SafeLink Alberta believes in advocating for the communities we serve. Part of our health promotion strategy to reduce the heath disparities among marginalized communities is through education and advocacy.
This blog post is the first part of a series of social media content (blog posts, videos, and other social media posts) highlighting the 2SLGBTQIA+ community. The purpose of this blog post is to provide a foundation of knowledge about gender.
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Is Gender a “Spectrum”?
It is common to hear people talk about gender as a spectrum. The gender binary is the system that classifies people as either “male” or “female” and these classifications carry with them expectations of how people should look and act based on their gender.1 When we use the word “spectrum” we are not necessarily talking about a line with “male” at one end and “female” at another. Gender is much more expansive than that!
The gender galaxy is a great way to conceptualize and understand gender and gender expression. Much like galaxies, gender is vast and can be made up of many things. Just as no galaxy is exactly alike, no person is, regardless of if they share the same gender identity or not! It is also important to remember that gender is not static, and it can change throughout a person’s lifetime.
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What does “The Gender Galaxy” mean?
Breaking down some terms:
Sex assigned at birth
Doctors will assign sex to a baby when it is born based on genitals. Doctors will often assign sex as “male” or “female” or intersex.1
Gender Expression
How a person expresses and presents their gender. This can include physical appearance (hair, clothes, etc.), behaviors, body language, voice, and many other things. 1
Gender Identity
It is an internal sense of gender and is unique to everyone. 1
Intersex
An umbrella term that refers to biological sex traits (genitals, chromosomes, and hormones) that do not fit into the typical social constructions of “male” and “female” biological sex.1
Cisgender
When a person’s gender matches their sex assigned a birth.1
Transgender
A person’s gender and sex assigned at birth are different.1
Trans
An umbrella term that is used when someone’s gender and sex assigned at birth are different. It can be used for a range of identities, and it is something that people use to describe their own identity. 1
Agender
People who do not identify with a gender or may be genderless. Agender people can exist outside the gender binary, they may identify as trans or non-binary.1
Non-Binary
An umbrella term for people whose gender identity/expression is outside of the binary of male/female. 1
Gender Fluid:
A term for someone whose gender identity and expression can change and is more flexible. 1
Diversity should be honored and celebrated! The list of definitions above is only a sample of some of the most common terms, and it is meant to be a starting place, rather than an exhaustive list.
Two Spirit/2 Spirit
An Indigenous specific term, used by people to self-identify. The term is Anishinaabe based but has been taken up by different nations.1 The term Two Spirit is attributed to Elder Myra Laramee, and it was coined in 1990 at a conference in Manitoba.2 It represents not just gender and/or sexual orientation, but also complex cultural roles, experiences, identities, and responsibilities. It may mean different things to people based on their nation and who they are as an individual. This is a very brief definition of Two Spirit, which barely scratches the surface. For a much more comprehensive look at Two Spirit and how colonialism has impacted gender please check out https://humanrights.ca/story/what-two-spirit-part-one-origins!
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Here are some common questions people have about gender:
“I don’t know someone’s pronouns. What should I do?”
If you are talking to someone and do not know their pronouns, ask! You can also use your pronouns when you introduce yourself, giving other people permission to share theirs. If you are talking about someone who is not present, use gender neutral pronouns such as “they/them”. Including pronouns on name tags, or separate pronoun pins at workplaces can help to encourage folks to share their pronouns. Having your pronouns in your online communication, such as email signature or Zoom names helps everyone.
“I misgendered someone. What should I do?”
Apologize, briefly but sincerely. Say the sentence again with the proper pronouns. A lengthy apology can make the person you misgendered feel they must make YOU feel better about harming them. Misgendering someone is harmful, even if it is unintentional. If someone you are talking to misgenders someone, correct them. You can say, “they use they/them pronouns.” Or you can repeat their sentence and emphasize the proper pronoun. “Sam said THEY will be late.”
“I want to learn more about gender and sexuality. What should I do?”
Staying up to date on what is going on in your community and the media is a good way to learn about how you can better support 2SLGBTQIA+ folks. Google is a great resource! It is important that you don’t put the labor on 2SLGBTQIA+ people to educate you. There are lots of resources available to learn more.
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Want to learn more about gender? Here are some resources:
Action Canada
Sexfluent.ca
Eagle Canada
Scarleteen
Two Spirit Manitoba
We also have a Knowledge Thirsty Thursday video focused on STBBIs and Transgender Health:
We will be covering more topics in this series. Stay tuned for more information about sexuality, Southern Alberta specific 2SLGBTQIA+ resources, some of our favorite 2SLGBTQIA+ authors, creators, and media. Throughout this series we will also be sharing trans and nonbinary joy on our social media!
Need additional support? Contact our programs in Calgary and Medicine Hat:
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References
- Action Canada for Sexual Health & Right. Gender and sexuality galaxies: comprehensive sexual health education tool. 2023. Accessed May 1, 2024. https://www.actioncanadashr.org/gender-and-sexuality-galaxies
- LGBTQ Health. Two Spirit Community. 2024. Accessed May 9, 2024. https://lgbtqhealth.ca/community/two-spirit.php#:~:text=The%20creation%20of%20the%20term,held%20in%20Winnipeg%20in%201990