International Non-Binary People’s Day is July 14^th, halfway mark between International Women’s Day (March 8th) and International Men’s Day (November 19th). However, being non-binary doesn’t necessarily mean identifying “between” being a man and being a woman.

Strictly speaking, the term “non-binary” refers to people whose genders are outside of the binary of “man” and “woman,” and among non-binary people, there is a diverse array of gender identities and expressions. Some non-binary people do have gender identities and expressions that are “between” or “in the middle” of the man/woman or masculine/feminine binary, while some may be both at once, some may be neither, and some may have a fluid or dynamic gender. Some non-binary people also identify as transgender, and some do not. Some non-binary people may also identify with one of the two binary genders (e.g. a non-binary woman). ​​​​​​​

Across time and across cultures, gender and our understanding of it has varied broadly. The misconception that there are only two genders, and that gender is determined solely by biological sex, is limited at best. Many people with culturally-specific gender identities do not refer to themselves as “non-binary,” because the gender binary itself is a product of colonialism.

To learn more:

• Check out PBS’s map: A Map of Gender-Diverse Cultures (that this list is not exhaustive)
• Check out the Human Rights Campaign’s Breaking Binaries