Home Institution
Smith College
Publication Date
Fall 2019
Abstract
This project examines butch and crossdresser communities in Northern Europe in the late 20th century, and their transformation into the non-binary movement of the last ten years. This research investigates the recent trajectory of gender-diverse communities and evaluates the role of the non-binary moment in the history of gender-diverse people in the Western world. Findings come from interviews with Dutch individuals who identify as non-binary, genderqueer, or otherwise outside of the gender binary, as well as periodicals and other materials related to crossdresser and butch identities from the IHLIA LGBT Heritage Archives and the Atria Institute. This study demonstrates that the non-binary movement represents a significant shift in communities of gender variance and an opening for gender liberation. While butch and crossdresser communities transgress binaries in important ways, the non-binary identity allows gender-diverse people in the Western world, for the first time in centuries, to have the freedom to imagine their identities beyond the categories of male and female.
Disciplines
Dutch Studies | Gender and Sexuality | History of Gender | Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Studies | Politics and Social Change | Social and Cultural Anthropology
Recommended Citation
Karp, Sky, "The Future is Non-Binary: Investigating the Genesis of the Non-Binary Movement in Amsterdam and Beyond" (2019). Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection. 3213.
https://digitalcollections.sit.edu/isp_collection/3213
Included in
Dutch Studies Commons, Gender and Sexuality Commons, History of Gender Commons, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Studies Commons, Politics and Social Change Commons, Social and Cultural Anthropology Commons
Program Name
Netherlands: International Perspectives on Sexuality and Gender