AZA. BBG. Have you ever thought about the role that gender plays in BBYO? Each chapter is split by gender. There are BBYO chapters, which are co-ed, but how many are there really? This is a key issue as well as a potential chance for growth within the BBYO community that deserves an appropriate level of attention.

If you think about your experiences within BBYO, how many of those were only with your own gender? Think of summer experiences, elections at any level, Separates, and more.

Gender identities should be taken into consideration when being put in living arrangements. When you first arrive at any BBYO summer experience, you are put into a cabin that is usually based on your gender. However, if you aren’t sure of your gender, how would sleeping in that same room make you feel? Uncomfortable? Weird? I wouldn't know.

BBYO elections at most levels are another example of gender separation. I have never heard of an election where someone who does not identify as a female has ever voted for a BBG board. Have you? Probably not. This is most likely to ensure that when electing a board member, the process is fair, but is it fair to someone who identifies in a broader context than the restrictions that come with the label of Alephs and BBG’s? Or what about a BBG who identifies as anything other than a female? Does this wreck the standards that have been put in place? If the answer is yes, then the standards need to be rewritten to account for all people and identities in BBYO.

The last instance of dividing teens by gender is Separates as it is literally in the name. It is a time to relax or have DMC’s (deep meaningful conversations) with either AZA or BBG programming. But what if there is an Aleph boy that is desperate to be involved in the Separates happening on the BBG side of things? Why not make it open to anyone, regardless of the label of AZA/BBG or boy/girl?

This separation of specific genders could be a dissuasion to prospective members who may be exploring their gender identity. To have another organization or person telling them to pick between male and female as an AZA or BBG is not the inclusion message BBYO loves to spew. Why isn’t there a third option? A combination of AZA or BBG could be a solution. This is an opportunity for BBYO to grow and become more inclusive.

Being a BBG or an Aleph shouldn’t mean that you have to identify as a boy or a girl but rather that you can be yourself with whoever you fit in with. There should be a multitude of options for anyone to choose from. If someone wants to be in BBG but is not considered a girl, it would exclude them from a lot of activities that cater to the female experience. Programming could remain feminine and masculine, but who gets to attend it shouldn’t be pre-decided based on gender; it should be based on who you feel most comfortable with and want to be.

It may be common to separate people based on gender, but we should be making an effort to change that in BBYO. The discussion of gender identity is always evolving, and improvements in BBYO have the opportunity to be made, maybe with the help of the LGBTQIA+ task force. We should strive to make BBYO as inclusive as possible for anyone and everyone.