Purity is Fragile — But Ethics Are Fluid: Why Nonbinary Thinking is the Way Forward

Purity is Fragile — But Ethics Are Fluid: Why Nonbinary Thinking is the Way Forward

Purity is Fragile — But Ethics Are Fluid: Why Nonbinary Thinking is the Way Forward

The problem with purity-based ethics — whether in religion, politics, or culture — is that they operate on a binary: clean vs. unclean, good vs. bad, us vs. them. It’s the logic of the brownie story — a classic evangelical lesson where a father tells his kids that even a little bit of dog poop ruins a tray of brownies. His point? Even a “little” sin contaminates everything.

But purity doesn’t just operate in evangelical youth groups. It shapes how we think about identity, belonging, and morality itself. Purity assumes that goodness must be protected, that truth must be untouched, that morality is about keeping things separate rather than learning how to navigate interconnectedness.

The problem? Purity is fragile. It assumes that something good can be ruined by mere contact with the “wrong” thing. And fragile things break under the weight of real life.

What we need isn’t a morality that obsesses over contam…