The New Language of Gender
Avoid the Comms Crisis: Learn the New Language of Gender Now
We’re living in an era obsessed with gender. Conversation about transgender people and topics like gender fluidity are part of the air we breathe. Miley Cyrus declared herself gender fluid in 2015. Jaden Smith presented as genderqueer at Coachella wearing a dress with flowers in his hair.Reality television series I Am Jazz debuted on TLC, documenting the ups and downs of 15-year-old transgender teen Jazz Jennings, considered one of the youngest LGBTQ spokespeople ever.But what is gender?Gender is the way we express that “boyness” or “girlness” we’re assigned at birth, in ways that either conform with gender norms (societal expectations) – or in ways that subvert them.Gender is not the sex we’re assigned at birth, based on things like genitals and XX or XY chromosomes. Gender is also not sexual orientation, or who you desire sexually. You could be a feminine straight man or a hyper-masculine gay man, a masculine straight woman or a high-femme lesbian who wears makeup, high heels and perfume.From the time we’re born, we’re bombarded with cultural messages about how to look and behave as girls or boys. These messages – from parents, school teachers, media – tell us what it means to be a boy or a girl. Boys don’t cry. Real men don’t wear pink. Women shouldn’t swear. Real women have curves.And unless our gender identity or the way we express it matches those gender norms (how society narrowly defines masculinity and femininity), we might feel insecure in our masculinity or femininity. Gender, in other words, is hard work.We've created a report to guide you through the new language of gender, showing you how to demonstrate that you’re an ally of these gender revolutionaries. We pinpoint ways this cultural shift is already impacting culture – through memes, viral videos, trends, products, and cultural signals that indicate that the gender revolution has arrived. And we’ll show who’s doing it right – and who isn’t.
Avoid the Comms Crisis: Learn the New Language of Gender Now
