Binarism & Colorism : A Look Into Gender Oppression and the Color Line

The GENDER BINARY is anti-Black. Colorism, and its friends featurism and texturism are further manifestations of Anti-blackness that oppress those most marginalized in Blackness. These systems tell us marginalized people are worthless and treats them as such. As a Black non-binary person who is also darkskin my fight is against binarism & colorism.

Binarism: Sexism that erases non-binary people

Colorism: The oppression of darkskin people

In this writing, I will be talking about the connections between binarism and colorism and how they both function as inherently Anti-Black systems.

COLORISM ,though a very old system, the term was coined in 1983 in an essay by Alice Walker. In it she briefly touches on how colorism functions differently for Black men and Black people of marginalized genders. Blackness is considered masculine to the white gaze, so Black men are able to exist as men and as Black in ways Black marginalized gender folks cannot.

Even though Ms walker gave us accessible language , her being brownskin hindered her analysis overall and she even recreated colorism within the essay by referring to Darkskin women as supernatural beings. She not only did not center darkskin people, but also implied that colorism can have two sides.

THERE IS NO TWO SIDES TO COLORISM.

BINARISM is the idea that there are only two genders, erasing non-binary people. Black non-binary people have existed for centuries under many different names across many different tongues. I would argue even longer than existing outside of the binary has been a concept in european cultures (which is not long at all). Black people come from cultures where gender variance was worshipped and languages were gender neutral.

The GENDER BINARY was brought through colonialism and slavery. When they reduced our bodies to property, they implemented foreign gender roles onto us to control us. Even after slavery, Black people had to conform to white societal norms in order to survive. Ascribing to gender roles not native to us, that reduces us down to just our bodies(once again) is how we got to where we are now. Black trans people who don’t conform to the binary* are actively resisting colonialism in the afterlife of slavery**.

Binarism is also hierarchical. White supremacy thrives on hierarchy. White people did not just implement TWO genders on people . They told us men are better than women. With binarism, people who are one of the only two genders they told us we could be are better than those who do not subscribe to the binary.

HIERARCHIES ARE A KEY COMPONENT TO OPPRESSION.

Now that Binarism and Colorism have been explained a little more in depth, we can dive into how they intersect.

No oppression under white supremacy exists separately; they are all interlocking. Our identities in this world are not singular , so why would we only be affected by a singular oppression at a time. People with multiple oppressed identities are not suffering under these identities one at a time. Oppressions intersect and build upon each other.

As mentioned before, Colorism itself is gendered. Black marginalized gender folks experience colorism in ways men do not. Talking about colorism without talking about the gender binary is an incomplete analysis. While Colorism does affect Men especially institutionally, it’s a whole different ball game in the social arena.

Dark skinned Black women and nonbinary people are at the brunt of systemic and social consequences of Colorism. For example:

• We suffer erasure in mainstream media and are ostracized publicly IRL and in online spaces.
• Gendered colorism renders Darkskin men festishization while it renders non-men as undesirables .
• Hypermasculinity is thrown onto all Darkskin people but Men benefit because masculinity is attached to how they are supposed to perform. When it comes to non-men, to be seen as legitimately feminine or any other gender expression we are held to an almost unreachable standard and forced to hyperform for survival.

There’s almost no space for Dark skin marginalized gender folks within white supremacies gender roles.

When it comes to the work and home, Darkskin non-men are often forced to labor more whether it be emotionally or physically. We often are tasked with solving problems for others , even if it was caused by someone else who is then coddled, and if the Darkskin maGE fails all of the responsibility is placed on them.

This also happens in social movements. Darkskin non-men are placed as laborers and martyrs for movements that are violent towards them. Our work is stolen, our labor glanced over and we are eventually erased entirely. This cycle has been happening for centuries.

In a world where darkskin is gendered as masculine and light/white skin as human, who does the binary serve ? Hypermasculinity and fetishization does not equal human nor does painting darkskin non-men as divinely feminine or divine mothers.

The Binary and Colorism must be destroyed together along with anti-Blackness. That is the only way.