11 Trans & Non-binary Identities: Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Considerations for Leaders
Grounding
Choose some ritual(s) that will bring your mind/body into focus as you take in the following chapter.
When you are ready to bring your attention to the material in this chapter:
- Try and remember the first experiences you had and messages you received about Trans and/or non-binary identity.
- What did you witness and or what were you told about the trans/non-binary Community (and individuals) in your family settings, educational settings, faith settings, political and/or any other shaping communities of which you were a part?
Groundwork
- Transgender is an umbrella term for people whose gender identity and/or expression is different from cultural expectations based on the sex they were assigned at birth. Being transgender does not imply any specific sexual orientation. Therefore, transgender people may identify as straight, gay, lesbian, bisexual, etc (Human Rights Campaign, 2022)
- Cisgender is a term used to describe a person whose gender identity aligns with those typically associated with the sex assigned to them at birth (Human Rights Campaign, 2022).
- Non-Binary is an adjective describing a person who does not identify exclusively as a man or a woman. Non-binary people may identify as being both a man and a woman, somewhere in between, or as falling completely outside these categories. While many also identify as transgender, not all non-binary people do. Non-binary can also be used as an umbrella term encompassing identities such as agender, bigender, genderqueer or gender-fluid(Human Rights Campaign, 2022).
- For many other definitions please consult the glossaries provided by GLAAD, 2022 & Human Rights Campaign, 2022
- Understanding Non-Binary (National Center for Transgender Equality, 2018)
Theoretical Frameworks/Models
Language Matters
- APA Antibias Guide: Gender,2022
- An Ally’s Guide to Terminology, GLAAD, 2022
Intersections & Institutions
- T/NB Identity & SES/Residential Life: The Crisis of Transgender Homelessness
- T/NB Identity and RSPW: Religious Differences regarding Trans Identity (Pew, 2022) & Enfleshed
- T/NB Identity & Sport: Trans Athletes Report (2023)
- T/NBIdentity & Media: What is a Trans-Exclusionary Radical Feminist (TERF)
Stories & Celebrations
- Dwayne Wade Fam (People, 2022)
- Free to Be Me Toolkit (Texas Trans Kids, 2022)
- Trans Awareness Project, 2022