“It’s Cultural:” Using European Colonialism to Erase the Non-Binary
Our culture makes us strong. Use yours as an opportunity to be a better ally.
Much of my time is spent training school staff on transgender and non-binary student rights and needs. Over the years, I’ve experienced pushback from participants — like any trainer — which sometimes comes from being misinformed or simply not open to expanding one’s view of diversity. Sometimes, it’s a combination of the two, and a particular phrase irks me in the way it uses deep misinformation to explain away bias and rejection. In this situation, a participant — oftentimes a person of color like myself, will try to explain their bias and reluctance to welcome transgender and non-binary students by saying, “It’s Cultural.” As if their cultural beliefs let them off the hook for rejecting transgender students at their school or pushing the dangerous, unkind, and hateful notion that transgender people should not be visible or welcomed in society. And, when they tell me this, they’re also suggesting that people of color have a unique culture that justifies the rejection of transgender and non-binary people. Well, I’m calling BS on this.
It’s, in fact, NOT “just cultural” to reject transgender people. In fact, in many cultures around the world, trans and nonbinary bodies have a deep history that is celebrated. Let’s take the Americas. In the Zapotec cultures of Oaxaca, Mexico, Muxe is a third gender accepted and respected within the community. Some Native Americans in what is now the United States use the term “two-spirit” to refer to those who embody both a male and female spirit. Those who are two-spirited can hold special roles within their communities and are thought to be able to see things from a unique perspective. South Asian countries have recognized Hijra, a third gender that reflects both men and women. And, across Africa, cultures had language for multiple genders (apart from the binary) and a long-standing history of nonbinary thinking around gender. So, where does this idea of “it’s just my culture” come from as a basis for the inability to accept genders outside the binary?
European Colonialism had a reputation for erasing various aspects of indigenous culture, and non-binary acceptance and celebration are no exception. The binary gender rigidity that we experience today in the United States is largely a result of the European Colonists who settled in the Americas over 500 years ago (as well as Asia and Africa). It’s not a reflection of our native, indigenous culture but rather the culture of the Europeans who arrived, conquered, and erased innumerable aspects of our culture and ways of life — including acceptance of and belonging for transgender and non-binary people. More importantly, the erasure of our authentic, historical, and cultural experiences gave power to those who colonized, and this erasure continues to take power away from the descendants of those who are oppressed, kidnapped from their lands, and forced to assimilate into the colonizers’ cultural and religious beliefs.
Bottom line - explaining away bias and rejection by stating that “it’s just cultural” is an excuse for maintaining or perpetuating negative behavior and language toward LGTBQ+ communities. It’s inaccurate, inappropriate, and wrong. It enforces the viewpoints of the colonizers and erases the beliefs of those they conquered. Let’s stop this narrative. Take the time to learn about the diversity of gender in your culture. Step in and take action when you hear a negative slur or witness negative behavior, and most importantly, be kind! We are all a work in progress, and as our definition of inclusion grows, we can all work to be more open-minded and welcoming of all cultures. Use your culture as an opportunity to be a better ally, not as an excuse to reject others.