Genderqueer And Non-Binary Identity

Today, many recognize gender as a spectrum, but understand it in a linear fashion not too different from the original dichotomy of two opposing sexes. On one end sits masculinity, and on the other, femininity. In the instance of people coming out as transgender in the workplace, they were perceived as having jumped from one end of the spectrum to the other with a complete one-eighty degree twist. The definition of gender is multifaceted, and some people may place more importance on it than others. Rather than conduct a scientific study on what defines gender, I’d like to encourage people to take the more widespread knowledge of binary feminism and expand that knowledge to include genderqueer individuals. Be aware that others may fall outside your notion of gender, and do not punish them for that. Do not expect a person to act in a certain “feminine” or “masculine” way any more than one might expect a man or woman to act only within their allowed sphere - but do not criticize someone who does act in what might be considered traditionally “masculine” or “feminine” way for doing

The term ‘transgender’ is defined as an individual who believes that their gender identity does align with the biological sex for which was assigned at birth. It is critical to note that one’s gender and biological sex are two very different things. Biological Sex is derived from one’s anatomy, which essentially includes: genitals, chromosomes, and hormones. The ‘gender’ is derived from social/cultural stated norms; gender is also completely subjective from an individual standpoint to be speculated and influenced by society. To aid in differentiating these concepts, bring oneself back to the 1900s, were in an article (The Social Construction of Sexuality) by Seidman, he reveals that: “Some scientist believed that the homosexual was a type

Fifty years ago, nobody could ever have imagined how widely accepted transgender individuals would be in modern times. Countries all around the world had only ever known about the social distinction between men and women, which is known as ‘masculinity vs. Femininity’. However, now it is much more complex than that; as transgender and gender confused individuals are more widely accepted, it has become more of a case of sex vs. gender. “Sex is the biologically based distinction between men and women centring on sexual organs, while gender is the social and cultural rendering of masculinity and femininity.” (Oakley, 1972) And even though transgenders are accepted into society they still face inequalities such as not being accepted into a particular community, ostracised by families and friends,

Kidd and Witten define the term transgender vaguely, stating it “describe[s] people who transcend the conventional boundaries of gender, irrespective of physical status or sexual orientation” (Kidd & Witten, 2007, p. 36). This term is a reference for the ‘other gender’ that is not particularly male or female. Currently, within the American society, there is a growing awareness of individuals who are transgender. Much of this awareness comes from LGBT movements and

A person’s sex is determined on the basis of three fundamental human physiognomies, chromosomes (XX for a female and XY for a male), gonads (ovaries for females and testes for males) and the obvious being genitals (vagina for a females and a penis for males). However socially, gender identity is formulated on the grounds of stereotypical roles from both

Transgender issues cover a a multitude of spheres: discrimination (at school, in the workplace, when looking for housing), violence, suicide, and identification through legal documents to name a few. Transgender individuals deal with greater struggles than that of cisgender individuals, or those who identity as the gender which they were assigned at birth. Perhaps one of the greatest struggles transgender individuals have to deal with is acceptance, whether it be acceptance from others or acceptance of themselves. Cisgender individuals, or those who identify with the gender identity given at birth, do not have to worry that their gender identity will be accepted; society has already dictated it to be ‘normal’ and ‘acceptable’ (“Definitions of Terms”). Trans individuals are not afforded this luxury.

In the documentary Middle Sexes: Redefining He and She, the prejudices towards transgender and intersex individuals, as well as the fear they experience because of these prejudices, are underlined. A transgender individual is one that identifies with a gender that is not associated with their biological sex. An intersexual individual, however, is one that is born with indefinite sexual anatomical characteristics, making it difficult to identify as a male or female (Croteau & Hoynes, 2013). In addition, this documentary emphasizes the impact of cultural expectations on sexual orientation and gender identification.

