Little by little, the struggle for women’s rights and the achievements that were being made in this area, helped other communities or minorities to raise their voices to shout that they also exist, that there were more communities than we were considering, and that society is also restricting their rights. As part of these excluded and disregarded communities, there are all people who identify with the non-binary gender.

To date, all minorities, people who do not belong to the heteronormativity established by society, have suffered not only silence, but confusion, discrimination, and repression of their own personality due to family and social pressures, and from everyone else around them.

Heteronorm refers to the belief that heterosexuality is precisely what is “normal” or what “should be,” and that anyone who deviates from that rule has a disorder or a problem that must be fixed. This assumption has damaged the lives of millions of people who have reached the point of not being able to express affection to those they love and in the way they want.

Binary gender refers precisely to heterosexuality, the only two accepted genders: male and female.

Non-binary gender (or genderqueer), on the other hand, refers to all people who do not identify with either of the two genders of heteronormativity. Note that non-binary gender does not refer to asexuality.

The great confusion that exists around the non-binary gender contributes to the continued discrimination against people who belong to it. Part of being able to contribute to the cause of not denigrating them, so that they can also be free and enjoy the same rights as others, is to learn more, research, read, and learn about the way they identify themselves, respecting their ways of living and loving, and accepting that they are part of this world and this society as much as people who belong to the binary gender.

There are many identities or sexual orientations that are part of the non-binary gender, most of which are represented by the acronym LGBTQ+. Starting with that acronym, the most common orientations within the non-binary gender (or the most heard) are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer.

Lesbians are women who are attracted to other women (both sexually and emotionally), gay people are men who are attracted to other men, bisexuals are those who are attracted to both genders equally, transgender people are those who do not identify partially or fully with the gender they were born with.

People who define themselves as queer use this term to express that sexuality and gender can be complicated, change over time, and not fit exactly into just one or the other category. They may be people who have yet to define their gender, gender fluid people (who change their sexual orientation depending on various factors), and so on.

Nowadays, where more and more people of the non-binary gender manage to raise their voices and start being who they really are, it is important (and part of the respect we should show them) to ask which pronouns they identify with. This is because some people identify with feminine pronouns (she), others with masculine pronouns (he), and there are people who do not identify with any specific pronoun or simply prefer neutral pronouns (they/them).

By asking for the pronouns they prefer, we are giving them the place they have always deserved within society, we show respect and acceptance, and we make them feel that they have and deserve value in this world.

There are organizations and movements such as #YoDigoNoMás, which seek to provide a safe and trusted space for all people, regardless of their gender or history. One of the purposes of the movement is to promote inclusion.

You can be part of the change, join this movement on behalf of yourself or hundreds of victims who have not been able to find their voice to speak out against this scourge.

Find the multiple options we have to get involved with the movement and make your voice heard.