--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I think our society has sort of built…" description: "\"I think our society has sort of built this gender binary, and the way we've said it exists does not really exist in nature.\" — Nicole Maines" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6cf/nicole-maines-12524_binary_i-think-our-society-has-sort-of-built-th_1618703.jpg" --- # I think our society has sort of built this gender binary… ![“I think our society has sort of built this gender binary, and the way we've said it exists does not really exist in nature.” quote by Nicole Maines](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6cf/nicole-maines-12524_binary_i-think-our-society-has-sort-of-built-th_1618703.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6cf/nicole-maines-12524_binary_i-think-our-society-has-sort-of-built-th_1618703.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6cf/nicole-maines-12524_binary_i-think-our-society-has-sort-of-built-th_1618703.jpg) > “I think our society has sort of built this gender binary, and the way we've said it exists does not really exist in nature.” [Nicole Maines](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicole-maines/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Gender is a social construct, not a strict natural binary, shaping societal roles. **In simple terms:** Gender is socially built, not biologically fixed. Key Takeaway Question and expand gender definitions. Themes gender social construct identity Mood thought‑provoking activist Type social educational When to use this quote - education - policy making - media representation Key Concepts feminist theory queer studies Questions to Reflect On - How can institutions adopt inclusive language? - What evidence challenges binary views? A Different Perspective Cultural resistance can impede change. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Binary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/binary/) [Built Gender](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/built-gender-240388/) [Exist Nature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/exist-nature-240389/) [Gender](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gender/) [Gender Binary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gender-binary-240387/) [Nature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature/) [Society](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/society/) [Think Society](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/think-society/) [Way](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/way/) ## Related quotes > [I think that there's so many versions of femininity, and in terms of gender as a binary construct, that seems to be being dismantled.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carrie-brownstein/i-think-that-there-s-so-many-versions-of-femininity-and-in-terms-of/) [Carrie Brownstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carrie-brownstein/) > [My personal style really started in my teens when I gained purchasing power to actually buy my own damn clothes. For so long, my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-mock/my-personal-style-really-started-in-my-teens-when-i-gained-purchasing/) [Janet Mock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-mock/) > [My conception around being a woman in 2016 has definitely been shifting over the past year, because I feel like I'm proud of womanhood,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amandla-stenberg/my-conception-around-being-a-woman-in-2016-has-definitely-been/) [Amandla Stenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amandla-stenberg/) > [Bodies have a sex, but gender is a thing we made up, like your star sign or nationality. It doesn't really say anything about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-pascoe/bodies-have-a-sex-but-gender-is-a-thing-we-made-up-like-your-star/) [Sara Pascoe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-pascoe/) > [The majority of the film industry is, like, obsessed with a ridiculous gender binary and keeping with this stupid social binary. Like, who cares?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/olly-alexander/the-majority-of-the-film-industry-is-like-obsessed-with-a-ridiculous/) [Olly Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/olly-alexander/) > [As I started to explore my gender identity, I didn't know how I could claim the title of 'feminist' without subscribing to the gender…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amandla-stenberg/as-i-started-to-explore-my-gender-identity-i-didn-t-know-how-i-could/) [Amandla Stenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amandla-stenberg/) > [“Feministing writer Jos Truitt puts it, “trans women are disrespected and treated terribly when they don’t pass, but if they do pass they’re called…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-helen-petersen/feministing-writer-jos-truitt-puts-it-trans-women-are-disrespected/) [Anne Helen Petersen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-helen-petersen/) > [“(Latinx is the gender-neutral term we use to challenge the Spanish language’s gender binary.)”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/the-women-s-march-organizers/latinx-is-the-gender-neutral-term-we-use-to-challenge-the-spanish/) [The Women's March Organizers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/the-women-s-march-organizers/) > [A lot of people still have the idea that drag goes from one end of the gender spectrum to the other end of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sasha-velour/a-lot-of-people-still-have-the-idea-that-drag-goes-from-one-end-of/) [Sasha Velour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sasha-velour/) > [Not all bodies are born in male or female. 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Helen Keller Fav.