Beyond the Binary to educate students on non-binary gender identification

September 26, 2017

Sarah Bubke

[email protected]

The LGBT Resource Center will host Beyond the Binary on Sept. 28 at 6 p.m. in UC 302.

     A panel of non-binary students and community members will share their stories and take audience questions at the event hosted by Nico Wilkinson, a spoken-word poet who identifies as non-binary.

    According to Jazmin Munoz, education outreach coordinator for the LGBT Resource Center, the center will host the event because they feel that many people people on campus are unaware of the issues those who identify as non-binary face.

    “We really wanted to shed some light on the non-binary community and allow students and community members who identify as non-binary to share their stories and experiences,” said Munoz, a senior communication and WEST major.

    The event is the first of its kind at UCCS that educates students about people who don’t identify along the gender binary, which classifies sex and gender into two distance, opposite forms of masculinity and femininity.

    Those who identify as non-binary do not identify with the gender binary as masculine or feminine. According to Munoz, there is a lot of misinformation on those who identify as non-binary.

    “We have held panel discussions before, but this is the first time around this topic, which I am really excited about,” said Munoz.

    “This topic just hasn’t been touched on a lot on our campus. We haven’t had a lot of events on it. It’s important to shed light to those marginalized groups that are kind of left in the shadows a lot of the time.”

    Munoz believes that this event will be beneficial to the campus.

    “I feel that students, staff, and faculty will benefit from the knowledge that they gain from the event,” she said.

    “It’s important to be aware of everyone’s experiences. Understand that there is more than just one way to be in this world, and this event will be a great way to show that.”

   For more information on Beyond the Binary, visit the MOSAIC office in UC 110, or email [email protected].