Sexual Identity And Gender Identity

Gender coding is not a natural or biological characteristic. People are born with different physical and biological characteristics, but make sense of their gender roles through cultural influences. “Stereotypes are amazingly powerful, and we may not realize the degree to which our thoughts, beliefs, and actions are shaped by them” (Silverman, Rader, 2010). Boys and girls are labeled as masculine or feminine, which is considered the “norm” for society. Children are not born masculine or feminine, they learn these roles from parents, peers, media, and even religion. Concepts of gender identity are sometimes placed on children even before their birth, such as with the selection of paint colors for the nursery.” Children begin to form concepts of gender beginning around the age of 2, and most children know if they are a boy or girl by age of 3” (Martin & Ruble, 2004). From an early age, children are encouraged to identify with gender coding. Gender is formed at birth, but self-identification as being male or female is imbedded into their minds by parents and society. A child learns to understand their gender role and their identity by what is taught and expressed to them by others. Yet as a child grows, gender coding can cause cultural confusion, and insecurity issues throughout the course of their life.

Gender and gender roles are a somewhat complicated idea to understand. Contrary to popular belief, gender and sex are two different things in that “gender is not inherently nor solely connected to one’s physical anatomy” (“Understanding Gender”). When parents automatically assign their child a gender based on their sex organs, it leaves very little room for change later in the child’s life, because children born with female sex organs are not necessarily girls, just as children born with male sex organs are not necessarily boys. Rather, gender is based on mindset, personal identity, outward presentations, and behavior of the individual. Binary genders, or the broadly

Gender identity has always been a controversial subject because everyone has a different opinion or feeling about the subject, but until everyone fully understands the immense history, the different types of identities, laws that have been passed and changed over the years, money that has been spent, bullying that takes place every single day, or the hundreds of controversies that have been argued about the issue one will never begin to understand the actual subject of gender identity.

Transgender can be defined as a person whose self-identity does not conform precisely to conventional notions of the male or female gender. This self-identity problem can usually be accompanied by numerous forms of treatment to change ones’ physical appearance, and make it more consistent with their identified gender identity. In many cases, the individual can identify with the gender of the opposite sex to the point one believes that he or she is a member of that gender group trapped in the wrong body. This is also called Gender Dysphoria or formerly known as Gender Identity Disorder. The person with gender dysphoria or GD at times does not know that he or she have an actual disorder but more of a general discomfort with his or her biological sex. This also creates complications in their everyday life, when they are unable to interpret their feelings or rationalize problems they experience in a social setting (Gender Dysphoria, 2014).

Gender identity is an extremely personal part of who we are, and how we perceive and express ourselves in the world. It is a separate issue entirely from sex or sexual orientation. There are dozens of dynamic and evolving terms related to how people identify. “Although Children are taught that their genes decree whether they will grow into men or women, people are not born socially or culturally female or male. Like race and ethnicity, gender can be thought of as socially constructed” (Marsiglia & Kulis, 2015, p. 196). I identify as female because I was taught as a child that I am female because of the genital parts I was born with. I also feel like I am a female. I do have my beliefs on what being a female or male entails.

This paper will be a short summary of the ways in which a Counselor can navigate effectively the growing yet sensitive topic of Sexual Identity; based on Chapter 10 of the Christian Counseling Ethics book by Randolph Sanders, entitled The Sexual Minority Client. This paper will discuss the responsibilities Counselors have in being aware of their own competence levels to counsel efficiently clients who have questions regarding sexual identity. This paper will discuss controversies and issues surrounding homosexuality as well as the steps a Counselor must take to preserve their Integrity while preserving the well-being of the client. In conclusion, this paper

Proffering an acceptable answer to the question about sexual identity makes more sense by defining and explaining what exactly sexuality is. It is broadly defined as the summation of a person's sexual interests, behaviors and tendencies. It is can also be defined as one's responsiveness to sexual attractions. These sexual behaviors may live with such person through out such person's lifetime. Moreover, some commentators have defined it as the summation of one's feelings about the person's femininity or masculinity with the consciousness of one's self image in relation to interacting with others. Sexuality has a direct relation with the way one feels. Few of the determinants for sexuality are genetic factors, parental influence, influence of siblings and friends, societal influence and particularly how one feels about oneself.

