Not all people identify as male or female. Take a look inside the world outside the gender binary.

If you look at this image, it’s pretty easy to divide these blocks into groups according to color, right?

You’ve got two yellow, two red, and one orange. Right? It’s simple.

But what if it’s not always so clear cut? And what if instead of there being three colors to choose from, you had the option to select from hundreds?

You could still make the case that there are two yellow, two red, and one orange, but it’s not quite accurate.

Because some colors (like #2 and #4) don’t quite neatly fit into the previously arranged groups. # 2 is kind of a yellow-orange; #4 is kind of an orange-red.

GIF via Lindsay Penn.

Gender is a lot like that. Often, we simplify it into these clear-cut boxes: male and female. The issue is that not everyone fits those boxes, and that is OK.