On August 9, “DiverCity” Social-Cultural Human Rights Defender NGO implemented a meeting-discussion about gender, gender diversity, and its perceptions and reflections in various cultures worldwide.
As a social construct [social category], gender is perceived as social sex or gender identity, which an individual decides whether or not to present to the public. It refers to all the people, more precisely the masculinity or femininity ascribed to their sex. It can either coincide with the sex in the passport or not (assigned at birth). It depends on the culture of the nation, worldview, and character clichés. Different societies and nationalities have their own unique interpretations of gender. Gender, overall, is the person’s feelings about their sex, body, physical appearance, and attitude, which are subject to change or not.
The domain of gender studies includes not only the individual but also society itself, which has its own culture. Society, in turn, includes the diverse identities of individuals and nations. It reflects various gender manifestations and reproduces gender diversity.
Discussions about all this help people be aware of gender diversity, understand their gender identifications, and create a sense of belonging to any society, culture, or group when they begin to question the imposed binary or bipolar gender system in which they are formed. By exhibiting extremely forced femininity or masculinity, individuals do not have the opportunity to be informed, and as a result, they do not exercise their right to free gender expression.
Our guests were
masharu Earthlover and Sevak Kirakosyan, who shared their thoughts on gender, questioned its existence, and introduced various implementations of gender in light of historic events and times. masharu also showed their project, called “Nonbinary“, and Sevak provided some general information about gender followed by his/their personal ideas about it.
masharu (they/them)
uses edible soil and loves the Earth. They are the founder of the Edible Earth museum. masharu’s projects unite scientific research and personal approaches together with cultural practices. You can learn more about them on their website.
It is their second visit to Armenia within the framework of the feminist queer exhibition, Gender Corpora.
Sevak Kirakosyan (he/they)
is also known by his/their drag name, Sophia. Sevak considers himself an Objectivist and advocates for the freedom of the individual and free market capitalism. Sevak enjoys singing, performing, and creating content such as online courses. One of his/their favorite quotes is: “Life isn’t about finding yourself. Life is about making yourself. You can follow Sevak here.
The event was held in the “Space” Youth Safe Center. The working language was English. The discussion included dialogue, an open space for questions, and, of course, brainstorming.
