True Gender Equality - From the Desk of an Agender

Let's talk about cis sexism.

In any given situation, everywhere we look, we see campaigns to bring men and women on an equal footing. In all this, people fail to realise that there are people who aren't exactly 'male' or 'female' per se. They are left behind, while feminism takes centre stage and heteronormativity remains the norm.

I am an agender person, out and proud since the month of November. In case you don't know, an agender is someone. someone who doesn't identify as any gender. But I have seen, heard and experienced things in daily life, be they small lowkey things or blatant discrimination, that have made me want to pounce right back into the closet never to emerge from it again.

The same girl who claims to be 'all for equality' has passed me a snarky comment about my seemingly confusing gender (I don't understand how a lack of gender is confusing, I mean, even kids as young as 5 understand this concept).

"You just wants attention" (Seriously, it's not a choice)

"You're afraid of the patriarchy, aren't you?" (Cissexism is much more scary)

"Why are you agender?" (It's not. a. choice! I never would've voluntarily made this choice!)

Know what? Most campaigns for equality (safe to say all) are rather cisnormative. Even LGBTQ pride stuff usually cater to the gender binary most of the time, like, trans people are more prominent than genderqueer people. People talk of equality in a heteronormative sense.

Let's talk about gender as a spectrum, not as a binary.

Let's talk about all genders, not both.

Let's talk about true gender equality.

~Madhura Sen