Trans TikToker Goes Viral With Simple Explanation After Stranger Asks What 'Nonbinary' Means

In a world where it seems that everyone is angry all the time and assumes the worst of people around them, it can be refreshing to see two people have a reasonable conversation about a charged topic.

An example of this is a recent TikTok clip that went viral, in which trans TikToker Lilly Contino explained to a curious passerby what the word "nonbinary" means.

Contino, who is more known for her history of confrontational conversations on social media, posted a clip recently after a several month hiatus from her various video platforms. In the clip, she stood outside wearing a placard sign that says "Ask a Trans Person Anything."

One person took the chance and did so, asking for a definition of the term "nonbinary," which is relatively old-hat in the trans community but newer-ish to the public at large.

Contino replied in an uncharacteristically even tone, setting up an analogy that many can grasp: binary like in computers.

“Binary, the word, just means two. In computers, binary means zeros and ones. The gender binary means man and woman, or male and female. When we talk about the gender that you can be, in the past we’ve thought it’s either a man or a woman."

She elaborated on this metaphor to bring the point home.

"But we have come to know that there are more genders than that. If you are something other than a man or a woman, you are not on the gender binary; you are non-binary.”

Many viewers were thankful for the clear explanation of a term that not everyone is familiar with.

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Not everyone is familiar with Contino's past videos and confrontational attitude on social media.

There was a lot of emphasis on the respectful nature of the conversation that she had with the curious passerby.

@ashwilliams1124/TikTok

@wiebkerelli/TikTok

Many people were shocked that Contino had this conversation and actually posted it, as it was a departure from her past videos on TikTok and YouTube.

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@jo_darcy/TikTok

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Some had even been wondering about what "nonbinary" meant for a long time, but had been afraid to ask.

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@joeinprogress/TikTok

The organization GLAAD, which advocates for media representation in the LGBTQ community among their many projects, keeps a glossary of commonly used terms in the LGBTQ community, for those who are curious and don't want to wait to happen upon a trans person specifically waiting to answer questions.