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gender binary

[ jen-der bahy-nuh-ree, ‐ner-ee ]

noun

  1. a classification system consisting of two genders, male and female.
  2. a concept or belief that there are only two genders and that one's sex or gender assigned at birth will align with traditional social constructs of masculine and feminine identity, expression, and sexuality. ​


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Word History and Origins

Origin of gender binary1

First recorded in 1980–90
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Example Sentences

Meanwhile, the label “nonbinary” is often used by those “who do not subscribe to the gender binary,” according to the organization’s glossary.

"And certainly in the circles that I've been in... there is more acceptance and openness, and people are more comfortable expressing themselves in things outside the gender binary."

From BBC

In this room full of transgender people, the weight of a gender binary disappears.

For Trump and the GOP, trans people are at best a convenient culture-war scapegoat, while others in the party seem to genuinely feel disgust for anyone who doesn’t conform to their idea of the gender binary.

From Slate

If that weren’t bad enough, these bills moreover explicitly grant power to the state government to create and enforce policies that would discriminate against trans people regarding their use of locker rooms, use of bathrooms, prison placement, participation in sports, and being anywhere that might enforce a gender binary.

From Slate

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