Additional resources to support the Quick Tips found in the back of The Gender and Infinity Book for Kids.
Tips to help bring a nature-based, decolonized, and holistic perspective of gender to kids.
**Note: the book was just released and we are finalizing this page with more resources, stay tuned!
1. DIG DEEPER
The research is piling up and it turns out nature’s secret power is diversity. And it’s not just people. It’s all living beings. Plants, fish, birds, animals. Everything, including you, is a part of the timeless patterns of nature’s body, gender, and relationship diversity. But it can be hard to find. Many institutions, programs, zoos and more don’t update their information to include this kind of diversity. We know it exists. If you don’t see it, investigate! We can educate ourselves and our kids.
Additional Resources to help you DIG DEEPER
“The animal world—right now, here on Earth—is brimming with countless gender variations and shimmering sexual possibilities: entire lizard species that consist only of females who reproduce by virgin birth and also have sex with each other; or the multigendered society of the Ruff, with four distinct categories of male birds, some of whom court and mate with one another; or female Spotted Hyenas and Bears who copulate and give birth through their ‘penile’ clitorides, and male Greater Rheas who possess ‘vaginal’ phalluses (like females of their species) and raise young in two-father families; or the vibrant transsexualities of coral reef fish, and the dazzling intersexualities of gynandromorphs and chimeras. In their quest for ‘post-modern’ patterns of gender and sexuality, human beings are simply catching up with the species that have preceded us in evolving sexual and gender diversity—and the aboriginal cultures that have recognized this.”
- Bruce Bagemihl, Biological Exuberance/Animal Homosexuality and Natural Diversity
2. UNEARTH UNIQUENESS
All kids (and adults) experience pressure to conform to "the boxes." This contributes to stress, bullying, behavior problems, depression, learning issues and more. If we want to see the world and ourselves as we really are, we need to see infinity in our uniqueness. We do this by removing our own assumptions and expectations about who we think people can be based on the boxes. This helps transform the constant pressure to conform in the world around us. We want everybody to be free to be exactly who they are, just like in nature.
Additional Resources
We'll be adding some additional resources soon for how to talk to kids about systemic gender oppression. In the meantime you can view our current resources:
- 10 Criteria to keep GENDER FREE in educational materials and children's books: we DO NOT RECOMMEND using books that say that "a doctor made a guess [about gender] by looking at a baby's body" - this is a false and problematic narrative. Read more in the links below.
- Gender Assignments are not a Guess
- What are We Really Saying to Kids? – Language Use & Gender: Quick 3 Part Online Course
3. PLANT SEEDS
To make lasting change we need new ways to think and talk about bodies and gender that include everyone all of the time. Fortunately when we center nature’s infinite body and gender diversity, we start to move away from limited binary thinking toward a more holistic path. This is strengthened by learning more about nature’s circles, cycles, and continuums like those of the Gender Wheel. We complete the circle when we engage gender-inclusive language.
Additional Resources
We'll be adding some additional resources soon to help plant the seeds! In the meantime you can view some of our current resources:
- The Pronoun Protocol: 12 Agreements to break the cycle of stereotypes and assumptions
- Make the Gender Wheel and learn more about how it can help shift our mindset back to nature's infinity.
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Explore a nature-based, decolonized, & holistic approach to gender...