Orange Is The New Black’s Ruby Rose doesn’t define herself as “all female” or “all male.” “I'm somewhere in the middle, which—in my perfect imagination—is like having the best of both sexes,” said the stunning Australian model and actress in a recent interview with Elle.com.
Ruby is one of celebrities and characters on TV shows and in movies who are increasingly bringing attention to gender-fluid and gender-queer people and non-binary genders—identities that aren’t strictly male or female.
For example, on House of Lies, Don Cheadle’s son is a gender-fluid child that the show’s creator, Matthew Carnahan, based loosely on children he’s observed over the years whose gender identities aren’t strictly one or the other. Jaden Smith is getting attention for rocking gender-neutral tunics, while Susan Sarandon says her musician son is a fan of wearing cross-gender clothing, especially when performing on stage. And last week, Miley Cyrus attended the amfAR gala in New York with gender-fluid writer and The Glee Project contestant Tyler Ford.
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Now, Ruby’s five-minute short film, Break Free—which explores gender roles, transgender living, and what it’s like not to fit into society’s gender boxes—is blowing up on YouTube. While she posted it almost a year ago, the recent attention surrounding her role on season three of OITNB has brought it to the world’s attention. It currently has more than six million views.
We asked three other people who don’t subscribe to traditional concepts of gender to sound off on Ruby, the attention surrounding gender-fluid celebs, and what gender means to them:
Jared Gelman, 21, recording artist
When I first saw the video, I was actually moved to tears. Ruby looked beautiful the entire time, but it was when she washed the tattoo cover-up off that I broke down. The cathartic baptism was so powerful; she was symbolically stripping away all the standards of beauty that were pushed onto her. She looked so genuinely happy towards the end. I think the video is going to move a lot of people.
I think it's incredible to see people using their platforms to not only be who they are but to really be the change. Seeing public figures be unapologetic about their identity is a huge step for our culture; it's a sign to people struggling that they're not alone. Also, because these people are already loved by the public, it allows a lot of people to view them from a compassionate place. It's much harder to be judgmental to people you feel like you already know than to strangers.
I personally believe that the binary is destructive to culture. For me, masculinity as a whole was really harmful to my self-esteem growing up. While I identify as a male, that doesn't mean that I love sports and race cars. That doesn't mean that I want to wear a jersey and sneakers. Sometimes I want to wear makeup; sometimes I want to wear lace and leather. That doesn't change who I am as a person; I still have all my values, and I should be judged for the content of my character.
While I identify as a male, I think it's really cool to play with the juxtaposition of my personality. Sometimes, I'm in touch with my masculine side, and sometimes, I'm a bit more feminine, like my glam heroes. As a male, I feel like the gender binary is quite limiting. Life isn't black and white, and neither are people. There's so many shades in between, and it's important to be your authentic self.
For me, I'm always curious about why certain people have such hatred for people who are different than them. I think labels exist so that other people can put each other in boxes. I think instead of having a fear of the unknown, people should use every opportunity to gain a better sense of understanding for the world around them. I don't think I need a box. I'm just me. And if someone doesn't like that, I encourage them to think about why that's the case. Is it misplaced misogyny? Or is it because I'm prettier than their girlfriend?
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Jacob Tobia, 23, advocate for gender non-conforming, gender-queer, and transgender people
Through her video Break Free, Ruby Rose is helping people to think about gender more empathetically and creatively. Examples such as hers have incredible power to help people be truer to themselves and love others more unconditionally.
While the attention that gender fluidity has gotten recently is incredible, it's important to note that the idea is not new. Throughout human history, gender non-conforming people have stood courageously against rigid gender norms that sought to limit their self-expression. That being said, as a gender-queer person, I am so proud of the visibility that people like Ruby Rose, Jaden Smith, and countless others have brought for our community.
I have a very complicated relationship with the idea of gender. In my life, gender is a system that has held me back, that has stopped me from expressing my true self. As a gender non-binary person, I've had so much trouble living authentically in the world because I don't fit the conventional boxes of "man" or "woman" that the gender binary places me in.
When we think about gender, we so often think of it as two options. But gender is so much bigger than that. Gender has never had only two options; gender has thousands of options, countless possibilities, and endless creative potential. When we forget the creative potential of gender, we create a less dynamic, less democratic world.
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Micah, 28, blogger on transgender and non-binary identity issues
Numerous stories in the last few years have spurred positive visibility of the transgender experience, although very little in the mainstream has focused on more diverse gender identities that fall under the gender-queer or non-binary umbrella.
What concerns me about the media’s attention on Jaden Smith and Ruby Rose is that gender non-conformity is being seen and treated as something superficial: men who wear dresses or androgynous women with short hair.
Gender runs much deeper than clothes, hair, makeup, colors; although these are means to express it, they do not make your gender. What does it really mean to be a man or a woman? To me, gender identity is a feeling: something internal, intangible, and very difficult to explain with words.
There is a difference between gender fluidity as a concept, where society gains freedom from imposed gender roles and stereotypes, and gender-fluid as an identity, where a person has an internal sense of self that is non-static, oscillating between masculine and feminine among various combinations.
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