Gender, Gender And Gender Identity

Perhaps, you are asking yourself this question, what is gender dysphoria? I have the answer. Gender dysphoria is “ the diagnosis typically given to a person whose assigned birth gender is not the same as the one with which they identify.” However, let’s not confuse this with sexual orientation, this does not mean they are homosexual, this means they do not identify who they are as their given birth

In rational, ‘transgender’ is a natural and non-judgmental word that used to describe the people who have gender identity different to the biological sex. Most of the transgender people will change their facial appearance to the opposite sex through clothing, hormonal therapies or the transsexual operation. Their appearances, behaviors and psychological attitudes are same as the normal people. However, most of the people have a stigma about their sex based on the traditional gender roles. According to the Diagnostics and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders IV, the distinctive mind of gender identity diagnosed as a mental disorder called gender identify disorder. However, the International Classification of Diseases (ICD) mentioned that it is not a mental illness.

Gender dysphoria occurs when individuals feel their gender identity is not harmonious with their anatomical sex. In the DSM-5, gender dysphoria in children is described as the desire to be the other gender to such level that the incongruity creates distress in social, school, occupational, and personal domains for at least 6 months.

There are many names for transsexuality but the classic name is gender dysphoria. This is a recognized problem where the individuals mind is “physically, trapped in a body of the opposite sex” (Reitz, 1). This complication can motivate a person to change or die trying.

Gender identity disorder (GID) is the formal diagnosis used by psychologists and physicians to describe persons who experience significant gender dysphoria (discontent with the biological sex they were born with). It is a psychiatric classification and describes the attributes related to transsexuality.

Living a life feeling out of place, with the wrong feelings, and in the wrong body, for a person with Gender Identity Disorder, this is how they feel day to day. According to the DSM-IV-TR, Gender Identity Disorder is characterized by a strong, persistent cross-gender identification, persistent discomfort with his or her sex or sense of inappropriateness in their gender role of that sex. According to the American Psychiatric Association (APA), children, adolescents and adults who exhibit a preoccupation with getting rid of or losing their primary and secondary sex characteristics, associated with different mannerisms and actions of the opposite sex; while holding a belief that he or she was born the wrong sex are believed to be classified

In today 's world there are more than two genders. Believe it or not there are (unofficially) eight genders, and according to Facebook, there are fifty-eight genders to choose from. It is not simple anymore.

The following terms are defined by the National Council of Teachers of English as the following: Cisgender is a term used to describe one whose gender identity aligns with that assigned to them at birth. Gender affirmation surgery is when any surgical procedure a transgender person undergoes as part of their transition. Gender dysphoria is a psychological diagnosis recognized by the American Psychiatric Association, replacing the more controversial previous term “gender identity disorder” characterized by severe distress caused by the incongruence between one’s gender identity and the gender assigned to them at birth. Gender expression is one’s exhibited external gender, often deciphered as either masculine or feminine or in the ways in which a person outwardly aligns the self as male, female, or another gender and/or gender normalities communicated by dress, mannerisms, and interactions, among other aspects of appearance and behavior. Gender identity is one’s innate, intrinsic self-identification as a male, female, or another gender that may not necessarily match that assigned to them at birth and distinct from sexual orientation. Genderqueer or genderfluid is a non-specific umbrella term referring to those who do not identify as one of the traditional gender identities on the traditional

People with gender identity disorder may act and present themselves as members of the opposite sex and may express a desire to alter their bodies. The disorder affects an individual's self-image, and can impact the person's mannerisms, behavior, and dress. Individuals who are committed to altering their physical appearance through cosmetics, hormones and, in some cases, surgery are known as transsexuals A person with a gender identity is a person who strongly identifies with the other sex. The individual may identify with the opposite sex to the point of believing that he/she is, in fact, a member of the other sex who is trapped in the wrong body. This causes that person to experience serious discomfort with his/her own biological sex orientation. The gender identity disorder causes problems for this person in school, work or social settings. This disorder is different from transvestism or transvestic fetishism where cross-dressing occurs for sexual pleasure, but the transvestite does not identify with the other sex (Ruble DN 1994)

