Browsing by Subject "queer history"

This thesis dives into the lives and experiences of Finnish nonbinary people. With this project, I aim to participate in the expansion of Finnish gender diversity research, and it is also my own contribution to the ethnography of Western nonbinary people. I used participant observation in online groups, interviews with nonbinary individuals, and reflected on my own experiences as a nonbinary person. I also traced the history of sexuality and gender diversity, and the development of queer anthropology from both a Euro-American and a Finnish point of view in order to create a strong historical context for the analysis of current nonbinary identities. I went through the many challenges that transgender people face in Finland, without forgetting the positive effects of being nonbinary on their lives. Using Gershon's theory, I illustrated how porous social orders can be found in the lives of nonbinary people, and how, with the extensive knowledge of queer social orders, the cisheteronormative dominant social order could be adjusted to be more accepting and equal. This thesis had several goals, but the main goal was to create more visibility for nonbinary identities and allow them to tell their own stories in their own words. By amplifying the voice of a marginalized group, I hope to serve that minority to the best of my ability and promote a more equal society where gender diversity is visible and common, but also valued as it deserves.