ISSUES
: Sexuality and Gender
Chapter 2: Gender identity
21
us stories outside of our identities
and cast non-binary people to play
non-binary people. Don’t make
jokes about not being able to tell
someone’s gender, or belittle non-
binary people’s experience,” said
one of the people we spoke to.
“It would be a massive step forward
to see mention of non-binary people
in the mainstream media, without
their gender being the sole focus of
the coverage,” said another.
86% of the people we spoke to said
it would help them to have visible
non-binary role models in the
media. This rose to 92% when we
asked if it would have been helpful
when growing up.
Current coverage
Many non-binary people feel that
current media coverage misses
the mark, with 80% of those we
spoke to describing it as bad or
very bad. 74% said that they think
this is a subject the media knows
nothing about. Several told us
that they think it’s time big media
organisations made the effort
to speak to non-binary people
directly in order to improve their
understanding.
One of the people we spoke
to wanted “more thoughtful
exploration like BBC Radio 4’s
Analysis
episode
Who Says I’m A
Woman?
”
“I think non-binary gender is a
collection of identities that much
of the public would be able to
understand, and perhaps even
identify with, if positive and
accurate dialogue surrounding
these identities was present in the
media,” said another.
Non-binary icons
There are already famous people
who cross gender boundaries. We
asked non-binary people to name
some of their role models:
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Eddie Izzard
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Richard O’Brien
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Brian Molko
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Pete Burns
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Del LaGrace
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Volcano
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Anthony Hegarty
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Grayson Perry
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Kate Bornstein
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Norrie May
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Welby
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B Scott
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Dennis Rodman
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Morrissey
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CN Lester
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Justin Vivian Bond
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Rae Spoon.
Points to note
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Most non-binary people do not
want to do away with gender.
They just want their own
genders to be respected.
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Having a non-binary identity
is something innate within
a person. It is not simply a
lifestyle choice.
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Non-binary
people
face
an elevated risk of street
harassment and assault. This
is partly due to poor public
understanding.
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Countries like India and Australia
legally recognise genders other
than male and female.
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British businesses and local
councils
are
increasingly
acknowledging multiple gender
options.
Find out more
Trans Media Watch is committed
to ensuring that all kinds of
transgender people, including non-
binary people, are represented in
the media with accuracy, dignity
and respect.
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The above information has been
reprinted with kind permission
from Trans Media Watch. Please
visit
for further information.
© Trans Media Watch 2016
