I recently came out as nonbinary to my parents. they promptly told me that nonbinary people are just making up something new to feel special. I feel like they would be the type to change their minds if presented with legitimate evidence. does anyone know of any good articles and resources from common or reputable sources I could use to prove that I exist to them
I am not sure of a specific reference, but the fact that non-binary people have existed in various cultures throughout time should be a pretty big clue. The whole "two genders" bull-hockey is a pretty modern concept, largely a result of colonialism.
Additionally to what I said above, I *do* know at least part of the reason why there is a lack of references in Europe. During World War 2 a massive repository of knowledge on the study of gender was deliberately burned. There are some very famous photos of the book burning. So the lack of information is the result of sabotage.
If your parents are fully invested in denying reality then nothing will "prove" reality to them, cognitive dissonance will obstruct their accepting reality. When you can just move out on your own. Don't worry about convincing them, just live your own life.
At the risk of pissing people off, there is a bit of truth in their perspective. For a significant number of folks who identify as nonbinary, it is essentially a part of their individuaton process as a teen, and they eventually figure that out and return to their gender assigned at birth. That said, many aboriginal cultures, worldwide, describe "two spirited" people, which are essentially non-bimary. I don't have any sources, but I'd look in the anthropological literature and also look at shamans and medicine healers, many of which transcend traditional gender roles.
I was just listening to someone talk about this on a podcast. In Tanzania, for example, they don't have the same concept of gender that we do, because the language doesn't distinguish between genders in the same way. A lot of the concept of gender is cultural, and sad to say, our culture here in the U.S. is pretty warped.
