End of Gender: The End of the End

Alas, we have reached the end of the End of Gender.

From he-waxing to "gender-reveal" parties, we've covered a lot of ground in the past two months. But despite the ever-growing "hip factor" of gender neutrality, there's evidence of a powerful backlash:

Urban Outfitters hatched yet another epic fail. A transgender Miss Universe contestant had to put up a fight to be legally recognized as female. Oh yeah—and gender-nonforming people are still getting murdered and locked up.

But alongside the media missteps and the horrors of transphobia, we've seen some binary-bustin' events happen around the world:

• Parents are raising (and supporting!) gender-nonconforming kids
• Melissa Harris-Perry featured a segment on "Being Transgender in America" and covered trans issues that rarely get media attention
• Argentina gave citizens the freedom to change their legal and physical gender whenever they want, without the legal mess
• Sweden's online National Encyclopedia adopted the gender-neutral pronoun "hen" 
• Healthcare reform promises more affordable, culturally competent care for gender-nonconforming folks in the US

Adopting a new pronoun in Sweden won't prevent transgender people from being disproportionately arrested and detained in the US, and some guy getting a he-wax definitely won't smash the binary. But all of the little advances make space for conversation, and that's when change happens.

Previously: Pink For Boys? Why "Sex-Appropriate" Colors Are Arbitrary, Buck Angel Wants to See Your Cervix