In my thesis, I focused on exploring non-binary gender identities, more specifically on the lived experiences of young people, who experience themselves on the non-binary spectrum. In the theoretical part I presented the concept of non-binary gender with an emphasis on the diversity of this gender identity, gave some examples of gender understandings beyond today's Western conceptualization, then I started to present the concept of gender, which I divided into sex, gender, gender as a biopsychosocial construct and gender identity for better transparency, advocating the importance of respecting the self-determination of the individual. I also described the gender binary, which as a predominant system of understanding gender and gender identities, affects cisgender as well as transgender and other socially non-normative gender identities, and also paid attention to the language itself, which reflects the gender binary and may cause distress in non-binary persons. I also presented some findings from previous research on the experiences of non-binary people from abroad. In the empirical part, I presented the findings of the research I conducted – a qualitative study based on partially structured interviews with ten young non-binary people aged 18 to 29 years. This was one of the first researches on non-binary persons in Slovenia and the first to focus on young non-binary persons. I have found that young non-binary persons understand gender and their own gender identity in a variety of ways that deviate in different ways from the traditional notion of gender as consisting of the two binary poles of women and men. They experience discomfort and burden because of a society that is not accepting and grounded in gender binary. Gender binary, which is also embedded in language, has a negative impact on the lives of young non-binary people, as they find it difficult to express themselves without being positioned in one of the gender binary options, at the same time causing feelings of gender dysphoria in some cases. They are often not accepted by society and individuals, and various forms of non-acceptance by others are associated with misunderstanding and non-acceptance of the use of pronouns and delegitimization of gender identity, which negatively affects non-binary relationships with others and reduces the sense of security in society. They are most accepted in the circle of friends, in LGBTQIA+ environments and at higher levels of education, while in work environments there is often a fear of disclosure due to possible discrimination, in public environments there is the inevitability of the gender binary, which prevents them from being their authentic selves. The importance of education about non-binary gender identities was stressed as it could lead to greater understanding. The results of the research can increase the visibility of non-binary persons and contribute to the growing literature on LGBTQIA + persons within social work and in Slovenia in general. Through this they can at the same time act as an incentive for various helping professions to get acquainted with non-binary gender identities, conduct research about them themselves and incorporate findings into development of their own professional work.
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