their gender experience at a given time. They may habitually use the term “they/them” for a particular period or select one based on their mood. Certain people use gender-neutral pronouns which are “zie” as well as “Mx.” They should always be requested directly about their favourite pronouns before employing these in a considerate way. In other words, each person has their way of being genderfluid such as intuition and emotion. The presence of this ever-changing nature can be observed in some individuals whereas for some it seems that they are always changing.
Gender Fluidity is not a problem by birth. It is a way of experiencing gender identity that is authentic and valid. Still, individuals with this orientation face many difficulties as they walk through life in binary-based societies.
Problems faced by Genderfluid Individuals
Genderfluid individuals may appear unfamiliar to those who haven’t met them, also their appearance might offend some conservative minds. As a result, the question of gender fluidity can sometimes be cast in a manner which is deemed incongruous by some individuals. Gender-fluid individuals may feel intruded upon because their identity is often sought by others, particularly when it comes to quoting wrong pronouns or names intentionally.
In certain situations, this misinterpretation might lead to discrimination that influences everything, from the availability of chances to personal security. More so, these individuals are often challenged by both societal norms and mental suffering, they have often faced discrimination in various settings, including workplaces, schools, and social environments. This can include harassment through words, lack of association, and violent actions.
Our universe is frequently based on a double-gendered perspective. It is shown through speech where a lot of languages do not have any pronoun for non-binary ones that are commonly-accepted. Systems like forms, Apps and other online platforms normally have two selections that cover male and female alone as categories without allowing for any other kind of identity. Genderfluid persons are often frustrated and feel they are being made to conform to something that they do not fit neatly between these lines.
Places that are divided by sex, such as bathrooms and locker rooms, can create fear among individuals who do not entirely belong to one gender category. Such Individuals experience unease when they are compelled to use a restroom that disputes their present gender identity or face rejection when they opt for their gender-appropriate washrooms. Along the same vein, public gatherings are quite cumbersome to them. This kind of setup makes them feel as though they do not exist or are rather unmatched within such an environment that underscores conventional gender norms.
Living in a dual-binary world of challenges can take a significant toll on people’s mental health. Some genderfluid persons may also be facing or suffering from increased anxieties, and high levels of depression that make them lonely due to either the need to comply with the prevailing norms or negation of their self-identity.
Why recognising Gender Fluidity is important
An individual who is continuously told that they must match one of two gender groups may be distressed by this. Making recognition and embracing gender fluidity can contribute to fostering self-esteem and reducing the load of mental health struggles for gender-fluid people, thereby creating a more receptive environment.
It is such a fabulous world we live in so connected and advanced in everything. When we expose and accept gender fluidity we are at liberty to go farther than the stereotypes suppressing us and embrace different conducts of our human kind. This is a benefit for all people, not just those considered as gender-fluid. In learning about the differing identities of others, we begin to feel and comprehend their perspectives more deeply. Consequently, society’s fabric is tightened by comprehension forming an interconnected supportive global community that is stronger.
Acknowledgement of escapades from male and female identities through recognition of other genders would mean demolishing the gender system that has confined so many potentials within its connotation; recognising gender fluidity does not only ensure comfortability among queer people but also paves the way for an equal society in future. This can result in positive change in society that will remove any form of discrimination and allow for a situation where people can live well irrespective of their sexual preference.
We have to recognise Gender fluidity as a spectrum of identification that counters strict definitions and opposes simplistic gender polarity. True to this spectrum, gender-fluid persons have numerous problems associated with the bifurcation of gender roles into male and female beings. Respect is required for one to find their way around it or simply live peacefully with those who do not seem to comprehend it.
Encountering this love helps people to accept themselves, contributes to making society more colourful by embracing different people and enables fairness and togetherness in the future. If we agree to forget the divisions that come with gender by accepting that people can freely choose to be male or female at any time, then we will live in an environment that allows for maximum self-expression and fulfilment from within ourselves.
