Feminism Is Not The Fight For Equal Rights

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Recommended: How the media portrays transgenders

Predominantly, there are thought to be two sexes: male and female, and two genders: masculine and feminine (Kitzinger 1999), but nowadays we live in a society where intersex/transgender people are the new norm, whether we’d like to accept it or not. While sex and gender are two completely different concepts, oftentimes it is misinterpreted by the members of our society, to mean gender is related to sex. All the while people are being ignorant to intersex/transgenders, claiming that they are being affected by their existence. Gender roles are a part of our society and that people claiming “equal rights and equal privileges are fighting a losing battle, if not are actually hurting their own cause.” (Why Feminism Is Not The Fight for Equal Rights). …show more content…

From birth, males are taught to be masculine and it is this type of instillment that oppresses men and women. While men are each other's biggest opponents as my sociology teacher Mr. Francoso told me, they look for any signs of homophobic and feminine features, explains how oppression starts here. Men are usually praised within their own roles, but women are forced to stay within their role. Be feminine, sexual, and must have a career. Gender roles exist, they are instilled, unfair, and the people trying to make them fairer are putting women down instead of giving them the equal rights that men have. Me, being a veteran, I would have never thought that anyone would be exempt from voluntarily wanting to serve and fight for their …show more content…

In another article by Emily Greenhouse “New Era For Intersex Rights” she tells us the story that Jim Ambrose (an interssex born child) lived while undergoing this condition, taking us back to Kitzinger’s definition of intersex. He tells us about his horrific childhood he experienced due to his parents not having been given much of an option by their doctor but merely “they had a problem and they could correct it” showing us “consequently, in the typical circumstance of a child being born with ambiguous genitalia, a ‘psychosocial emergency’ is declared with the intent of ‘fixing’ the child” (Kitzinger, 1999). His whole life growing up he lived as the opposite sex not being able to enjoy his childhood or even his life. Could not go on vacation with his friends because he had to go “get his testicels chopped off” instead. Ambrose tells us how he would have preferred to be allowed the opportunity to explore his own identity and then, him choosing “to later, have surgery” which would have made it easier for him identify formation as an adult. One final thing that i took from this article that really opened my eyes when he said that he has talked to many intersex people and says that not one of them has been happy with the treatment they have received from their physicians”. This is why it is important to educate ourselves on the matter on the specific interesex condition

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