You searched for gender identity - Page 7 of 98 - Everyday Feminism

Pronouns are an important part of our language. Using the right pronouns in our own daily language and asking others to do the same isn’t enough to change the extreme transphobia, discrimination, and violence that trans* people experience, but it’s a simple way to use language to show respect for our friends, to make trans* issues visible, and to challenge gender-based oppression.

With these tips, you can help children of all ages understand the possibilities beyond the gender binary – and you’ll know why it’s so important to do so, too.

A parent, talking and smiling with their teenage child

Do you know what your teenager’s learning about things like sexual violence and objectification? These are pretty disturbing – but this article has some solid tips on what you can do about it.

Two people flirting

“Make him work for it.” You’re probably familiar with the encouragement for women to “play hard to get.” But these drawbacks to this encouragement might be familiar, too – and we need to talk about it.

What do you know about asexuality? What about aromance? A lot of folks are out of the loop on what those terms really mean. So here’s a clear break-down of both: what they are, what they aren’t, and some struggles society creates for ace and aro people. The end of the video can help you start your own conversation, so we can all be more informed and understanding.

I’ve had this experience a million times. It’s one of the complicated realities that come along with being a progressive-minded person: The jokes just aren’t as funny anymore. When we can see the humanity behind the people who these jokes target, and when we understand the implications of the privileged laughing at the marginalized, we lose our ability to laugh at their expense.

Being a butch woman among men occasionally comes with some issues – and they’re based on patriarchal nonsense. Check out this comic to see how this plays out.

When was the last time you saw a positive media portrayal of a man expressing emotions? The approach in this comic is such a relief.

Person holding a finger to their lips, saying "Shh"

If you’re cisgender, expecting some of these things from transgender people might seem harmless to you. But here’s how you might be intruding on someone with your entitlement – even if you don’t mean to.

What have you heard about women with short hair? These translations show what’s really going on when strangers and loved ones make negative comments. Follow this comic to the end and you’ll see why positivity beats the oppressive gender norms that mold society’s idea of female beauty. Get the respect you deserve, and shine on.

We are yin and yang — seemingly oppositional forces that are actually complementary and interconnected.

Person, thinking

Two genders don’t cover all the ways of existing. So if gender doesn’t mean what we’re taught it means, what does that say about gender-based sexualities? This author shares their discoveries on gender and sexuality.

“My existence often feels like a radical act in itself.” What’s it like to be queer within Mexican Catholicism? This is a powerful answer.

While it’s great that more people are identifying as feminist, I’m also bored with claims that feminism is the notion that women are people or a belief in equality – and nothing more. I’m not interested in a feminism that’s not grounded in the hard work of dismantling oppression. Because we don’t need a feminism that’s trendy — we need one that’s transformative.

You don’t need me to tell you that words have meaning. So it should come as no surprise that the words we use as activists matter, too. The way we describe our movements, allies, and opponents are loaded with meaning, and it is our responsibility as feminists to be mindful of the ways in which we wield this power. So how can we use our words to make change?

Being trans* often draws out a curiosity where people want to ask all sorts of invasive questions. It’s understandable given the lack of discussion on trans* issues. But people often ask about things that are neither their business nor relevant to their relationship. So if you are with someone who’s out and is knowingly open to questions (like me), here are some guidelines to follow on how to respectfully ask questions about being trans*.

The unfortunate reality is that few schools are safe spaces for LGBTQ students. When I facilitate professional development sessions for teachers on building inclusive environments for diverse student populations, it’s clear most teachers want to be as supportive as possible to LGBTQ students, but aren’t sure how best to do so. So I’ve compiled a list of 10 things teachers can do to create a more inclusive classroom environment for LGBTQ students.

The author and their partner, smiling

“Would you still love me if…?” This is hard for some people to understand – so here’s an insider’s view that sheds a fascinating light on a relationship with a partner who transitions.

As many of us do every year around this time, I got some invites to attend Pride Parades, wear my “gayest outfit” for bar/club crawls, and just “come out and celebrate!” I couldn’t put my finger on it, but somehow I was not motivated to go. What exactly are we proud of and celebrating? And on the flipside, what do we have left to tackle in the movement?

When we live with marginal identities we often have few frameworks for understanding how to move beyond narrow ideas of what our lives should look like.