Beyond the Binary
Playlist and Article by: Gunakkshi Garg
[T/W: Hate speech, queerphobia, self harm]
What does the word “genderqueer” mean? It is used to describe a gender identity that is fluid, changing, or exists between the binary categories of man and woman. A queer gender identity may fall outside of, fall in between, or fluctuate among the binary gender categories of man and woman.
One incident comes starkly to my mind, which inspired me to create this playlist in the first place: that of a 16-year old queer Indian boy from Ujjain, Pranshu. He was an extremely talented content creator, and also expressed himself through traditionally feminine attire and makeup: creating gorgeous looks and admirable outfits. His page is still up:
https://www.instagram.com/glamitupwithpranshu/
India is known for its widespread conservative ideals of masculinity, which have soured and poisoned the minds of children and adults alike. The comment sections of his posts were flooded with hate by conservative people who simply had nothing better to do than to attack a young boy living his life. On 21st November, 2023, Pranshu took his own life: but the hate didn’t stop. His page gained more traction and the comments were a confusing muddle of love and hate: which one can still see on his page.
Our society is patriarchal: its basis is formed by the binary, the man and the woman. However, this division is often reductive of the vast differences prevalent in our society. Its reductive nature leads to exclusion of non-binary, transgender, genderfluid and other genderqueer individuals. An astounding amount of hatred is perpetrated towards these people, because they threaten the binary that has been accepted as the norm. People find themselves confused and angered because these identities are based on the ousting of their “truths”. This malice finds its roots in ignorance, a lack of understanding what genderqueer people truly are and what they stand for. A regretful consequence is the isolation of genderqueer people, or in its contrast, an uncomfortable invasion of their privacy.
“My identity isn’t enough for you? I’m not trying to tell you what to do. Respect isn’t so hard.”
-“Chaotic Gender Neutral” (on the playlist)
As articulated above, the respect of genderqueer identities and rights is wrongfully viewed as an encroachment on normative identities and rights. A culture of respect cannot be created without thorough understanding of one another, which is what this playlist aims to do. The playlist includes songs like “Body” by Mother Mother, which speak to the frustration of being genderqueer, to “Wife Pleaser” by Jeffrey Eli, which celebrates the identity in a refreshingly snarky manner. For genderqueer individuals, I hope this playlist serves as a haven of songs that exude understanding and pride. For the rest, it is designed to be an exposure to being genderqueer.
For the cover, I used variations of colours from the genderqueer flag and decided to keep it simple and true to its purpose.
As always, I hope you enjoy the journey: beat by beat, heartbeat by heartbeat.
