Challenging the Gender Binary within Efforts to Support System-Involved Youth

Kelsey Pacha

Training Description

What is the gender binary, exactly? As transgender, nonbinary, & gender fluid people become more visible in pop culture and media, many people hear the term “gender binary” without having a nuanced understanding of how rigid cultural expectations around gender impact not just LGBTQ system involved youth, but all people. This training session explores the meaning of the term “gender binary” and invites participants to identify specific ways the binary impacts all system-involved youth, individually and systemically. Participants will work in small groups to generate three ways they can interrupt the gender binary within their efforts to support system involved youth.

Learning Objective

1. Participants will be able to explain the gender binary and identify at least 2 gender expectations.

2. Participants will be able to identify five ways binary gender expectations impact system-involved youth.