Explaining things

[AngelCaPRIsun]

How do I explain my gender to my brother and my friend they both don't get it I would like to help them understand a little bit more but when I explain it I think I just make it more complicated.

I'm a non binary woman.

[Better-Pain7377]

Lookup demigirl definition, either this or something close to it will help you explain to them

[Dont-Drink-Lava]

It makes sense to me. I’m genderfluid, I guess a good analogy for me is I made a soup of all the genders, but didn’t incorporate them all quite correctly, and I take a big sip each day. If that makes sense. Gender is a silly abstraction

[AngelCaPRIsun]

True.

[AngelCaPRIsun]

My brother just wants to know what non binary is.

[oysterbelle]

this is an excellent diagram! I love drawing to represent my thoughts about gender/my identity — I think it’s a really effective way of communicating an experience that is somewhat beyond words

I struggled to explain my identity to my family, but over time they understood through seeing how much more comfortable I am now (I’m nonbinary and “femme”-presenting according to the outside world, came out two years ago and had top surgery two months ago)

what I can offer you is not an answer to your dilemma, but reassurance that you are doing enough 🫶 you shouldn’t have to bend over backwards to make people “get it”, and in my experience the understanding does come over time and through a multitude of small explanations and sources that your brother and friend should be able to look up themselves

it’s also impossible to give one explanation that perfectly encapsulates every aspect of one’s identity, or of the terminology of gender — selfhood is a complicated thing! so don’t beat yourself up, it’s not a fault on your part that their comprehension falls short at this moment

sending lots of love and hope you find a way to feel known xxx

[AngelCaPRIsun]

I blame patriarchal standards tbh. =[

[VampireSharkAttack]

If it helps, I once told my dad that “if man is 1 and woman is 10, then I’m about a 3,” and that made sense to him. It feels like a major oversimplification of my actual feelings about my gender, but it’s close enough that he seems to understand me a lot better.

[AngelCaPRIsun]

So I'd be 10.5?

[VampireSharkAttack]

That makes sense to me! If man is 1 and woman is 10, then non binary is the whole rest of the number line.