"Don't Call Me Sis/Cis Cuz' I'm Not Your Sister": Black Nonbinary Method and the Praxis of Nonbinary Womanism

Abstract

The intersection of gender and Blackness as it pertains to transgender identity has long been a contested site. The ontologies and epistemologies of Black trans individuals have complicated and interrogated the gender binaries of white supremacy and Black culture. In this essay, I use my own experience, memoirs, and scholarship from nonbinary writers and scholars to develop a Black nonbinary method. I map the experience of nonbinary Blackwomanhood as well as define nonbinary Blackwoman. Then, using the language of Alice Walker and Stacey-Floyd Thomas, I attempt to apply the Black nonbinary method to womanism and define nonbinary womanism. I conclude by detailing the implications for this work in womanist and Black trans scholarship and communities.