In the article, it examines heteronormativity and transgender as well as how society has constructed them through culture, legal polices and education. It also mentions what steps need to be implemented to change the outlook on the patriarchal system in societies. The problems the authors have address and brought awareness to is that society often times ignores the fact that other genders may feel the need to change their identity without being prosecuted by society and should have the right to as human beings (Carrera, M., DePalma, R., & Lameiras, M., 2012). Many people have different concepts of what gender, and sexuality means to them. In the article the authors discus that facts such as gender and sexuality are social constructed in schools, legal systems and other sub systems (Carrera et al., 2012). Within the article it presents empirical evidence that supports some of their arguments. The

The sexual identity and uncertainty not only in minorities but across the globe and the concerns related the mental stability, stress levels suicide rate, and human rights implicated in the United Nations and according to International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission (2017) throughout the world. Although the cultural and social barriers do exist, the LGBT community as a whole does exhibit a certain unity for the protection and discrimination of its members.

After recognizing, and accepting oneself as bisexual men, the next challenge for most of the bisexual men participants was coming out to their parents. However, six out of the nine participants disclosed their sexual identity to their parents. One of the participant parent was discovered his sexual identity through his social media account. The participant laughed in this area - some of them said their parents always accused that they're gay. Their narratives revealed that many of the bisexual men accepted by their parents, many of them also strived to compensate for their sexual identity apparently in an effort to receive parental acceptance.

The process of asylum itself can be tool for creating trauma, in the hands of untrained adjudicator becomes a weapon that tears apart these vulnerable, traumatized, LGBT asylum-seekers and leaves lasting wounds that may never see a mental healthcare practice. The issue centers around the focus on the homosexual identity over homosexual acts, and the burden to prove this western, homosexual identity. Homosexual practices are analyzed with scrutiny and many times prejudice to no avail. Closeted, bisexual, and those of non-binary gender identities are downright rejected or humiliated in asylum court for not conforming to the standard homosexual identity. The literature review reveals stories of gay men and lesbian women being rejected on the

Former President, Obama once said, “We are big and vast and diverse; a nation of people with different backgrounds and beliefs, different experiences and stories, but bound by our shared ideal that no matter who you are or what you look like, how you started off, or how and who you love, America is a place where you can write your own destiny.” Many things have changed in the past decade, the United States electing its first African-American president not only for one term but for two. President Obama administration helped expand and advance equality regarding the LGBT community. The Obama Administration provided support and equality towards the LGBT community. Numerous people have come to accept their ‘true identity’ without the fear of

There are a variety of ways people can identify themselves as. Through their clothes, the music they listen to, the major that they will choose to pursue in college, and hundreds of other choices. Each identity branches off into hundreds of categories that are unique in their own way. For clothes. people can identify themselves as punks, hipsters, preppies, and many more fashion styles. The same concept can apply to music, college majors, and even genders. In the 1950s, it was extremely typical and socially accepted that there was a male and female, but it is 2015 and times have drastically changed. Due to the concept of subcategories of different categories, I strongly believe that there can be more than two genders along with the male and

The final sample was composed of 6879.56 girls from grade 8 to 12 (Riskind, Tornello, Younger & Patterson, 2011, p. 1958). From this final sample, approximately 2386 surveys were missing data about partner gender and sexual identity, so they excluded those girls from the “analyses on a pairwise basis” (Riskind, Tornello, Younger & Patterson, 2011, p. 1958). The authors with the results were able to confirm their first hypothesis and rejected their second hypothesis (Riskind, Tornello, Younger & Patterson, 2011, p. 1959-1960). First of all, results show that people with heterosexual or lesbian sexual identity were older than people who considered themselves as bisexual (Riskind, Tornello, Younger & Patterson, 2011, p. 1960). Another finding was that the majority of heterosexual girls answered that they only experienced sexual exchanges with male partner while lesbian (40%) and bisexual (58%) reported that they had sexual intercourse with both genders (Riskind, Tornello, Younger & Patterson, 2011, 1960). However, 68 % of girls who reported sexual intercourse with only females answered and labeled themselves as heterosexual (Riskind, Tornello, Younger & Patterson, 2011, p.

Many parents voice a fear about their child learning about gender, gender identity, and sexual orientation. They think that hearing, seeing, or learning these things will influence their child. According to research, however, no matter how often children are exposed to these topics they still will make their own decisions later on in life on the matter. Often parents are upset when they hear their children are learning about these terms because they do not know the dictionaries definitions for these words are. According to webster; gender is the state of being male or female, the word typically used to reference social and cultural differences rather than biological ones. Gender identity is a person’s perception of having a particular gender that may not correspond with the sex they were given at birth. Sexual orientation is a person’s sexual identity in relation to the gender to which they are attracted. Many times a person’s sexual orientation can be labeled as heterosexual, homosexual, or bisexual. Diversity is an important lesson to teach children especially at a young age. To understand how to best teach diversity about gender in a classroom background information, teaching strategies, and student’s understanding of diversity is important.