Indya Moore points out that the gender binary is fiction and we’ve all been non-binary all along
Non-binary actor Indya Moore at World Pride in New York, 2019. (Erin Lefevre/NurPhoto via Getty)
American actor and model Indya Moore has called out the fiction of the gender binary in a viral tweet.
The 24-year-old, best known for their role playing Angel Evangelista on FX Television’s series, Pose, was named one of the most influential people in the world by Time magazine this year.
“I just realised all identity is naturally non-binary,” Moore tweeted on December 10. “No one is any one thing. Everyone is a compilation of multiple layers. The gag: We all been NB all this time and didn’t even know it.”
I just realized all identity is naturally non binary. noone is any one thing. Everyone is a compilation of multiple layers. the gag. We all been NB all this time and didn't even know it.
— Love Trans People (@IndyaMoore) December 10, 2019
In replies to the tweet, many people pointed out that gender isn’t black and white, and that society likes to put people into neat boxes “for simplicity” but that this doesn’t reflect the nuances of life.
“Only computers are binary,” one Twitter user replied.
I would say, based on my experience with my kids, we all start out agender. The older I get, the more it feels like gender is a constant state of becoming. But perhaps I *would* think that because I now identify as genderfluid?— Make your Hanukkah/Yuletide/Kwanzaa GAY! (@AnooshInTheSun) December 10, 2019
Other people were quick to point out the difference between a person’s gender and the pronouns they use.
“I’ve posed this with a few NB people I’ve met. They were so quick to label me cis because I don’t identify as ‘they’ but we all have a variance from gender norms/identity that leads some to prefer a different pronoun and others to say they’re just themselves,” one person commented.
pic.twitter.com/AJqpBWnadm
— Christine McNichol (@Fieryreddragon) December 10, 2019
Indya Moore also went viral earlier this year after they tweeted that transgender women’s penises are “biologically female”.
They wrote on February 17 that “if a woman has a penis, her penis is a biologically female penis”.
They added: “A biologically female penis is a non-artificial penis (eg: dildo, vibrator,) that is part of a biological (human) woman’s body,” before explaining the difference between genitalia and gender identity.”
Pose and its stars have been nominated for three Critics Choice awards – best drama series, Billy Porter for best actor in a drama series and MJ Rodriguez for best actress in a drama series.