The body once established as “natural” and binary sex an unquestioned “fact,” is the alibi for constructions of gender and sexuality, which can purport to be the just-as-natural expressions or consequences of a more fundamental sex. It is on the foundation of the construction of this natural binary sex that the binaries of gender and heterosexuality are likewise constructed as innate. This narrative “gives a false sense of legitimacy and universality to a culturally specific and, in some cases, culturally oppressive version of gender identity” (Butler 329). Without a critique of sex as produced by discourse, Butler claims, the distinction of sex and gender used to contest the constructions of binary gender and enforced heterosexuality would be wholly ineffective.

Viviane Namaste is a Canadian transsexual woman, an activist, sociologist, and a women’s studies professor. In her book, “Sex Change, Social Change: Reflections on Identity and Institutions”, Namaste reveals the limitations that only focusing on and questioning identity may create. In addition, Viviane Namaste provides an alternative ‘framework’ that would allow transsexual individuals to converse about the circumstance they encounter on a daily basis. Although Namaste agrees that questions concerning identity, gender, and sex are important, these questions seem to denounce the issues that transsexuals endure on a regular day-to-day basis. This is because the questions concerning identity fail to concentrate on the restrictions imposed onto

Traditionally speaking, most people view sex and gender as interchangeable, synonymous, and biological. As more studies and research are done, more professionals are realizing the vital difference between the two terms. Sex, according to sociologist Doctor Zuleyka Zevallos, is the “biological traits that societies use to assign people into the category of either male or female, whether it be through a focus on chromosomes, genitalia, or some other physical ascription”. She goes on to say that the definition of gender is “the cultural meanings attached to men and women’s roles; and how individuals understand their identities including, but not limited to, being a man, woman, transgender, intersex, gender queer, and other gender identities” (Zeyallos, 2014). We see sex as something we are assigned at birth due to the body parts we are born with, and we see gender as the way one identifies with their assigned sex. In the majority of cases, assigned sex and gender identity line up, but less often it does not. In these cases, we see individuals who are transgender, gender queer, gender fluid, and more. More people are coming forward about these different ways they are experiencing gender, so many people assume these ways of experiencing gender are new.

“I am transgendered. I was born female, but my masculine gender expression is seen as a male…it’s the social contradiction between the two that defines

In Trans Politics and Theory, we have had an ongoing conversation about the constructs of gender. Specifically, we have talked about Riki Wilchin’s ideas of gender as both a system of meanings and a system of regulation. This essay will attempt to define those phrases and describe their implications, as well as connecting them to what we have read for class, to current events, and to my own experiences. Wilchins speaks about the construction of gender in her book Genderqueer: Voices from Beyond the Sexual Binary. Our class read and discussed the second chapter, entitled “It’s Your Gender, Stupid!”

Culture and society shape and mould us into who we are in today’s world, and it is apparent that the fluidity of culture and society is held responsible for one’s gender to change over time. In the East, most transgenders in countries such as India and Thailand challenge cultural and social norms to claim alternative gender in this world. In the West, however, most transgenders define themselves as the opposite gender than the one others would consider as matching the one they were born. Looking at the example of a male identifying as a female, Lewins (1995:48) mentioned the tensions intertwined to the culture one was born into to the confusion of one who

Sexuality can be primarily defined as an individual’s “capacity for sexual feelings” (OpenStax College, 2012. Pp. 270). On the other hand identity, in this case, gender identity is “a person’s self-conception of being either male or female based on his or her association with the feminine of masculine gender roles” (OpenStax College, 2012. Pp. 262). People may be discriminated and be victimised based on their perceptions of sexuality and identity, especially if they fail to conform to the societal norms and expectations (Beemyn, 2012).

How many genders are there? Many seem to believe that more than two genders exist, while others are adamant about the binary nature of gender being Male and Female. The notion of gender being non-binary is not a new idea, rather the debate regarding it goes back over a century. While the debate rages on, it is the opinion of most that there are only two genders. While many maintain that gender exceeds the traditional two, only two genders exist in the human species, although common ground can be found in the everlasting struggle to fit in.