This week I watched Ivan Coyote’s “Why We Need Gender-Neutral Bathrooms” TED Talk. I don’t watch a lot of TED Talks, so I wanted to find one that aligned with the general topic I’m thinking of addressing. I’m glad I found this one though, because it’s definitely the best TED Talk I’ve ever seen, and I particularly liked the speaker, Ivan Coyote. I did some research on them, and found that they are a non-binary activist and storyteller from Canada. I loved their speaking style and emotion and will definitely consider reading some of their works. Here is their website.
Coyote’s talk incorporates a lot of well-told stories, with humor interwoven throughout to save the audience from some of the necessary heaviness of their topic. Given that they base their talk around supporting a public infrastructure proposal, one can also see many elements of our rhetoric unit represented. It’s an engaging, inspiring, and at times devastating talk. It also reinforced my interest in studying the paradigm shift in how we view gender identity.
Over the last few years, I have noticed increasing awareness that not everyone fits into the gender binary. A large part of my own education on the topic comes from my significant other, who is non-binary, but even outside of my relationship I’ve noticed more open-mindedness about gender than I had previously in my life. Forms and surveys that I fill out sometimes offer a broader range of options than “male” or “female” if they require the gender of the participant (although sometimes this simply entails an “other” or “prefer not to say” option). It’s more common for name tags, social media profiles, or names in Zoom rooms to include one’s preferred pronouns as part of identifying that person. These things are somewhat minute shifts, but still display broader awareness of the inaccuracy of the simple gender binary and open-mindedness to gender identities outside of just “male” and “female” boxes. Still, something to consider: I don’t think the paradigm shift away from the gender binary is anywhere near complete. Over the coming years I believe we will see broader acceptance of the change throughout society, but I can’t analyze this paradigm shift as having already occurred. That aspect of this shift could add an element of complexity to my paper, but could also complicate it in relation to our understanding of historical paradigm shifts that have already been completed.
I really liked how you related the Ted Talk you found to the topic you are planning on doing. I think that even though the paradigm shift isn’t complete, our society has come a long way and there should be plenty to write about. I look forward to reading it!
I think this is a very interesting topic for your paradigm shift since it is very relevant right now and has kind of grown into society more through our generation.
Definitely, this will make for a good essay since the issue is so relevant and ever-changing. Like you mentioned, there are many minute changes that are indicating a shift to acceptance. It would be really interesting to see how you place these little acts in the overall movement.
I think this could make for a very powerful topic. Like you said it may be hard as the shift isn’t completely over with, however I think you could cover it well. While I believe that most people are more accepting now, many still need to be educated on this. You choosing this topic could be a stepping stone for many in our class.