Beyond the Binary

Today people talk a lot about gender, not just in celebration of identity, but in debate, fear, confusion, and resistance.

The conversation has become louder, more politicised, and more policed. In all the noise, it’s easy to forget something simple, we are more than our labels and are more than the boxes we’re told by society to tick.

The world has an unhealthy fixation on gender. It tells us, from birth, how to move, what to wear, who to love, and what we’re worth all based our assigned gender at birth. This isn’t just about labels, it’s about control. Society uses gender as a means to limit and confine people where it wants.

These rules are unspoken, yet there everywhere. And the moment someone steps outside of them, all hell breaks loose. We see it in how people treat trans and non-binary people, in how men are shamed for vulnerability, and in how women are silenced for speaking up. We see it in job discrimination, unequal pay and media stereotypes.

We all come into this world with a purpose which is unique to us, but society often projects so much onto us, so early, that we lose sight of it. Gender roles and social expectations blur our sense of self. We are taught to doubt what we know deep down. So many people don’t know who they are and it’s not because they lack clarity, but because they’ve spent their lives being told who they should be. Our worth isn’t determined by our conformity to roles but rather it is found in how we live, how we treat others, and how honestly, we are able to be ourselves.

I’m tired of a world that tries to control people instead of letting them become who they’re meant to be. I’m tired of watching people shrink themselves to fit in or question themselves because they were misunderstood. Let people be who they are and let them live without being boxed in. That’s how we move forward. That’s how we find ourselves again.