Why were there no "non-binary" people at my college?

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

I'm asking this as a serious question. It's an interesting thing worth discussing.

I went to a liberal public university. There was a very large LGB student population (didn't know any actual trans people during my time there though). All sorts of gay groups and events. An yet not only did I not know any "non-binary" people, I never even heard of the concept while I was in college.

So why? It can't be conservative culture. I'm legitimately wondering now. Funny something from then is now confusing me when,back then I never even thought about it.

[🐒Gods of Prosperity🔱🐲💸]

We went to college ages ago, Red.  It's a whole different world now.

[The world will shine with light in our nightmare]

1. How do you know there were no non-binary people?
2. Trans people are a very small minority.
3. Your personal experiences don't negate the experiences of others.

[This account no longer in use.]

You are literally the only person who cares about this this much lmao

[RFayette]

Because how people classify themselves changes as we develop new categories and classifications for things?  I can't say much as I don't really know anything about the issue, but I doubt the term 'non-binary' even was in common use at that point in such a context. 

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

1. How do you know there were no non-binary people?

Because I never met anyone who claimed they weren't a man or woman or introduced themselves by saying "my pronouns are..."

[Lexii, harbinger of chaos and sexual anarchy]

1. How do you know there were no non-binary people?

Because I never met anyone who claimed they weren't a man or woman or introduced themselves by saying "my pronouns are..."

...

[Santander]

Because some people have a need to feel oppressed and invent new minority groups for themselves.

[7,052,770]

You probably just didn't realize it. Also "My pronouns are..." is a pretty new standardized greeting.

Same reason why old people didn't know any LGBTs when they were in college...they were there, but most people didn't realize it.

[Mr. Reactionary]

1. How do you know there were no non-binary people?

Because I never met anyone who claimed they weren't a man or woman or introduced themselves by saying "my pronouns are..."

Neither have I. Guess its a hoax.

[Associate Justice PiT]

Because how people classify themselves changes as we develop new categories and classifications for things?  I can't say much as I don't really know anything about the issue, but I doubt the term 'non-binary' even was in common use at that point in such a context. 

     I never heard the term while in college (granted Physics, but it's not like we locked ourselves in the building and never talked to anyone else). Near as I can tell it is something that has only really emerged in the last few years. So yeah, I doubt it was used much when BRTD went to college given that he is older.

[Grumpier Than Thou]

ITT: people who BRTD hasn't personally met aren't real

[Since I'm the mad scientist proclaimed by myself]

White Light BRTD YaBB God ★★★★★ Posts: 80000

Why were there no gay people at my college « on: Feburary 15, 1980, 5:21:15 pm » I'm asking this as a serious question. It's an interesting thing worth discussing. I went to a liberal public university. There was a very large African american student population. All sorts of groups and events. An yet not only did I not know any "gay" people, I never even heard of the concept while I was in college. So why? It can't be conservative culture. I'm legitimately wondering now. Funny something from then is now confusing me when,back then I never even thought about it.

[🐒Gods of Prosperity🔱🐲💸]

White Light BRTD YaBB God ★★★★★ Posts: 80000

Why were there no gay people at my college « on: Feburary 15, 1980, 5:21:15 pm » I'm asking this as a serious question. It's an interesting thing worth discussing. I went to a liberal public university. There was a very large African american student population. All sorts of groups and events. An yet not only did I not know any "gay" people, I never even heard of the concept while I was in college. So why? It can't be conservative culture. I'm legitimately wondering now. Funny something from then is now confusing me when,back then I never even thought about it.

That wouldn't have been true in 1980.   Or even in the 1950s.

[Famous Mortimer]

Where do you go to college? Minneapolis is like the trans capital of the world so it actually is very weird. Did you go years ago?

[Beet]

White Light BRTD YaBB God ★★★★★ Posts: 80000

Why were there no gay people at my college « on: Feburary 15, 1980, 5:21:15 pm » I'm asking this as a serious question. It's an interesting thing worth discussing. I went to a liberal public university. There was a very large African american student population. All sorts of groups and events. An yet not only did I not know any "gay" people, I never even heard of the concept while I was in college. So why? It can't be conservative culture. I'm legitimately wondering now. Funny something from then is now confusing me when,back then I never even thought about it.

That wouldn't have been true in 1980.   Or even in the 1950s.

Didn't Foucault write something to the effect that, there used to be no such thing as gay people, just people who had sex with the same sex? Gay identity is a social construct, just as non-binary people identity is, but there were people in 1980 and the 1950s who probably didn't strongly identify with their assigned gender. They would be called effeminate men or manly women, or gay.

