Gender Binary

The gender binary is a term used to describe the idea that there are only two possible genders, man and woman, which can be assigned on the basis of genitalia. This system often also enforces masculinity for men and femininity for women through gender roles and socially-imposed restrictions to gender expression and sex characteristics.

Although many people consider the gender binary to be an accurate description of gender, there are many who identify as genders outside of male and female, which are referred to as non-binary. Additional genders have a long history in some non-Western cultures. However, in cultures which follow the gender binary, non-binary people are often systematically excluded. This exclusion may also extend to people who identify as transgender men or women, for failing to have a gender identity which matches their assigned sex. Whilst there is evidence to support this theory, there has not been enough cases backed by scientific evidence; there are currently no credible peer-reviewed studies (as in, published in an actual and accredited scientific journal) that have managed to provide any substantial evidence for claims that gender is primarily a social construct.

The argument that it is has also come under fire due to one of the original sources of the argument that Gender is a social construct - a man named John Money, who applied this concept to one David Reimer, who was born male but raised female under Money's advice and subjected to demeaning, often overtly sexual practices at a young age. Money believed that gender identity was determined by environment and upbringing as well as biology, and thus could be changed in the first few years of a person’s life. He promoted genital surgery to make intersex infants look more “normal” and social conditioning to alter their gender belief systems. Money persuaded Reimer’s parents to turn him into a girl, and so David underwent a radical sex-change procedure. He was given female hormones and psychologically trained into believing he was a girl named Brenda. Despite the experiment initially being hailed as a success, the truth would soon become known soonafter; despite Money's assurances that all was well, Reimer suffered intensely as a result of Money's experiment, failing to adopt a female gender identity, undergoing constant torment at school, and dealing with the truth of what actually happened to him after graduating. Reimer eventually rejected Money's work entirely via surgery and testosterone therapy. He spent the rest of his life hosting several documentaries attempting to save other children from John Money's work before committing suicide at the age of 38. When this occurred and the true nature of Money's experiment became known, he was quickly criticized in scientific circles and became a pariah, all whilst refusing to acknowledge any wrongdoing. Money's work with gender has been likened to experiments by Josef Mengele.

Despite criticism from the media, psychologists, scholars and other members of the medical community about the Reimer case, Money refused to alter his gender identity theories. “I don’t mind being wrong a few times because I’m right most of the time,” Money said.