Viabinary is a term from the alibinary system used to categorize the experiences of some non-binary people. It refers to people with identities which are close to or similar to one binary gender, even though they are non-binary. They relate to having an experience similar to a binary gender, while not being 100% that binary gender. Possible examples of viabinary people may include:
- Juxera or proxvir people.
- Xirls or xoys.
- Demigirls or demiboys.
- Lunarians or solarians.
- Bxys or gxrls.
- Paraboys or paragirls.
- Any other non-binary people who feel that they have a similar experience to being binary female or to a binary male.
That said, just because one identifies as one of these genders, that doesn't mean they are viabinary. If someone doesn't feel like their experience is similar to that of a binary person(male or female) they would not be viabinary.
History
Viabinary was coined by June 25, 2018 by Tumblr user Nbandproud.[1] The term was originally coined in order to talk about issues faced specifically by viabinary people. Viabinary issues include:
- Having either their non-binary identity or the binary part of their identity doubted, ignored or looked down upon.
- Being alienated from common non-binary depictions or descriptions that put emphasis on being completely separate from the binary or in-between binary genders.
- Being seen as binary within non-binary spaces.
- Being treated as a “self hating” and/or “wanting to escape cis/male privilege”
Viabinary vs. Ideobinary
Viabinary may easily be confused with another alibinary identity, ideobinary. While they both describe genders that are in some way aligned with or derived from binary genders and concepts, viabinary is a descriptor for people who experience those genders in a way similar to their binary roots, and ideobinary people experience them in a way completely detatched from their binary roots. Viabinary people feel that their gender experience, while not being binary, is similar and relatable to binary gender experiences, while ideobinary people feel that, despite being related to the binary, their gender experiences are very different and not relatable to binary gender experiences. The two terms are essentially the same but opposites at the same time.
Flag
The flag was designed by a Tumblr user who wishes to remain anonymous. The color meanings are currently unknown.