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yolanda-ramos/security-is-mostly-a-superstition-it-does-not-exist-in-nature-life-is-2/) [Yolanda Ramos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yolanda-ramos/) > [White does not exist in nature.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierre-auguste-renoir/white-does-not-exist-in-nature/) [Pierre-Auguste Renoir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierre-auguste-renoir/) > [Postulate 2. Constant systems of chance causes do exist in nature.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-a-shewhart/postulate-2-constant-systems-of-chance-causes-do-exist-in-nature/) [Walter A. Shewhart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-a-shewhart/) > [Love without desire is a delusion: it does not exist in nature.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ninon-de-l-enclos/love-without-desire-is-a-delusion-it-does-not-exist-in-nature/) [Ninon de L'Enclos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ninon-de-l-enclos/) ## More by Nicole Maines > [There are infinite combinations that people can experience, because no two people are alike, and no two people's identities should be expected to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicole-maines/there-are-infinite-combinations-that-people-can-experience-because-no/) [Nicole Maines](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicole-maines/) > [For a number of years at my public elementary school in rural Maine, I was treated like all the other girls in school. That…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicole-maines/for-a-number-of-years-at-my-public-elementary-school-in-rural-maine-i/) [Nicole Maines](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicole-maines/) > [When I was first trying to explain to my parents that I was really a girl, my father didn't know what to do. He…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicole-maines/when-i-was-first-trying-to-explain-to-my-parents-that-i-was-really-a/) [Nicole Maines](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicole-maines/) > [I did a guest episode of 'Royal Pains,' and then right after that, 'Supergirl' happened, and I was like, 'How did I get here?'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicole-maines/i-did-a-guest-episode-of-royal-pains-and-then-right-after-that/) [Nicole Maines](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicole-maines/) > [Historically, we have seen cis men play trans women and vice versa. 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What's important is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicole-maines/it-s-ok-not-to-understand-the-whole-trans-thing-that-s-alright-my-dad/) [Nicole Maines](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicole-maines/) > [Family has been really important to me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicole-maines/family-has-been-really-important-to-me/) [Nicole Maines](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicole-maines/) > [Growing up, I was from kind of Nowhere, Maine. And, so, now having thousands of people reaching out to me via social media and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicole-maines/growing-up-i-was-from-kind-of-nowhere-maine-and-so-now-having/) [Nicole Maines](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicole-maines/) > [Separate but equal does not work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicole-maines/separate-but-equal-does-not-work/) [Nicole Maines](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicole-maines/) > [I knew that I was trans when I was three years old. Well, I didn't know 'trans' because I didn't know there was a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicole-maines/i-knew-that-i-was-trans-when-i-was-three-years-old-well-i-didn-t-know/) [Nicole Maines](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicole-maines/) > [My family knew that they loved me, and whatever this 'I want to be a girl' business was, it certainly wasn't about to change…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicole-maines/my-family-knew-that-they-loved-me-and-whatever-this-i-want-to-be-a/) [Nicole Maines](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicole-maines/) > [I hope I can help convince people there that being transgender is not a big deal and that we are just average people trying…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicole-maines/i-hope-i-can-help-convince-people-there-that-being-transgender-is-not/) [Nicole Maines](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicole-maines/) > [I know from first-hand experience that separating transgender students from their peers can cause many to leave school, hide who they are, or even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicole-maines/i-know-from-first-hand-experience-that-separating-transgender/) [Nicole Maines](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicole-maines/) > [Children are a lot smarter than we give them credit for.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicole-maines/children-are-a-lot-smarter-than-we-give-them-credit-for/) [Nicole Maines](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicole-maines/) [Explore all 54 Nicole Maines quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicole-maines/) ## More Binary quotes > [I don't think there's anything unique about human intellience. All the nuerons in the brain that make up perceptions and emotions operate in a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-gates/i-don-t-think-there-s-anything-unique-about-human-intellience-all-the/) [Bill Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-gates/) > [Any sufficiently crisp question can be answered by a single binary digit-0 or 1, yes or no.