Origin of Identity: Acceptance Sexual identity is defined as an individual’s comfort level with his or her own biological sex. It is developed during the early stages of development and may be innate or continuous throughout an individual’s life, but for some it could change over time. Sexuality may or may not align with an individual’s biological sex. When sexual identity doesn’t align with their corresponding sex, questions arise, as to what factors influenced the new identity. Factors such as culture, biological factors, environmental factors, and society. On the other hand, it is thought that sexual identity is a result of a combination of interactions between these. Although, the exact cause of sexual identity is not known, …show more content…
Diamond was Involved in the case of David Reimer. He believed in the hormonal bases of gender identity. In Judith Butler’s essay, “From Undoing Gender,” we came to know David Reimer, a boy who “accidentally had his penis burned and subsequently amputated at the age of eight months” (Butler 299). The doctor’s mismanagement forever changed Gonzalez 2 David’s life. He underwent several sex changes within his life, under the direction of Dr. Milton Diamond and his colleagues. Butler writes, “Diamond argued that the presence of the Y is the most compelling evidence, that it is what is being indexed in persistent feelings of masculinity, and that it cannot be constructed away” (307). But in the end, David Reimer’s inner biological self, caused David to have doubts and mixed emotions about his identity. Butler states, “Although David comes to claim that he would prefer to be a man, it is not clear whether David himself believes in the primary causal force of the Y chromosome. Diamond finds support for his theory in David, but it is not clear that …show more content…
He says, “There were little things from early on. I began to see how different I felt and was, from what I was supposed to be” Butler (310). However, a key factor that greatly impacts someone’s sexual identity during critical stages of development are culture, the environment, and society. Culture and the environment surrounding the sexes is what shapes the ideas and behavior that men and women should hold. Society depicts what is appropriate for each sex. Margaret Mead illustrates this standpoint in her essay, “Sex and Temperament,” where she writes, “We shall be concerned with the patterning of sex-behavior from the standpoint of temperament, with the cultural assumptions that certain temperamental attitudes are ‘naturally’ masculine and others ‘naturally’ feminine” Mead (241). Another statement she says that greatly stands Gonzalez 3 out when deliberating about the impact of society on sexual identity, is “The knowledge that the personalities of the two sexes are socially produced is congenital to every program that looks forward towards a planned order
It was after I had lost someone in my life that was my other half. I didn’t understand who I was, what my purpose was, what made me who I am. As far as I was concerned I was reduced to nothing more than an individual that was now alone. I didn’t realize that my identity was partly crafted from simply just being by their side all the time, that whenever I was introduced to someone, or was talking to mutuals about them, I was known for being their best friend. After the fiasco that became the end of our relationship, I felt as if I was just floating through the days and nights. This feeling went on for about 2 months until I slowly came out of it. I didn’t experience a grand epiphany of any sort that inspired me to change myself. I was painting and listening to music and the thought just slowly came to me. I love to paint, and I love listening to and creating and playing music. I began to gain back my sense of identity by engaging in activities I loved. I’m a painter, a musician, a writer, a passionate lover of movies. I’ve learned that identity can isn’t set in stone, there’s always room for
An interesting point in the book is that David never articulates an explicit declaration of being homosexual, even though he in the end makes it quite clear that he's aware of his gender. This might be the author's way of intensifying David's inauthenticity. He never even mentions the word homosexuality trough out the whole novel. All the signs are there, and everyone can see it except David himself. Or, at least that is what he tries to do.
provided me with a different outlook of myself, and brought about new responses to some of
A brand new life spreads out in front of me, which has affected me mainly in three
started to change. “I was twelve and in junior high school and something happened that
Secondly, David is stuck in a world with religious propaganda where the Nicholas repentances becomes a re...
which leads David to believe that he can't do that as long as he's gay. David
David was always a type of person inclined to be melancholy. He was always a religious person. He made sure that he did everything right, because he was afraid of death. He performed all the duties of religion without a true conversion.2
point in time, being of such a young age, I started to block out a lot of what
Other things in my life changed as well. I started to care about school, and developed a love for learning. My grades reflected this, and soon I began to like school again. I became cheerful and jubilant in my own ways. I was still under the clutches of my computer addiction, but things were looking up. I made some new friends in my class, and was generally a nicer person. I started listening to the same songs I always have, but at the same time branched out to different genres. I became a better person both in and out of my
...unfair when I left, suddenly became people when I returned. I suddenly realized their good intentions and how they had sacrificed so much so that I would be able to educate and better myself. I made time for friends, and went out of my way to acknowledge and help people who I wouldn’t have noticed before. I fully appreciated everything in my life, and all the things I had taken for granted suddenly became important and meaningful.
reflective essay, I am being completely honest when I say I have matured into someone
An Event which changed my life, well when, I think back on my life there’s
...of my life, such as family, school, and work. Suddenly I was easily succeeding in all these areas, where as I had always struggled with them in the past. My health was better than it had ever been before which kept me from having to make visits to see the doctor, let alone the emergency room. I also had money saved up that would have previously been spent on fast food, cigarettes, and drinks at the bar.
confirm many beliefs and views that I had toward myself, my interactions with others, and what