“I am not your partner, I am your partner”: the claim of a non-binary person and the cry in the middle of the virtual classroom

The flag that identifies non-binary people. (Photo: Adobe Stock)

The debate around the use of inclusive language and gender identity It’s not something exclusive to Argentina, but it transcends all Spanish-speaking borders (and it’s not even an exclusive discussion of Spanish). At Mexico, where due to the coronavirus pandemic many courses continue to be taught virtually, a fact has been recorded that is related to respecting self-perceived identity and how people who do not identify themselves male or female want to be called. A non-binary student broke down in the middle of the class when a colleague called him “companion”.

The video has gone viral on social media. “I am not your partner, I am your partner”says the non-binary person, that after started to cry. The student who called him “companion” corrects himself, apologize and continue with what he said. However, the episode went viral.

The scene generated a cascade of comments so many of support as of hate, of users who criticized the very fact that the non-binary person wanted to be named as a “partner”, to the reaction that ended in tears.

Although laws grant rights, in practice compliance takes time to materialize and debate continues.

A month ago, the national government launched the National Identity Document (DNI) for non-binary people. Argentina has thus become the first country in the region to extend the recognition of identities outside of the male / female pair. Therefore, in the field referring to sex, the letter “X” is incorporated, in addition to the initials “M” or “F”.

This has opened up a new discussion among those who believe that those who identify as non-binary should not be identified with an “X”.

Grouping “Everyone with DNI” assures “We are not an X”. “Among those of us who are neither men nor women, we choose to call ourselves different identity categories. The vast majority of them are not an X, nor what it understands according to the decree: “non-binary, indeterminate, unspecified, undefined, uninformed, self-perceived, unregistered; or another ‘”, they assert.

In addition, they explain that a third category, decided by the State, erases its diversity and the multiple experiences of those who identify themselves outside the masculine or the feminine: “By placing us all under the same category, we are marginalized to identity encryption. , while the M and F are hierarchical, who have access to the right to be specifically appointed ”.

Gender identity, gender expression and sexual orientation

There is a difference between identity, gender expression and sexual orientation. On the one hand, according to law 26 743 of Gender identity, is understood as such “the internal and individual experience of gender as each one feels it, which may or may not correspond to the sex assigned at the time of birth, including the personal experience of the body”.

On the other hand, the gender expression “It’s how we manifest our gender through our behavior and our appearance. It can be masculine, feminine, androgynous or any combination of the three, ”defines the United Nations. Finally, the sexual orientation refers to the physical or emotional attraction that a person may feel towards another (heterosexual, homosexual, bisexual and others) and has nothing to do with gender identity and expression.