Experiences of non-binary youth

V svojem diplomskem delu sem se osredotočil na raziskovanje nebinarnih spolnih identitet, podrobneje izkušenj vsakdanjega življenja mladih oseb, ki svoj spol občutijo na spektru nebinarnosti. V teoretičnem delu sem predstavil pojem spolne nebinarnosti s poudarkom na raznolikosti tovrstne spolne identitete ter navedel nekaj primerov razumevanj spola onkraj današnje Zahodne konceptualizacije. Nato sem se lotil predstavitve pojma spola, ki sem ga za boljšo preglednost razdelil na biološki spol, družbeni spol, spol kot biopsihosocialni konstrukt in na spolno identiteto, pri čemer zagovarjam pomen spoštovanja samodeterminacije posameznice_ka. Opisal sem tudi spolni binarizem, ki kot prevladujoč sistem razumevanja spola in spolnih identitet vpliva tako na cisspolne kot transspolne in ostale družbeno nenormativne spolne identitete, pri čemer sem pozornost posvetil tudi samemu jeziku, ki odraža spolno binarnost, zaradi česar se lahko pri nebinarnih osebah pojavlja stiska pri komunikaciji. Predstavil sem tudi nekaj ugotovitev iz predhodnih raziskav o izkušnjah nebinarnih oseb iz tujine. V empiričnem delu sem predstavil ugotovitve raziskave, ki sem jo izvedel – torej kvalitativno raziskavo, ki je temeljila na delno strukturiranih intervjujih z desetimi mladimi nebinarnimi osebami, starimi od 18 do 29 let. Šlo je za eno izmed prvih raziskav o nebinarnih osebah v Sloveniji in prvo, ki se osredotoča na mlade nebinarne osebe. Ugotovil sem, da mlade nebinarne osebe spol in lastno spolno identiteto razumejo na raznolike načine, ki se na različne načine odmikajo od tradicionalnega pojmovanja spola na dveh binarnih polih žensk in moških. Zaradi družbe, ki je nesprejemajoča in temelji na spolnem binarizmu, doživljajo nelagodje in obremenitev. Spolni binarizem, ki je vpet tudi v jezik, negativno vpliva na življenja mladih nebinarnih oseb, saj se težko izražajo, brez da bi se umestile v eno izmed spolno binarnih opcij, prav tako pa so zaradi take družbene organiziranosti večkrat potisnjene v nevidnost, v določenih primerih pa jim to povzroča tudi občutke spolne disforije. S strani družbe in posameznic_kov nebinarne osebe pogosto niso sprejete, različne oblike nesprejemanja s strani drugih pa so povezane z nerazumevanjem in nesprejemanjem uporabe zaimkov in delegitimizacijo spolne identitete, kar negativno vpliva na same odnose, ki jih imajo nebinarne osebe z drugimi ter zmanjšuje občutek varnosti življenja v družbi. Največ sprejetosti občutijo v prijateljskem krogu ter v LGBTQIA+ okoljih ter na višjih stopnjah izobraževanja, medtem ko je v službenih okoljih pogosto prisoten strah pred razkritjem zaradi morebitne diskriminacije, v javnih okoljih neizbežnost spolnega binarizma, kar vse skupaj onemogoča aventično življenje posameznic_kov. Izpostavljen je bil pomen izobraževanja o nebinarnih spolnih identitetah, ki bi lahko pripeljal do večjega razumevanja. Rezultati raziskave lahko vplivajo na večjo vidnost spolno nebinarnih oseb ter prispevajo k naraščajoči literaturi o LGBTQIA+ osebah znotraj socialnega dela ter nasploh v Sloveniji. Na ta način lahko služijo kot spodbuda za različne pomagajoče poklice, da se o nebinarnosti seznanijo, jo začnejo same_i raziskovati ter ugotovitve vključujejo v razvoj lastnega strokovnega dela.In my thesis, I focused on exploring non-binary gender identities, more specifically on the lived experiences of young people, who experience themselves on the non-binary spectrum. In the theoretical part I presented the concept of non-binary gender with an emphasis on the diversity of this gender identity, gave some examples of gender understandings beyond today\u27s Western conceptualization, then I started to present the concept of gender, which I divided into sex, gender, gender as a biopsychosocial construct and gender identity for better transparency, advocating the importance of respecting the self-determination of the individual. I also described the gender binary, which as a predominant system of understanding gender and gender identities, affects cisgender as well as transgender and other socially non-normative gender identities, and also paid attention to the language itself, which reflects the gender binary and may cause distress in non-binary persons. I also presented some findings from previous research on the experiences of non-binary people from abroad. In the empirical part, I presented the findings of the research I conducted – a qualitative study based on partially structured interviews with ten young non-binary people aged 18 to 29 years. This was one of the first researches on non-binary persons in Slovenia and the first to focus on young non-binary persons. I have found that young non-binary persons understand gender and their own gender identity in a variety of ways that deviate in different ways from the traditional notion of gender as consisting of the two binary poles of women and men. They experience discomfort and burden because of a society that is not accepting and grounded in gender binary. Gender binary, which is also embedded in language, has a negative impact on the lives of young non-binary people, as they find it difficult to express themselves without being positioned in one of the gender binary options, at the same time causing feelings of gender dysphoria in some cases. They are often not accepted by society and individuals, and various forms of non-acceptance by others are associated with misunderstanding and non-acceptance of the use of pronouns and delegitimization of gender identity, which negatively affects non-binary relationships with others and reduces the sense of security in society. They are most accepted in the circle of friends, in LGBTQIA+ environments and at higher levels of education, while in work environments there is often a fear of disclosure due to possible discrimination, in public environments there is the inevitability of the gender binary, which prevents them from being their authentic selves. The importance of education about non-binary gender identities was stressed as it could lead to greater understanding. The results of the research can increase the visibility of non-binary persons and contribute to the growing literature on LGBTQIA + persons within social work and in Slovenia in general. Through this they can at the same time act as an incentive for various helping professions to get acquainted with non-binary gender identities, conduct research about them themselves and incorporate findings into development of their own professional work