Human rights have never been set in stone. What is considered a right that should be guaranteed to all was not universally accepted until 1948 and even then was not ratified in all nations. Over the history of humankind, human rights violations have been justified through the claim that people that were affected weren’t human. The Youth for Human Rights initiative released a video advocating and defining what human rights are. In this video, they defined human as, “A member of the homo sapiens species; a man, woman, or child; a person.” Though this sentiment is well meant, the phrase man, woman or child excludes any individual who falls outside the binary of male and female. These people are anyone who are trans, intersex, agender, genderfluid, two-spirit or any other gender identification other than cisgender male or female.
To exclude a group of people from the very definition of human is to say they do not deserve the same respect, rights, and recognition that those who fall under this definition of human are entitled to and it also underplays the fight for legal recognition and rights for those who do not identify as a man or woman. The social construction that all people are either a man or woman is a dangerous one. For intersex individuals, it can mean surgical reconstruction of their genitalia at birth, and discrimination in the workplace. Transpeople face injustice in that the surgeries they need to be comfortable in their own bodies are deemed cosmetic instead of necessary and therefore is not covered by healthcare and in the lengthy and difficult process needed to legally change name or gender. When a persons gender does not match up with their biological sex, they are more at risk to face violence. A person who is transgender is over 3 times as likely to face violence from a police officer and 1 in 5 murders will be of a person who is transgender.
People who are non-binary must navigate a world daily that refuses to acknowledge their existence. There is no legal recognition for genders outside of male and female. There has been a wave of action, many in the form of petitions to have governments have non binary gender identities as options for official documentation. Even such everyday things going to the bathroom becomes difficult due to the lack of gender neutral bathrooms. Though the number of gender neutral bathrooms are increasing, the majority of restrooms are split as men’s bathrooms and women’s bathrooms and it is not right to place someone in the possibly violent situation of going into a restroom where they are perceived as belonging.
When discussing human rights, it is important to not exclude groups from the very definition of being human. Not including them is a way of ignoring gender rights. It is important to support all identities not just the majorities. By simply leaving out the phrase ” man, woman, or child” the definition of human would be much more inclusive, because a human is, A member of the homo sapiens species; a person”
Our Rights We Will Maintain 