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/any-sufficiently-crisp-question-can-be-answered-by-a-single-binary/) [Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sagan/) > [“I live in a binary star system, my two suns being my two sons.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/corrado-ghinamo/i-live-in-a-binary-star-system-my-two-suns-being-my-two-sons/) [Corrado Ghinamo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/corrado-ghinamo/) > [The simplest kind of decision is binary: that is, the question can be answered, in principle at least, by either yes or no.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-j-w-barber/the-simplest-kind-of-decision-is-binary-that-is-the-question-can-be/) [E. J. W. Barber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-j-w-barber/) > [Today, we've got what seems to me to be binary-choice politics: black and white, ones and zeros, either you are with me or against…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-e-hoffman/today-we-ve-got-what-seems-to-me-to-be-binary-choice-politics-black/) [David E. Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-e-hoffman/) > [ Object-oriented programming aficionados think that everything is an object… this \[isn't\] so. There are things that are objects. Things that have state and change… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-stepanov/object-oriented-programming-aficionados-think-that-everything-is-an/) [Alexander Stepanov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-stepanov/) > [A lot of people still have the idea that drag goes from one end of the gender spectrum to the other end of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sasha-velour/a-lot-of-people-still-have-the-idea-that-drag-goes-from-one-end-of/) [Sasha Velour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sasha-velour/) > [When I first started going out to lesbian clubs, I felt a very binary recreation of hetero culture. There are butches and femmes, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dee-rees/when-i-first-started-going-out-to-lesbian-clubs-i-felt-a-very-binary/) [Dee Rees](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dee-rees/) > [I'm someone that likes to not think too binary about human qualities.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tessa-thompson/i-m-someone-that-likes-to-not-think-too-binary-about-human-qualities/) [Tessa Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tessa-thompson/) > [Coming out as non-binary has honestly been the best thing ever for me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-flip/coming-out-as-non-binary-has-honestly-been-the-best-thing-ever-for-me/) [G Flip](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-flip/) > [For too long, history has imposed a binary condition on its black citizens: either nameless or renowned, menial or exceptional, passive recipients of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margot-lee-shetterly/for-too-long-history-has-imposed-a-binary-condition-on-its-black/) [Margot Lee Shetterly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margot-lee-shetterly/) > [I've never regretted not making Linux shareware: I really don't like the pay for use binary shareware programs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linus-torvalds/i-ve-never-regretted-not-making-linux-shareware-i-really-don-t-like/) [Linus Torvalds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/linus-torvalds/) > [“Belonging is one of the things that makes life bearable, and it can be tough to look at a binary world and choose against…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-solomon/belonging-is-one-of-the-things-that-makes-life-bearable-and-it-can-be/) [Andrew Solomon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-solomon/) > ['Crazy Rich Asians' has been compared to 'Black Panther,' but I feel like that's a false equivalency. 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There is a continuum of bodies and it seems to me that trying to persuade…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-butler/not-all-bodies-are-born-in-male-or-female-there-is-a-continuum-of/) [Judith Butler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-butler/) [Browse all 135 Binary quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/binary/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I think our society has sort of built this gender binary, and the way we've said it exists does not really exist in nature.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Nicole Maines" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicole-maines/i-think-our-society-has-sort-of-built-this-gender-binary-and-the-way/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Binary" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicole-maines/i-think-our-society-has-sort-of-built-this-gender-binary-and-the-way/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6cf/nicole-maines-12524_binary_i-think-our-society-has-sort-of-built-th_1618703.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6cf/nicole-maines-12524_binary_i-think-our-society-has-sort-of-built-th_1618703.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6cf/nicole-maines-12524_binary_i-think-our-society-has-sort-of-built-th_1618703.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I think our society has sort of built this gender binary, and the way we've said it exists does not really…” — Nicole Maines", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Nicole Maines", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicole-maines/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I think our society has sort...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicole-maines/i-think-our-society-has-sort-of-built-this-gender-binary-and-the-way/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicole-maines/i-think-our-society-has-sort-of-built-this-gender-binary-and-the-way/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```