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Gendertopia After School Program Gives Insight Into Gender Expression

There are, by some estimates, as many as five different genders, and one estimate pegged it at somewhere around twice that. It may surprise people that the whole issue of gender identity is far more complex than a simple nod at ‘male’ or ‘female.’ It is into that fray that an after-school group in Burlington, Vermont is wading. “Gendertopia” is run in conjunction with Outright Vermont. Often times, bullying occurs because people engage in non-gender conforming activities or expressions. It is a form of social control and constraint which is intended to reinforce what some people see as the norm of society. For instance, men wearing makeup, pink clothing, or styled hair may be seen as ‘feminine’, and that produces a response from people concerning the sexuality or gender norms that have been instilled into the bullies. In many ways, this program is intended to help break down the barriers which produce the bullying which can often lead to boys and girls hurting and even killing themselves.

“The program was designed to help young people identify the subtle signals used to express gender and how not being aware of those signals can lower self esteem and possibly lead to an increase in at-risk activities like substance abuse or dropping out of school,” Christopher Neff of Outright Vermont said to the AP.

So far, neither Outright Vermont nor the Burlington School District have had any kind of adverse reaction to the program. Gendertopia focuses on the differences in which gender is expressed. They discuss popular culture as well as going around the city and look at the different ways in which gender is expressed around them.

Gender expression is an issue that has shown up in popular culture a great deal, especially for a younger generation. It is typically a surprise to find out that many of the people who play online video games engage in a form of cyber-cross dressing by playing characters opposite their own sex. And yet, many boys and men play female characters online and many girls and women play male characters.

Steve Cable of Vermont Renewal had not heard of the program, perhaps because he lives in Rutland, Vermont, but he stated that he feels that we should not be teaching children about the differences in gender expression implying that it could lead to confusion for individuals who have not yet figured out their life yet. He also talked about how Outright Vermont promotes all gender expressions no matter how weird. Mr. Cable, who has made grumbling about wanting to run against State Senator Kevin Mullin in 2010, has been the most vocal of the anti-LGBTI figures in Vermont. Senator Mullin voted for the recent marriage equality bill despite being a Republican. Cable and his Vermont Renewal, a group that sounds more like a pro-recycling organization than a pro-traditional values organization, were on the losing side of the same-sex marriage fight.

Gendertopia deals specifically with gender identity and gender expression and not with sexuality. Forty teens signed up for the program, and around a dozen showed up for the meetings. The school district would like to run it again in the fall.

Gender expression and gender identity are issues that are not often looked at head on, even for the gay and lesbian communities. There is often a perception that gay men are effeminate and lesbians are overly masculine; however, the gender expression and identity of gays and lesbians runs the entire gambit with some being what could be considered transgender.

Photo- Sun Through Clouds and Trees, Rutland, VT