Gender Binary

The false, long-held societal and cultural categorization of gender into just two distinct and opposite terms: male or female, man or woman, masculine or feminine. Attached to this classification are gendered traits, behaviors, and appearances attached to these distinctions (e.g., men should be strong, aggressive, and wear masculine clothes; women should be kind, domestic, and wear make-up and feminine clothes). The binary generally assumes someone’s gender identity and pronouns all align with the sex they were assigned at birth. However, gender isn’t binary; it’s an infinite spectrum, with people whose gender identities fall between and outside of the man/woman framework.