[The world will shine with light in our nightmare]

White Light BRTD YaBB God ★★★★★ Posts: 80000

Why were there no gay people at my college « on: Feburary 15, 1980, 5:21:15 pm » I'm asking this as a serious question. It's an interesting thing worth discussing. I went to a liberal public university. There was a very large African american student population. All sorts of groups and events. An yet not only did I not know any "gay" people, I never even heard of the concept while I was in college. So why? It can't be conservative culture. I'm legitimately wondering now. Funny something from then is now confusing me when,back then I never even thought about it.

That wouldn't have been true in 1980.   Or even in the 1950s.

Didn't Foucault write something to the effect that, there used to be no such thing as gay people, just people who had sex with the same sex? Gay identity is a social construct, just as non-binary people identity is, but there were people in 1980 and the 1950s who probably didn't strongly identify with their assigned gender. They would be called effeminate men or manly women, or gay.

Yeah.

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

Where do you go to college? Minneapolis is like the trans capital of the world so it actually is very weird. Did you go years ago?

I went to Mankato. Graduated about ten years ago. While I,have met trans people in Minneapolis it's not a particularly significant number and greatly dwarfed by the number of LGB people.

[Santander]

Where do you go to college? Minneapolis is like the trans capital of the world so it actually is very weird. Did you go years ago?

I went to Mankato. Graduated about ten years ago. While I,have met trans people in Minneapolis it's not a particularly significant number and greatly dwarfed by the number of LGB people.

The Ts saw how politically successful the LGBs had become and hitched themselves to the wagon, despite not being the same thing.

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

White Light BRTD YaBB God ★★★★★ Posts: 80000

Why were there no gay people at my college « on: Feburary 15, 1980, 5:21:15 pm » I'm asking this as a serious question. It's an interesting thing worth discussing. I went to a liberal public university. There was a very large African american student population. All sorts of groups and events. An yet not only did I not know any "gay" people, I never even heard of the concept while I was in college. So why? It can't be conservative culture. I'm legitimately wondering now. Funny something from then is now confusing me when,back then I never even thought about it.

Uh my parents were in college in 1980 and have said they knew gay people then.

[Beet]

The monkier LGBT dates to the 1980s, long before LGBs were politically successful. What's more interesting is that it leads with L, one of the least controversial ones. If the acronym were ordered with the identities that have taken up the most space first, and the most culturally insignificant last, it would be GTLB. Since 2000, gays and transgenders, both of which are predominately biologically male, have been on the forefront of queer activism, whereas lesbians and bisexuals, who tend to be biologically female, have taken a backseat. This is a reversal from the 1990s, when Ellen DeGeneres was briefly the most visible homosexual activist, and Brandon Teena was briefly the most visible transgender activist.

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

I did not meet any non-binary people as an undergraduate, either, and pronoun protocol was not mentioned in even the most left-leaning circles at my liberal arts college. This would have been nearly a decade after BRTD's graduation.

Didn't you graduate like three years ago? Because a decade after my graduation isn't (quite) there yet.

[The Other Castro]

There are a few non-binary people that I know at my school, all of them chill.

[IceAgeComing]

people back in the nineties would have said the same thing about trans people (and maybe even bi people); yet you'd probably find it a bit silly for someone to say that.

My position on the whole non-binary thing is that it isn't my place really to doubt something like that as a cis person (partially because its not something that I have to deal with - also just that its really rather rude and crass to do that sort of thing really).  However crabcake made a point on AAD that I actually found quite interesting - regardless of what you think about the concept more broadly; what it does do is give people a concept that they can use to self-reflect and experiment with gender-related things without it being a binary choice between being a MAN or a WOMAN and that's actually a healthy thing: hopefully in the long term it makes the thought of transitioning less scary and more accessible for people which is good for the health of trans people.  Its kind of similar to how a lot of my gay friends identified as bisexual for a period before coming out as gay; they were always the latter but perhaps publicly coming out seemed like a huge step, while the former seemed easier (not suggesting here that all bi people are secretly gay of course - I am one who isn't).  Even if just for that regardless about whether you think that some of the things talked about are a little silly we ought to support it as an idea if it leads to something like that.

It also shows the sort of latent conservatism that can emerge when your views are fixed and don't change over time - sometimes this can actually be a good thing though; one of the reasons why my Dad is a socialist is actually for small-c conservative reasons: he looks at the options and services that he had as a kid that aren't available to my generation and feels that is wrong and that future generations should have the sane benefits (or more, actually) than he had as a kid. 

[Simfan34]

Jeez, can't you keep this on one site?