At birth we are assigned a gender either female or male, depending on the physical characteristics the doctors see. According to (BOOK) gender is the behavioral, psychological, and social characteristics associated with being biologically male or female. However there are individuals that have disorder of sex development (DSD) also known as intersex. https://www.plannedparenthood.org states that intersex is more common than people realized, with 1 in 100 people being intersex in the U.S. Some people can go throughout their whole life without knowing they are intersexed. These people don’t fall under the male or female catagories, but are sorted into one of the categories and raised as that gender. Everyone is raised as a certain gender, but not everyone agrees that they are being raised as the correct gender. World wide gender is shown in different ways. According to

One area of social interaction within a culture that is symbolically dictated by images and expectations is gender identity. Because western society recognizes a two-gendered system, there exists a dichotomy between the characteristics and objects associated with both males and females. Notably, the colour blue frequently conveys masculinity while pink is instead aesthetically feminine. Likewise, where boys traditionally play with action figures as children, girls receive dolls. Belief in these signs—even if they are oversimplified—influences the language surrounding these gender roles and subsequently, produces assumptions of acceptable behaviour and actions. For instance, since action figures usually personify the characters of superheroes or soldiers, men, similarly become seen as being tough or brave. Furthermore, these images encourage them to perpetuate those traits. Contrastingly, dolls as models of babies, illustrate a view of women as being gentle and domestic figures. As such, in communities that distinguish between more than only two gender types, this polarity in the impressions of males and females would probably vary, or not exist at all.

While identity and identification are just word variations of one another, they actually convey different but powerful meanings and outlooks. This theme of identity versus identification is prevalent in the South Asian community and, therefore, prominent amongst the readings throughout this course. Identity is the embodiment of one’s beliefs and values that shapes who they are and how they express themselves. In contrast, identification refers to the manner in which one identifies oneself; it is subjective, as it is not necessarily an authentic portrayal of one’s identity because white communities too often posit the model minority label upon colored, ethnic communities. The difference between these two terms are both implied or stated throughout Sayantani Das Dasgupta and Shamita Dasgupta’s unique perspective writings on South Asian feminist issues, Kumarini Silva’s research on the label of “brown”, Vijay Prashad’s chapters about solidarity and religion in The Karma of Brown Folk, and Marina Budhos’s coming-of-age novel Watched about a Bangladeshi teen whose mistakes led him to spy on his own Muslim community after the 9/11 incident.

The roles of genes clearly play an important part in defining sex as every one of us. However, with genes comes at birth male or female in whom will generally by categorized into gender roles from the very beginning. As soon as a baby is born its already a topic of what clothes she’s going to wear, professions and everything about her will most likely be thought as either male or female ways of life. Even with our cultural changes (gay rights, transgender) you still have to relay on the fact that you always born either male or female; hormones are the key factor in determining what sex thus influencing your gender identity in our society. In this paper I wanted to answer the title question providing insights on both subjects, how genders roles are not important in our society and how they are important.

Within recent years, the media has sensationalized the topic of gender and gender identity. This has allowed the public to maintain as an active participant in the fight for equal rights, whether it be the fight to end discrimination for: same sex marriage, gender equality, non-binary, lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgendered individuals (LGBTQ). Since the needs and issues for members of the above listed communities have come into the eye of public voice many things have changed in North America. There has been an increasingly greater shift in public focus on the civil rights of LGBTQ peoples. Not only has there been an increase in public discourse but actual laws have been changed in the interest of social justice for members of the LGBTQ community, including but not limited to: same-sex marriage, that same-sex couples must be afforded the same rights as opposite-sex couples in a common-law relationship, protection from bullying due to gender identity. Currently, the only provinces that explicitly include gender identity under their human rights codes are Ontario, Manitoba, Nova Scotia and the Northwest Territories, although other provinces have begun debating whether they should add gender identity under their human rights codes. Federally, gender identity is not specifically mentioned in legislation. Bill C-279, which would amend the Canadian Human Rights Act to include gender expression or identity, is currently undergoing second reading in the Senate (Garrison,

Gender is the intersection of the relationships between sex, gender identity, sexuality and gender expression; gender is an achieved status