Redoing Gender: How Nonbinary Gender Contributes Toward Social Change

by Helana Darwin

Redoing Gender demonstrates how difficult it is to be anything other than a man or a woman in a society that selectively acknowledges those two genders. Gender nonbinary people—who identify as other genders besides simply “man” or “woman”—have begun to disrupt this binary system, but the limited progress they have made has required significant everyday labor. Through interviews with 47 nonbinary people, this bookoffers rich description of these forms of labor, including “rethinking sex and gender,” “resignifying gender,” “redoing relationships,” and “resisting erasure.” The final chapter interrogates the lasting impact of this labor through follow-up interviews with participants four years later. Although nonbinary people are finally managing to achieve some recognition, it is clear that this change has not happened without a fight that continues to this day.

The diverse experiences of nonbinary people in this book will help cisgender people relate to gender minorities with more compassion, and may also appeal to those questioning their own gender. This text will also be of keen interest to academics across Sociology and Gender Studies.

Genres: Queer, LGBT

233 pages, Kindle Edition

Published January 11, 2022

Reviews

[Rafael Matias Langer-Osuna]

Through this book and her many interviews, Helana Darwin articulates some very core features of the non-binary experience. I have actively recommended this book to school administrators, Human Resources professionals, and others who are responsible for or interested in making environments more welcoming for non-binary folks.

[Pauline]

Interesting, but didn't have as much as I had hoped for on how individuals come to the conclusion that they are nonbinary. Maybe the answer is just that it "feels right" to them, in a way that an identity as man or woman did not. But I had hoped for something more about what feels right about it (or felt wrong about the binary options).

[Gabrielle Fourstar]

I identified as non-binary before I read this book, but the stories shared in here made me think differently

[Nancy Salkeld]

A very good book for cisgenders (heterosexuals) to read and educate themselves, especially in the present political/cultural climate, on gender diversity, particularly non-binary gender. It is the published book form of the author’s dissertation and study of people who identify as non-binary.