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In The Den with Mama Dragons
You're navigating parenting an LGBTQ+ child without a manual and knowing what to do and what to say isn't always easy. Each week we’ll visit with other parents of queer kids, talk with members of the LGBTQ+ community, learn from experts, and together explore ways to better parent our LGBTQ+ children. Join with us as we walk and talk with you through this journey of raising healthy, happy, and productive LGBTQ+ humans.
In The Den with Mama Dragons
Words With Friends 15
Words with Friends episodes are bonus episodes where different members of Mama Dragons provide definitions for LGBTQ related topics. This episode includes the following definitions:
Gender Binary shared by Jess in North Carolina
Gender Expansive shared by Julie in Snohomish, Washington
Gender Expression shared by Marie, formerly in Texas
Gender Queer shared by Kate in Melbourne, Australia
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Words with Friends 15
JEN: Hello and welcome to In The Den with Mama Dragons. I’m your host, Jen. This podcast was created to walk and talk with you through this journey of raising happy, healthy, and productive LGBTQ humans. Thanks for listening. We’re glad you’re here.
For many parents, learning they have an LGBTQ child also means they have a whole new vocabulary to learn. So we’re here to give you an introduction to potential new vocabulary a few words at a time. These definitions won’t teach you everything there is to know about these new words. But they will give you a foundation upon which to build your future learning. And remember, this is an area where vocabulary is changing rapidly. We invite you to enjoy how our language changes as our understanding grows.
Gender Binary shared by Jess in North Carolina
Gender binary is a system that classifies sex and gender as a pair of opposites. Within the gender binary system, all of the human population fits into one of two genders: man or woman. The gender binary gives the false idea that there are only these two genders and that every single person has to identify as one or the other. The gender binary perpetuates norms that can be harmful emotionally, psychologically, and physically. Humanity exists on a spectrum, and to insist that everyone has to fit into one of two boxes is just not in line with the reality of the intricate and complex human experience.
Gender Expansive shared by Julie in Snohomish, Washington
Gender expansive refers to someone whose gender identity and/or gender expression expands beyond, actively resists, and/or does not conform to the current cultural or social expectations of gender, particularly in relation to male or female. The term “gender-expansive” came out of a 2012 Human Rights campaign survey that attempted to classify youth who did not identify with traditional gender roles but were otherwise not confined to one gender narrative or experience. The term gender expansive allows us to talk about youth who don’t meet our “traditional” understandings of gender without putting their identity in a box.
Gender Expression shared by Marie, formerly in Texas
Gender expression is how a person publicly expresses or presents their gender. This can include behavior and outward appearance such as dress, hair, make-up, body language and voice. A person’s chosen name and pronouns are also common ways of expressing gender. Society identifies these cues as masculine or feminine, although what is considered masculine or feminine changes over time and varies by culture. Others perceive a person’s gender through these attributes, although a person’s gender may not always be reflected in their gender expression for different reasons. It’s also important to note here that a person’s gender identity is fundamentally different from, and not related to, their sexual orientation.
Gender Queer shared by Kate in Melbourne, Australia
The term genderqueer means someone who does not follow binary gender norms. They may be non-binary, agender, pangender, genderfluid, or another gender identity. People have used the term since the 1990s. It started in activist circles where people were looking for words to describe those who confronted the gender binary and were pushing the boundaries of gender. At first, trans people used genderqueer as a political identity to identify themselves as being politically active in the fight for trans rights. In 1995, the term genderqueer first appeared in print, and soon after, the internet helped to popularize it. People now use it to describe all sorts of gender identities that don't fall into the male and female binary.
JEN: Thanks for joining us here In the Den. If you enjoyed this episode, please tell your friends, and take a minute to leave a positive rating or review wherever you listen. Good reviews make us more visible and help us reach more folks who could benefit from listening. And if you’d like to help Mama Dragons in our mission to support, educate, and empower the parents of LGBTQ children, please donate at mamadragons.org or click the donate link in the show notes. For more information on Mama Dragons and the podcast, you can follow us on Instagram or Facebook or visit our website at mamadragons.org.
