In the article Generation LGBTQIA(1), Santiago Cortes, a student at Penn University, says, “Why do only certain letters get to be in the full acronym? We have our lesbians, our gays, bisexual, transsexual, queer, homosexual, asexual. Pansexual. Omnisexual. Trisexual. Agender. Bi-gender. Third-gender. Transgender. Transvestite. Intersexual. Two-spirit. Hijra. Polyamorous. Undecided. Questioning. Other. Human.”

The wonderful thing about human beings is the diversity. There are so many different people with varying backgrounds, skills, and experiences. All of these things make up our identity. Identities are like snowflakes: all different, and always changing as we discover ourselves. And, just like the complex crystal structure of a floating flake of frozen water, there are many different facets of who you are. Some aspects of one's identity may be really important to them, but not to someone else. When I think about myself, I think redhead, geek, vegan, dancer, kpop fan, bookworm, and many more. But everybody is different.

Gender is just another aspect of your identity, just like your favorite ice-cream flavor. Gender is learned behaviour that society considers appropriate(2). It is a societal construct that separates people into two groups and ostracises those who don’t fit, all based on something they have no control over. The identity of a human is far too complex to fit into any boxes, let alone just 2. Thus, it shouldn’t be a defining feature of somebody. Without the strong emphasis on gender and gender roles, there would be less gender discrimination. People wouldn’t have to worry about coming out as trans, non-binary, genderqueer, etc. because it wouldn't change someone's entire view of who you are. Why is gender such a big deciding factor in everything? Our lives and our characters should be defined by how we live and express ourselves, not the box we came in. Do we not have more pressing matters to deal with than how people sort themselves into the restroom?

(1)Schulman, Michael. “Generation LGBTQIA.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 9 Jan. 2013, www.nytimes.com/2013/01/10/fashion/generation-lgbtqia.html.

(2)Bindel, Julie, and Oliver James. “How Important Is Gender?” The Guardian, Guardian News and Media, 26 May 2011, www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2011/may/26/how-important-is-gender.