that guides you through all the displayed examples that do not fit into binary categories. 

“Binary thinking, or the idea that things can only be classified into two distinct categories, can be limiting in many contexts. The world is not simply divided into two categories, there are many nuances and variations. But sometimes we forget that our tendency to think in terms of two categories can be insensitive to the experiences and perspectives of others. Unlearning and understanding are two of the most challenging and uncomfortable processes. Therefore I am asking you to consider new ideas and perspectives, even if they are unfamiliar to you. I don’t expect you to be neutral or to ignore your own experiences and beliefs. But I am asking you to challenge your habit of only seeing things as either one thing or the opposite and to question yourself when you automatically think in terms of two. For example, think about how often you think in terms of “good” or “bad”, “natural” or “unnatural”, “dead” or “alive”. These extremes do exist, but there is a lot in between and outside of that. Recognizing the limitations of binary thinking does not mean that things that fit into one of the two categories don’t exist. We should also allow for more complexity and room for different interpretations in our thinking, similar to the examples you see on the table from nature that may not fit into binary categories.

Have you ever felt like you were placed in a binary category that didn’t feel like you? Maybe you even changed yourself to fit into these categories. In this absorbing ritual, you’ll gain the strength to unlearn your binary thinking and helps to create a more inclusive and equitable society.

Undo yourself from all human-made categories to embody your true self without any distractions from our constructed society. You are enough and beautiful, just the way you are. In the soil in front of you, you can see many earthworms. Pick one up and hold it in your hand. As
it moves through your hand, you see its flexibility. These earthworms are one of the beings that challenge the traditional binary understanding of gender by the fact that they are hermaphroditic. Each individual has both female and male reproductive organs, but they aren’t capable of self- fertilization. You can place the earthworm back in his warm home in the soil. The earthworm has left its mark on your hands.

On the elevation, you’ll notice a little bit of water with a school of clownfish inside. These clownfish are all born as males but can change later into females. In a school, there is one dominant female and when she dies, the biggest male will start his transformation. Place your hands in the water, moving them around, and imagine this transformation and changing your perspective.

You can dry your hands with a reciprocal exchange on a piece of moss surrounded by fungi. These fungi are interesting to consider when thinking about binaries and are often seen to be non- binary organisms because they can have multiple mating types or reproductive compatibility groups. This means that individual fungi can potentially reproduce with a wide range of other individuals, rather than being limited to reproducing with individuals of the opposite sex or a specific gender as is common in many animals. The network of fungi can be seen as the largest organism and connects everything together.

Between the fungi, some violets are blooming. You smell their aromas and feel the spirits of queer people surrounding you giving you the strength to unlearn your binary thinking and helping to create a more inclusive and equitable society.

All this together shows that transness and non-binary existence add color, shading, dimension, perspective, motion, and more to our picture of nature and to our lives.”