Sex, Gender and Sexual Orientation are Determined Genetically Without having any value judgments on sexual deviancy- the word itself many seem to imply disapproval. Whether it be transvestism, voyeurism, exhibitionism, or sadomasochism, sexual deviancy is by many considered unnatural and inhuman. However these two words 'unnatural and inhuman' is exactly what homosexuality is not. The truth is, sexual deviancy is as much a function of biology and as much a product of nature - as the orthodox sexuality which society accepts as 'natural'. Of course some adult sexual orientation is caused by early social conditioning, but through research and hard evidence, scientists have found that sex, gender and sexual orientation are all determined genetically. Kate Bornstein the author of Gender Outlaw, states that sex, gender and sexual orientation are all interchangeable like the shuffle of cards. As in her case, she was a transsexual man, but still desired 'only' women. As a transsexual lesbian she contends that though you may be born a certain sex (the physical genitalia), your gender identity can be the complete opposite. When Bornstein was still a physical man she stated: "I felt I was a woman, and more importantly I felt I belonged with other women." (Bornstein, 24) The problem, in her eyes, is how people treat one another differently because of gender. Throughout her book, she states that society is the cause of the problem. She condemns the social structure that is based around a bipolar gender system. What is a 'man' and what is a 'woman', in her mind, makes no difference. Her goal is to, "...dismantle the (two-gender) system..." and do away with any bias people have toward those who do not fit into the gender system that... ... middle of paper ... ...were initially skeptical, until gradually, the weight of scientific fact has shifted the opinion to the belief in these views. As seen in the film, Paris is Burning, homosexuality is not much of a choice, but a way of life that not many would chose living unless biologically destined to be. We must trust that the very knowledge of the natural and biological springs of sexual abnormality will bring about the recognition that the syndrome is natural, and may change our perceptions of what is normal. After all, the problem, such as Bornstein stated, is with our intolerance that they do not conform with what we think is 'normal' gender identity and sexual behavior. Though it is our biologically wired mind that makes us intolerable and aggressive to the 'outsider', it is our duty as a society to erase this ignorance by education of the genetically sexual 'deviant' ones.
Based on her 2004 book Transgender Emergence: Therapeutic Guidelines for Working with Gender-variant People and Their Families, Arlene Istar Lev developed two models to describe sex, gender identity, and sexual orientation. The first is a binary model. According to Patton et al. (2016), in this binary system “sex, gender identity, gender role (the enactment of gender), and sexual orientation are assumed to align and lead to the next” (p. 176). As Lev (2004) states in her book, the binary model assumes that “if a person is a male, he is a man; if a person is a man, he is masculine; if a person is a masculine male man, he will be attracted to a feminine female woman; if a person is female, she is a woman;
This represents a change in avenue of attack, not a broad ideological shift from historic eugenic arguments. Similarly, the search for the "gay gene," while a relatively new scientific concept, is highly reminiscent of previous understandings of queer sexuality, which located deviance in physical and/or hormonal "abnormalities." The idea that queer people's queerness is loc...
In this article, Shaw and Lee describe how the action of labels on being “feminine” or “masculine” affect society. Shaw and Lee describe how gender is, “the social organization of sexual difference” (124). In biology gender is what sex a person is and in culture gender is how a person should act and portray themselves. They mention how gender is what we were taught to do in our daily lives from a young age so that it can become natural(Shaw, Lee 126). They speak on the process of gender socialization that teaches us how to act and think in accordance to what sex a person is. Shaw and Lee state that many people identify themselves as being transgendered, which involves a person, “resisting the social construction of gender into two distinct, categories, masculinity and femininity and working to break down these constraining and polarized categories” ( 129). They write about how in mainstream America masculinity and femininity are described with the masculine trait being the more dominant of the two. They define how this contributes to putting a higher value of one gender over the other gender called gender ranking (Shaw, Lee 137). They also speak about how in order for femininity to be viewed that other systems of inequality also need to be looked at first(Shaw,Lee 139).
The Importance of Biological Factors in the Development of Gender Identity The biosocial theory suggests that gender identity develops as a result of the obvious biological differences between boys and girls and the hormonal differences between the sexes which can be observed in the foetus from about six weeks (Durkin, 1995). Supporting evidence has been found through animal studies, such as that by Young, Goy and Phoenix (1964) who gave testosterone to pregnant monkeys and found that any female offspring were prone to be unusually aggressive. Evidence is also found in case studies of humans. Imperato-McGinley et al. (1974) studied a family in the Dominican Republic in which four children were born appearing to be biologically female and were reared as girls until, at the age of twelve, they developed male genitals and took on the appearance of ordinary adolescent males.
The concept that gender is limited strictly to two categories, male and female, has been around since the beginning of mankind. The notion, also known as gender binarism, states that “human beings are by nature either male or female” (Shalko). In past societies, people have followed this idea of only two genders; however, in more recent years, people have uncovered a whole new variety of gender identities. This concept is called gender fluidity; it is the idea that gender has no boundaries that prevent people from expressing who they really are. In today’s world, gender is a touchy subject to speak or write about. Many people are unaccepting of the idea that there are more than two genders. It goes against everything they have ever learned.
“When trannies were growing up and coming of age-there was no place for us. We were kinda put on the fringes of society...the real safe space for us was out there on the streets” (Trans Views). OR “Gender is a universe and we are all stars” (Lacey Roop). Transgenderism can be best described as moving away from the gender assigned at birth. This can mean wearing the clothes, taking on the roles, and assuming the pronouns of a gender designated at birth, or rejecting gender entirely . Gender variance and transgenderism, although seen commonly throughout human history, are seen as unnatural and an insult to the sex that God “gave”. Many believe that sex and gender is the same thing, and therefore assume that one that is biologically female is a woman, and one that is biologically male is a man. There is a common misunderstanding that transgenderism is an expression of homosexuality, assuming that the trans person is straight. Sometimes, transgender is seen as a gender of its own, excluding transmen and transwomen from their own gender.
