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Introduction

Gender is an illusion that has made its way into reality though language. Society has created the notion of the gender binary: male or female. We perform gender through our sex identity, but what if the sex identity you were born with doesn’t align with the appropriate gender? A problem arises: the binary is disrupted, and thus you’re perceived as abnormal. Language is the essence for the negative views upon those who fall outside the binary. Male is to female, as black is to white. There’s one key element missing though- the array of sexualities and colors blocked out due to society’s love of dyadic expressions.

Language and gender have numerous similarities. They’re similar in a way that they’re both expressive. We perform gender through language, as a result of being born either “male” or “female”. The language used to define gender/sexuality is constraining to those whom identify themselves under the LGBT category. Gender is embedded so thoroughly in our institution, our actions, our beliefs, and our desires, that it appears to us to completely natural.

Have you heard the expression: “it’s not what you say, but how you say it”? Many individuals say that homosexuality is wrong, can be fixed, and isn’t normal. The intention behind utterances such as these have negative connotations attached to them, which perpetuates the notion of heterosexuality as normal and maltreats homosexuality. It affects everyone in some aspect, and it’s only until everyone starts thinking outside the box when language, being dynamic, will make the idea of gender more fluid and acceptable.

Language is the basis for the gender binary system. The dichotomous vocabulary that society has implanted on sex and gender doesn’t allow for individuals who fall outside the binary to fully express themselves comfortably. Individuals who fall under the LGBT label are considered deviant, when really they are just like any other person walking on Earth. The binary system needs to be deconstructed, re-defined, and re-established because it’s only the root of the problem.

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