The Yarn

Breaking the Binaries: Gender

Listen on

Episode notes

The moral panic about gender has been dominating conservative headlines lately, but gender nonconformity is nothing new.  

 

The Hijra people of South Asia have been recognised as an additional gender for centuries, as have the Faʻafafine of Samoa, and the Femminielli of southern Italy.  

 

This week, we’re bringing you three stories about people challenging gender norms just as they’ve always done. Stories about being gender diverse, as well as people rebelling against their expected gender roles.  

 

It’s the fourth episode of Breaking the Binaries, a series about the intersections that blend, blur, or break society’s binary codes. 

 

These stories were produced in collaboration with All the Best mentors for the Science Gallery’s new show, an immersive exhibition about breaking binaries which is open now.  

 

Reporting by Xin Meng, Qinyuan Zhang, and Yinuo Jiang.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.