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Morgan Dang

Dr. Lim

AP Language and Composition

3 February 2017

The Pursuit Of Gender Neutrality

During the 21st century, the idea of LGBT rights has become a controversial topic which

eventually has led to the idea of gender neutrality. The amount of discrimination, violence, as

well as the number of hate crimes have increased in today’s society and should be something that

should be prevented to avoid an unsafe community. The challenges of changing the way society

uses language and controversy of the acknowledgment of the LGBT community is immense.

Although gender neutrality is becoming widely recognized, the violence and discrimination

against the LGBT community are also becoming a predicament as well. Unless the parts of

society that are against gender neutrality do not approach LGBT people with the intention of

deliberately offending or discriminating them, gender neutrality is a topic that should be valued

and recognized in society.

Violence against the LGBT community has increased in numbers, but being gender

neutral can diminish the amount of discrimination and violence against the LGBT community. In

the recent years, attacks and homicides against the LGBT community have been common,

“L.G.B.T. people are twice as likely to be targeted as African-Americans, and the rate of hate

crimes against them has surpassed that of crimes against Jews” (Park and Mykhyalyshyn). By

being gender neutral, it creates equality for both genders and equality brings people together

towards acceptance. Acceptance makes people feel safe and comfortable, which eventually
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reduces the violence rate. Violence within a community or violence in general affects people

both physically and emotionally in a negative way. On the other hand, people should not live in a

society where homicides are common. In the summer of 2016, “When a shooter opened fire at a

gay nightclub in Orlando early Sunday morning, killing 49 people and wounding many more, he

wasn’t just acting alone—he was inserting himself into a long, horrifying tradition of violence

against LGBT people in America” (Wile). The discrimination against the LGBT community is

not the only thing that is hurting America; it is the numerous cases on attacks and homicides

against this particular group of people that the world segregates. Gender neutrality is a solution

to this upheaval of violence and crime that is being stirred upon hatred and unacceptance.

Gender neutral parenting is a benefit that can lead to a healthy development for a child.

Society stereotypes men and women into gender binary groups and that is what children are

taught as they are raised. One benefit from gender neutral parenting is, “‘A major pro to raising a

gender-neutral baby is that you will be allowing your child to develop without the artificially

created limitations that society has placed around gender,’ says Israel Martinez” (DiProperzio).

Raising kids to be gender neutral creates inner peace and freedom of expression because they are

free to choose what they like and do not like or what they want and do not want. Gender neutral

parenting can also create a nurturing environment for children since they are free to choose what

toys they want to play with regardless of the stereotypical distinction between “girl” and “boy”

toys. With gender neutral parenting, it erases the barrier that is restricting them from possibly

liking things that are posed as “boy” or “girl” things. It helps children understand that there is

nothing wrong with liking cars instead of barbie dolls or barbie dolls instead of cars and it gives

children permission to express their interests however they want. Children are taught to be the
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stereotypical gender that they are being labeled as from the moment their gender is identified.

Stereotypes are very common and are taught subconsciously when children are first born, “We

are teaching her that girls are supposed to wear dresses, serve food, and take care of babies; the

biggest and most common stereotype put on women” (Brewer). These types of stereotypes still

stick today and they are being taught to children everyday. Women were raised as children that

women are supposed to stay home while the husband goes to work, but that does not necessarily

have to be true because people have freedom of choice of whether they want to be in the marines

or be a stay at home mom.

Society is moving towards gender neutrality. In the few recent years, gender neutrality

has been a movement that society has been progressively heading towards fashion wise,

“Recently, fashion designers like ​Gucci​ and hip boutiques have begun selling what’s being called

gender-neutral or gender-free clothing: clothes that can be worn by either men or women”

(Rizzo). With the gender neutrality movement, fashion designers are tying unisex fashion trends

to gender equality that allow everyone to dress the way they please regardless of gender. Since

prestigious fashion companies, like Gucci, are producing gender neutral clothing, it can be an

advocate for social change. Social change can incorporate gender neutrality through big

companies and fashion industries that are moving towards gender neutrality. Not only fashion

industries that are moving towards the gender neutrality movement, but also universities as well,

“The University of Vermont ​validated a third, gender neutral option​ and allows students to

choose a new first name, regardless if the name has been legally changed, and chosen pronoun.

