Non binary children

[ArabellaScott]

I realised I haven't actually heard of such a thing as a non binary child before. I'm talking specifically about pre pubertal children.

How does a 'non binary' child present? What does it involve?

How is a 'non binary' child different from a 'trans' child?

For me though that reasoning is still a nod to gender stereotyping and image; why can't women wear a men's t shirt?

And it is still an issue to use the label as the child grows up .

The reasons women wear clothes designed for men are very different to the reasons men would wear clothes designed for women.

It's less of an issue pre puberty as children's bodies have the same shape between the sexes. The differences are entirely based on styles designed for girls and boys, bar underpants. (Older boys jeans and trousers may be slightly deeper in the seat.)

Calling one particular child a "non-binary boy/girl" does rather imply that the person using such labels thinks that other boys/girls are "binary" and that their child is somehow importantly different to those "binary" boys and girls. Rather than just seeing all children as individuals with their own personalities, some of which will include children who don't conform to cultural sex-based stereotypes in various different ways.

Oh, I don't see much positive value in it either.

But at least as soon as you say "non-binary boy (girl/etc)" you puncture the mysterious aura you get from refusing to state your / your child's sex at all.

Calling one particular child a "non-binary boy/girl" does rather imply that the person using such labels thinks that other boys/girls are "binary" and that their child is somehow importantly different to those "binary" boys and girls.

Well yes, it does imply that, doesn't it? So they'd rather project it onto the child. Not "I will sound like a bit of a tit" but "my child will be so-o-o upset if we say what sex they are".

I think it's the same as calling anyone who's not called themselves trans/ queer/ non binary etc "cis" as fedup says.

Aside its route to surgery and hormones.

There are many girls and boys not conforming to stereotypes who aren't also calling themselves non binary.

As such doesn't really 'mean' anything concrete either. But gives a 'special status' in popular culture.

My younger brother wore our hand-me-down blouses with giant collars! I got mistaken for a boy all the time, even though my hair was long. Maybe BECAUSE my hair was long, ha! I wore navy cords, anoraks, plain T-shirts, shorts etc (once my aunt finally stopped sending the hideous handmade crimpolene dresses, previously worn by my cousin!)

My sister and I played with Lego that was not fecking pink. We built dens and sent action man abseiling over the bannister. Our brother had a pram in which he wheeled his collection of teddies and dolls. We all played with all the toys. Dolls' houses, Sindy's, tea sets, cars, mecanno, Lego, car dashboard, Evel Knievel. Nowadays at least one of us would probably wonder if they were non binary, simply because that concept was placed in our heads. By adults.

This is my childhood in one post

And yes, the non-binary thing is just a lot of shite and only works if in the first place you accept that only girls have long hair, only boys wear blue, only girls play with dolls, etc.

That's only true of older adults. Young children can easily tell the sex of their peers, whatever they are wearing. This ability gradually reduces, but teens and young adults are still pretty good at it. There's some research on this, with experiments using cross-dressed babies among other things, but I can't find it ATM. Maybe someone else knows.

Exactly. The message they must be passing to their children is that boys must be masculine, like ‘boy’s things’, have short hair and wear ‘boy clothes’, likewise for girls but girls stuff/feminine. Thus when a girl is a tomboy or a boy is feminine or likes ‘girls things’, either the child themselves deduces they must not be a real boy/girl, or their parents rush in excitedly and ‘explain’ and put the NB label on them.

The NB label is good, you see. You can dress up in rainbows, do stupid poses with your hand under your chin - and totally control adults and children in your vicinity, who now have to tiptoe around you in case you allege ‘transphobia’. See the attention, feel the power!