Gender Expansive, Diversity Inclusive Reproductive Terms Glossary: Introduction

I?have devised a list upon request, of gender expansive, diversity inclusive reproductive verbiage, which I?have hesitated to share for some time now. It is certainly not because I?do not think it is necessary or valuable; to the contrary, my concern is that it is so crucial and critical that its promotion will be twisted to further target those of us made vulnerable through the marginalized systems that deny us all basic humane recognition even in a lingual manner. Here is the thing about gender inclusive vocabulary: its entire purpose is to make sure that everyone who COULD possibly need help feels comfortable and welcome seeking clinical help within the systems that previously have excluded and targeted them with prejudice attitudes and discriminative behaviors. How can anyone then justify being averse- worse yet, downright hostile- to vocabulary that expands the amount of people who could benefit from advocacy and care, simply because it includes those who have becomes accustomed to unmerited privilege, preference, or power in a way that decanters a hierarchy that crushes those on each digressive rung??

People who consider themselves progressive are quick and willing to accept patriarchal whyte supremacy as a source of this bane, however, as an AFAB born person I?find another group potentially even more likely to be openly hostile to making an imaginary pie of rights they insist on fighting on big enough to serve all of us: cis evangelicals and Whyte feminists. These iterations of the second rung of the colonial hierarchy hold up the first, and they do it with the full intention of becoming the first as soon as the opportunity presents itself. Which is why they make themselves the enemy of these necessary progressive changes: they aren’t interested in eliminating patriarchy so much as replacing it. Nowhere does that show more shamelessly than it does in conversations about gender expansive language. Whyte feminism is a very successful fraud, and all who consume it have the false pretense of not dismantling hierarchy and exclusionary power differentiated systems, but instead shifting power from the current patriarchal tradition into one that is more within cis, AFAB control. The issue with this is not that cis AFAB women should have power; they absolutely should, and more over themselves than historically the system has had, unforgivingly, over them. The issue is that, without dismantling the indoctrination that they have themselves absorbed while attempting to survive a system meant to oppress them, they have drunk the Koolaid, believing that rather than dismantling the marginalizing hierarchy that exists, that it should continue and they should merely replace white men by being in charge of and control of it (and consequently all the rest of us who they have been taught are less valuable than they are to colonial society and its capitalist idols). ?

This is of no help to anyone, least of all Black, queer, disabled, historically exploited and presently still targeted populations. It is actually, at present an equal threat to the patriarchal enemy so many of them claim we share.?

Language is one of the most powerful means of combatting these mindsets, from the ground up, as well as affirming what people consent to be seen, heard, called, and respected as, pertaining to their own identities, which is why I?have decided it is overdue that I?begin sharing and breaking down each substitution for terms here.?

One of the things I do as a research advisor and health equity analyst is consult with companies and health care organizations on the ways they are still upholding oppressive mindsets, and what are the simplest and most powerful ways to dismantle them.?

I have for years now very assertively made those changes while simply editing the verbiage on projects that involve advocacy for marginalized populations who are the most at risk for continuing to uphold white supremacist, colonial beliefs that are driving genocidal outcomes in the reproductive health field.?

I have been asked repeatedly if I would be willing to publicly share some of the terms I very openly correct and promote and I have been hesitant for two reasons:?

1. Afro Indigenous non-masc folx are routinely robbed of credit for our contributions, particularly intellectual property. Putting this on the internet means I risk losing attributions that culture vultures of Colonial backgrounds will try to profit from, when these terms are not only critical to my career that I have built with my bare hands, but to my survival as a genderqueer birth-abled person myself. That prospect is embittering.?
2. I will make myself an open target for trolls who refuse to accept that their capacity to use traditional, colonial gender specific terminology on THEMSELVES is totally divergent from the need to incorporate inclusive, generalized verbiage which does not exclude those who aren’t like themselves, from getting care they desperately need. My patience for those who elevate their own personal prideful self-perception preferences above the needs of the health of the collective is…non-existent.?

Never the less, after some prodding by colleagues I value deeply and respect, I have decided to release his guide. I will add to it periodically. You all are welcome to take it wherever it is most needed; just always remember where you get these ideas from. It is fine for us to share attributions for collective intellectual progress; just make sure if you see colonizers Christopher Colombusing terms that are born out of experiences they have never had, and terminology they know they did not originate, that you call them on it.?Using and promoting it on the other hands with credit to those of us who have devised them as a respectful way to improve marginalized experiences is the best choice, and I hope everyone will make it.

I will be doing short discussions in subsequent articles, one at a time, breaking down the rationale behind the vocabulary substation in each slide, but bear in mind: all clinical care should be community focused and patient centered. This is a general guide to dethrone cis-hetero, gender dimorphic, sexually essentialist language -consciously- so as to make progress beyond the apparent damage of a colonized medical reproductive field. This guide serves as a baseline to prioritize change from the ground up, one conversation at a time; it is NOT a substitute for individual patients or community cohorts direct feedback and sovereignty to self-define. Go into your care situations with the assumption that your patients always know more about their identities and the associated experiences they've endured because of them than you ever will. There will be plenty of patients who want to hear the traditional terms and you do not need to stop them, but it is your job to set the tone upfront and rewrite the defaults from cis heteronormativity in medical colonial paradigms, to one of curious, compassionate, knowledge increased clinical habits.