(People who do not identify as male or female prefer the pronoun “they,” rather than “he” or

“she”)” (Giang). The gender neutrality movement is progressively starting to become a

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nationwide movement and is spreading through pop culture, fashion, and even universities as

well.

Gender neutral parenting can be tricky. Some parents want their children to like things

that fit within their gender stereotype, some boys really like sports and guns, and some girls

really like princesses and ponies, which is understandable. There is no way of avoiding gender in

the future, but exposing them to it early gives them more awareness on what they like and who

they want to be when they grow up to be an adult. Gender neutral parenting cannot be forced if

the child is interested in things that typically fit the criteria of being a boy or girl and there is

nothing wrong with that. However, without guidelines or restrictions, children can freely express

themselves and truly gets to be who they are. This method of parenting can teach children to

become more familiar with the opposite gender’s interests. On the other hand, this allows

children to learn how to be more accepting which can reduce the rate of violence against the

LGBT community in the future. Gender neutrality can be a difficult concept to grasp to some

people because of how society and the world believed in the strict gender binary and

stereotypical gender stereotypes for so many years which is understandable. It is a change in the

way society is built and some people might not be used to that change in the “no gender” option

and that is understandable as well.

Although the controversy between being gender neutral and not gender neutral still exists

today, gender neutrality is something that should be taught and valued in order to maintain a safe

community for all citizens. Everyone is different and yet all the same, so society should make it

easier for those who do not fit into those boxes and move more towards acceptance. The

significance that gender neutrality brings out is the acceptance of every diverse individual
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whether they are transgender, gay, or even different in race. Being gender neutral brings

acceptance into society and erases some of the discrimination of the LGBT community that

exists today. People of the LGBT community should not feel ashamed of what they are meant to

be because everyone should have the freedom to express their sexuality without being looked

down upon. Society should be a more accepting environment and people should have the

freedom of choice because love makes the world go round and without it, it would be a world

full of hate.
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Works Cited

Brewer, Holly. "List of Gender Stereotypes." ​List of Gender Stereotypes​. Health Guidence, 2017.

Web. 02 Feb. 2017.

<http://www.healthguidance.org/entry/15910/1/List-of-Gender-Stereotypes.html>.

DiProperzio, Linda. "Should You Raise a Gender-neutral Baby?" ​Parents​. Parents, 05 Nov.

2015.

Web. 02 Feb. 2017. <http://www.parents.com/parenting/gender-neutral-parenting/>.

Giang, Vivian. "Transgender Is Yesterday’s News: How Companies Are Grappling with the ‘no

Gender’ Society." ​Fortune​. Fortune, 29 June 2015. Web. 2 Feb. 2017.

<http://fortune.com/2015/06/29/gender-fluid-binary-companies/>.

Park, Haeyoun and Mykhyalyshyn, Iaryna. "L.G.B.T. People Are More Likely to Be Targets of

Hate

Crimes Than Any Other Minority Group." ​New York Times​. New York Times, 16

June 2016. Web. 2 Feb. 2017.

<https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2016/06/16/us/hate-crimes-against-lgbt.html?

_r=0>.

Rizzo, Mary. "Can We Tie Unisex Fashion Trends to Gender Equality?" ​CNN​. Cable News

Network,

14 Jan. 2016. Web. 02 Feb. 2017.

http://www.cnn.com/2016/01/14/fashion/unisex-fashion-gender-equality/

Wile, Rob. "It's Still Dangerous to Be Gay in America. Here Are the Statistics That Prove

It."​Fusion​.
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Fusion, 12 June 2016. Web. 02 Feb. 2017.

<http://fusion.net/story/313047/lgbt-violence-statistics/>.