#73 - On Gender and Gender Nonconformity

A Way Beyond the Rainbow

With this episode, we begin a series of episodes addressing the topics of gender, gender nonconformity, gender dysphoria and transgenderism.
In this episode, Br. Mobeen Vaid joins me in a discussion on gender and gender nonconformity in the modern world and from an Islamic legal perspective. Why are we witnessing an explosion of gender and sexual identities nowadays, and where is this expansion heading? Does Islam have a constructionist or essentialist view when it comes to one's gender? Does Islamic Shari'a allow flexibility in terms of our gender expression, or are we limited to strict and predefined “gender roles”? Does Islam allow for leeway in non-typical interests and pursuits for men and women? These and other questions are explored in this episode.
References mentioned in the episode:
- “And the Male Is Not like the Female”: Sunni Islam and Gender Nonconformity (Part 2)
Relevant writings by Br. Mobeen:
- On Openness
- Men, Women, and the Perils of Constructionism
- On Gender Wars, #Metoo, and Building a Program of Virtue and Dignity
- Appraising Motherhood
- On Muslim Masculinity
- Why Marriage Requires Meaning

Chapters

1. #73 - On Gender and Gender Nonconformity (00:00:00)

2. Episode Introduction (00:00:39)

3. On the Explosion and Expansion of New Gender and Sexual Identities (00:01:39)

4. Islam Between Gender Essentialism and Constructionism (00:19:25)

5. Does Introducing God or Theology Change the Debate? (00:49:45)

6. Shari'a Between Rigid Gender Roles and Freedom of Gender Expression (01:01:54)

7. Ending Remarks (01:21:41)