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Challenging Tradition: What is non-conforming gender expression and why is it increasingly valued?
Gender expression, or gender presentation, refers to a person's behaviors, mannerisms, and appearance that are often socially associated with gender, either feminine or masculine. Gender expression can also be defined as the outward manifestation of a person's gender identity, expressed through behavior, clothing, hairstyle, voice, or physical characteristics. Often, a person's gender expression is thought of as being associated with masculinity and femininity, but an individual's gender expression can include a combination of masculine and feminine traits, or none of them. An individual's gender expression may or may not match the sex they were assigned at birth. This involves gender roles and relies on cultural stereotypes about gender. Gender expression is different from gender identity.
Gender expression often reflects a person's gender identity (how they feel about their gender), but this is not always the case. Gender expression is separate from sexual orientation and the sex assigned at birth.
Gender expression can vary widely between individuals and cultures and is often inconsistent with traditional gender roles or expectations. Some people may express their gender in ways that are usually associated with the opposite gender, such as men wearing skirts or women cutting their hair short and wearing masculine clothing. Others may prefer a gender-neutral or androgynous look, or choose to present themselves differently depending on the situation or context. Among men and boys, typical or masculine gender expression is often described as “manly,” while atypical or feminine expression is referred to as “effeminate.” Among women and young girls, atypical masculinity is called "tomboy". Among lesbians and queer women, masculine and feminine expressions are referred to as "butch" and "femme", respectively. A mixture of typical and atypical expressions can be described as "neutralization."
The term gender expression is used in the Jakarta Principles, which relate to the application of international human rights law in relation to sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression and sex characteristics. The term has also become a standard for human rights protection in some countries, including Canada.
While gender expression is not necessarily linked to sexual orientation, people often misinterpret lesbians as being more masculine and gay men as being more feminine, regardless of an individual's gender expression.
Misunderstandings about gender expression can sometimes lead to individuals facing discrimination. According to research by Stacey Horn, queer people who fail to express themselves as their assigned gender are often viewed as less conforming. Those who choose to express themselves consistently with their assigned gender generally face less social harassment and discrimination. On the other hand, heterosexual men who express themselves in a more feminine way suffer the most discrimination in society. Gender theorist Judith Butler's theory of the "heterosexual matrix" suggests that people often make assumptions about someone's sexual orientation based on their visible sex and gender. This explains why people tend to make assumptions about someone’s gender expression based on their sex and sexual orientation.
Additionally, many people experience discrimination because of their gender expression. These victims often culturally express a gender that is different from their gender identity or biological sex. Discrimination based on gender expression can be independent of sexual orientation and can lead to bullying, childhood abuse, sexual assault, discrimination, and a variety of other traumatic adversities. Scholars note that the link between anti-LGBTQ discrimination and gender expression is particularly difficult to disentangle when someone's expression is inconsistent with their assigned gender.
In health care, research shows that people with non-conforming gender expressions often experience bias when receiving care. For example, lesbians who are comfortable with femininity may feel more comfortable in medical spaces, while those whose expressions do not conform to the assigned gender may feel uncomfortable.
Gender expression is an important aspect of how an individual sees themselves and therefore will affect one's self-confidence. When individuals are forced by personal or social influences to behave in ways that are inconsistent with their self-identity, self-confidence can take a serious hit, which in turn harms psychological health. A 2017 study reported that when lesbians who present as masculine are forced to dress in feminine clothing, their self-confidence suffers.
As society's awareness and respect for gender diversity increases, the phenomenon of gender non-conforming expression is receiving more and more attention. This is not only freedom of personal expression, but also equality of human rights. Social inclusiveness allows everyone to not be bound by the traditional restrictive framework of society. So, in such a cultural context, how should everyone rethink and understand the meaning of gender?
