Statement from David J. Johns, executive director of the National Black Justice Coalition, issued the following statement in commemoration of International non-binary people's Day:
"Non-binary people have existed throughout human history. The cultural boom of they, them, and their pronouns is just one indication that the tides are finally turning against a pervasive and polarizing society where oppression is buttressed by myths that there have always been only two genders.
"Perpetuation of a rigid and oppressive gender dichotomy has not stopped the emergence of the genderqueer revolution, nor will it. Gender is a construct. Its significance changes nation to nation, state to state, and town to town. The more we force people to fit into constrictive boxes like 'man' and 'woman', the more non-binary people and our allies will highlight how these constructs are designed to oppress and marginalize members of our beautifully diverse community.
"NBJC stands in solidarity with all of our non-binary siblings, no matter how they show up in the world. Today, we honor them for breaking the mold and living in technicolor."
The National Black Justice Coalition (NBJC) is America's leading civil rights organization dedicated to the empowerment of Black lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer+, and same gender loving (LGBTQ+/SGL) people, including people living with HIV.