Gender, more specifically the expression, rights, and “definition” of it has been one of the biggest civil and social debates, more specifically in the United States of America, for the past dozen or so years.

For the general masses usually, there isn’t much to explore, you are born as a specific sex and that reflects your gender, this is often referred to as “Cisgender.”

For a small portion of the population this is not the way it is, instead the sex they are born as conflicts with the gender they identify. Someone who experiences this would typically identify as Transgender, and the confliction is labelled as gender dysphoria.

Now some people who identify as Transgender may be born as a male and identify as a female or be born as a female and identify as a male. In both cases said individual will usually undergo treatment which includes hormone therapy, gender reassignment surgery, and therapy.

The rights of Transgender individuals has been under much scrutinization for years, with dozens of groups looking to either fight or advocate for the rights of those struggling with such issues, or those who are against it claiming it is unnatural and supporting such actions promotes a myriad of awful actions.

Obviously, the people against the rights of Transgender individuals are, not in the right. There is one “third” route in being Transgender, and that is those who identify as Non-Binary.

Not necessarily identifying as either male or female, but instead identifying as something outside the gender binary. Now these people may seek gender reassignment surgeries or hormones, often to reduce breast size, change their voice, or to just appear more in line with how they feel there gender is.

Non-Binary individuals are talked about often, but more in the sense of pronouns and gender-neutral terms, but it is a lot more than that.

Representation in media of said individuals is almost non-existent with a lot of people who identify as Non-Binary, including myself, often finding themselves identifying with more alien like creatures in fiction.

This shouldn’t be the standard though, a huge issue amongst the Transgender community is the suicide due to the extreme challenges they face on a daily basis, with sources stating that 48% of Transgender adults having made one or more attempts in their lifetime.

As a community, and the voices of America, we have to start changing this number, as an individual offering an ear, support, or even help to those who do experience gender dysphoria can make such a big difference in their life.