What controls a human's sexual orientation? The long-standing debate of nature versus nurture can be extended to explaining human sexual orientation. Is it biological or environmental? The biological explanation has been gaining popularity amongst the scientific community although it is only based on speculations. It is argued that sexual orientation is linked to factors that occur during sexual differentiation. The prenatal exposure to androgens and their affect on the development of the human brain play a pivotal role in sexual orientation (2). Heredity is also part of the debate. Does biology merely provide the slate of neural circuitry upon which sexual orientation is inscribed? Do biological factors directly wire the brain so that it will support a particular orientation? Or do biological factors influence sexual orientation only indirectly?
Homosexuality is a sensitive topic and often avoided in conversation. For centuries the human race has oppressed and persecuted others strictly because they are gay, lesbian, bisexual etc. Although it is disturbing to most of us, these actions still occur in our society today, as many believe that homosexuality is abnormal and disgraceful. One supporter of this belief is Michael Levin, who strongly believes that homosexuality is highly abnormal and thus, undesirable. Although his beliefs and theories supporting this claim are subjective, there is evidence that can support his stance on this topic; we will analyze this claim in further detail and how it relates to his other views mentioned in this essay.
Looking at the Functionalist perspective it is perceived that the transgender community goes against society’s traditional concept of sex and gender. Transgender gender-nonconforming individuals face many obstacles in a society that is unforgiving of any individual who does not fit into the “appropriate” expectations or behaviors of gender identity or a gender binary system. The rules of behavior in our society that are considered “appropriate” for women or men inhibit us all. This is the social construction of gender roles, patterns of socially defined behaviors and expectations that are associated with the female and male; men have to dress, act, and speak in a hard, masculine way, while women are to be feminine and soft. There’s not much room for individuality there and for some of us, this is a little more challenging. There seem to be some misconceptions about gender and sex, I believe it is much more complex than we came to
There are many people who are firm believers that if you are gay, you were born that way and it has nothing to do with your surrounding environment. There have been lots of scientific research and studies done to help prove this side. For example, many scientists have done in depth studies on th...
Instead, the queer theory and social constructionist approach creates space for transgender and gender non-conforming identities and bodies that do not fit the rigid frames of a “true transsexual” category; embrace gender as socially constructed, potentially non-binary and fluid; considers the enforced character of the “true transsexual” as conforming to a heteronormative dichotomy that can only imagine the identities of man or woman (changing gender markers, but staying within the socially accepted
From the moment people born, there are certain basic functions that will be with them throughout their lives. The abilities to eat, breathe, sleep, or to have the capacity to learn are a natural occurrence for most people. There are, however, traits that are specific to each individual. They are traits that set them apart from everyone else. The traits such as eye color, ones dominate hand, or susceptibility to a specific disease are a few traits that aren’t easily changed. However, there are some that are controversially questioned as to whether or not one is born with the trait or if it is a learned behavior. One of the biggest of these controversies is the question of whether sexual orientation is a choice or something that is beyond the individual’s influence. Although the evidence is commonly disregarded because of personal beliefs or opinions, sexual orientation is not a choice.
Since the first eukaryotes appeared, all living things have been reproducing primarily by a female and male union. Contrary to popular belief, there were other sexual relationships other than between opposite sexes. Homosexuality has baffled most of humanity as it seemingly goes against Mother Nature. While societies such as Ancient Greece viewed it as completely natural and it was a social custom, others viewed it with much resentment and considered it abnormal. Some want to treat this natural phenomenon as just another mental disease and cure it with therapy, while others think that if you engage in homosexual activities you will spend your after life in the fiery lakes of hell. However all three sides both present evidence to try to support their dogmas.
Gender is something that is often misunderstood. In a feature article from the magazine Teaching Tolerance, it states ¨Gender may seem simple, but the myths surrounding this concept mask its true complexity…Summed up, the myth goes like this: Every person is either male or female, and the distinction is based on that person’s anatomy¨ (Kilman). Many people don’t realize that gender includes more than just male or female and is separate from a person’s biological sex. In reality, it is a complex idea. Red, a person who identifies as genderqueer, stated in an interview that “[they] want people to know that there are those of us out there — we exist — whose gender is more complicated and less familiar, but that we are no less deserving of respect.
Sexual orientation is the preferred term used when referring to an individual's physical and or emotional attraction to the same and or opposite sex. Heterosexual, bisexual, homosexual and pansexual are all sexual orientations. An individual's gender identity and expression is distinct from their sexual orientation. Throughout life as the individual explores the world around them, they are shaped by the unique experiences and influences that are imparted upon them. All people experience life subjectively therefore there is no monolithic way of viewing or defining one’s sexual identity, however, there are particular experiences that may shape and develop specific characteristics or tendencies that a group of people may share. Andrew Sullivan addresses this very issue in his 1995 book, Virtually Normal: An Argument about Homosexuality. In the prologue, titled “What is a Homosexual?” Sullivan ponders what exactly composes a homosexual life and why certain environmental factors are fundamental and exclusive to the homosexual experience. He sees self-control/subjugation as a crucial part of all human experience, however, he considers the homosexual (more broadly, the LGBTQ) experience to be unique in that early on they learn to make sexual/emotional distinctions out of a need for survival. They learn to function within the parameter of certain social rules in order to blend and eventually this becomes a sort of second nature that is hard to break.