AGLBICAL
SEX AND
GENDER
RELEVANT
LINKS
Center for
Gender Sanity
Diagram of
Sex and Gender
Jessica Pettitt
Wikipedia:
Gender Identity
Gender Identity
Development
Sexuality and
Gender Identity
Keep Kids Healthy:
Gender Identity
Gender Identity
and Sexual
Orientation
Monash University:
Gender and
Medicine
Univ of Hawaii:
Pacific Center
for Sex and
Society
Born Different
MORE INFO
Frequently
Asked Questions
LGBT
Glossary
Transgender
Issues
Reports
Language
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&
Declarations
Homophobia &
Heterosexism
Myths &
Misconceptions
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MORE THAN JUST
PHYSICAL
New Sex and Gender Model
Sex and gender are terms that are
often used interchangeably and frequently seen as synonymous. For
purposes of a discussion that leads to greater understanding of human
sexuality, let’s consider sex and gender as separate concepts.
Additionally, let’s examine variations and aspects of sex and gender.
And let’s further consider the notion that one’s sex and gender may not
be defined in the extremes but instead along a continuum.
Sex
and gender can be discussed and understood in terms of physical,
psychological, social, and emotional perspectives. What do the various
labels mean? What is meant by sex, gender identity, gender expression,
and sexual orientation? This is an attempt to delineate the differences
and clarify the terminology.
SEX (Physical)
Male or Female
Sex
is described with regard to physical elements and in terms of one’s
biology and anatomy. A person’s sex is defined as his or her medical
assignment as manifest through organs, genitals, hormones, and
chromosomes.
A person might be male or female. Or a person might be intersexual,
transsexual or hermaphroditic.
GENDER IDENTITY (Psychological)
Man or
Woman
Gender identity is one’s psychological
understanding of self. It is defined in terms of roles, perceptions, and
self concept. A person’s gender identity can be described as the way in
which he or she views him or herself.
A person might be a man (boy) or a woman (girl). Or a person might be
two-spirited or third-gendered.
GENDER EXPRESSION (Social)
Masculine or Feminine
Gender expression is a social construct.
It can be defined with regard to societal expectations and
interpretations. A person’s gender expression can be described as the
way in which he or she communicates his or her gender to others. It is
manifest through outward appearance, mannerisms, clothing, hair style,
and speech pattern.
A person might be masculine (butch, top) or feminine (femme, bottom).
Or a person might be androgynous (transvestite).
SEXUAL ORIENTATION (Emotional)
Homosexual or Heterosexual
Sexual orientation is described as one’s
emotional identity. It can be defined in terms of one’s romantic or
erotic response. A person’s sexual orientation is described with regard
to sexual behavior and is manifest through attraction, affection,
relationships, and love.
A person who is attracted to persons of the same sex are homosexual
(gay, lesbian) and a person who is attracted to persons of the opposite
sex are heterosexual (straight). A person might also be bisexual (both
sexes), asexual (neither sex), pansexual (all variations), or omnisexual
(all variations).
Download Sex & Gender Model
SEX AND GENDER
Definitions and Terminology
Biological sex includes external genitalia, internal reproductive
structures, chromosomes, hormone levels, and secondary sex
characteristics such as breasts, facial and body hair, and fat
distribution. These characteristics are objective in that they can be
seen and measured (with appropriate technology). The scale consists not
just of two categories (male and female) but is actually a continuum,
with most people existing somewhere near one end or the other. The space
more in the middle is occupied by intersex people (formerly,
hermaphrodites), who have combinations of characteristics typical of
males and those typical of females, such as both a testis and an ovary,
or XY chromosomes (the usual male pattern) and a vagina, or they may
have features that are not completely male or completely female, such as
an organ that could be thought of as a small penis or a large clitoris,
or an XXY chromosomal pattern.
Gender identity is how people think of themselves and identify in terms of sex (man, woman, boy, girl). Gender identity is a psychological quality; unlike biological sex, it can't be observed or measured (at least by current means), only reported by the individual. Like biological sex, it consists of more than two categories, and there's space in the middle for those who identify as a third gender, both (two-spirit), or neither. We lack language for this intermediate position because everyone in our culture is supposed to identify unequivocally with one of the two extreme categories. In fact, many people feel that they have masculine and feminine aspects of their psyches, and some people, fearing that they do, seek to purge themselves of one or the other by acting in exaggerated sex-stereotyped ways.
Gender expression
is everything we do that communicates our sex/gender to others:
clothing, hair styles, mannerisms, way of speaking, roles we take in
interactions, etc. This communication may be purposeful or accidental.
It could also be called social gender because it relates to interactions
between people. Trappings of one gender or the other may be forced on us
as children or by dress codes at school or work. Gender expression is a
continuum, with feminine at one end and masculine at the other. In
between are gender expressions that are androgynous (neither masculine
nor feminine) and those that combine elements of the two (sometimes
called gender bending). Gender expression can vary for an individual
from day to day or in different situations, but most people can identify
a range on the scale where they feel the most comfortable. Some people
are comfortable with a wider range of gender expression than others.
Sexual orientation
indicates who we are erotically attracted to. The ends of this scale are
labeled "attracted to women" and "attracted to men," rather than
"homosexual" and "heterosexual," to avoid confusion as we discuss the
concepts of sex and gender. In the mid-range is bisexuality; there are
also people who are asexual (attracted to neither men nor women). We
tend to think of most people as falling into one of the two extreme
categories (attracted to women or attracted to men), whether they are
straight or gay, with only a small minority clustering around the
bisexual middle. However, Kinsey's studies showed that most people are
in fact not at one extreme of this continuum or the other, but occupy
some position between.
GENDER IDENTITY
And Sexual Orientation
According to the Canadian Federation
for Sexual Health (Formerly Planned Parenthood of Canada)...
"You
have a right to be exactly who you are.
People express their sexuality in many different ways; there is no right
or wrong way to be. You have the right to identify with the gender and
sexual orientation of your choice without fear of discrimination in
education, healthcare, social and political participation; and to live
free of verbal and/or physical assault."
They offer helpful information and resources on a variety of sexual health subjects, along with this discussion on gender identity and sexual orientation...
Gender Identities:
At birth, we are assigned one of two genders, usually based on our
visible genitals. For many people this gender assignment fits and feels
comfortable and they never think about it further. Others do not feel as
comfortable with their assigned gender, either because they find the
two-gender system too limiting or because they feel more identification
with the gender opposite that to which they were assigned at birth.
People deal with this discomfort in many ways, sometimes only in
personal ways, and sometimes in ways visible to others.
Sexual Orientation: Sexual orientation refers to one's
sexual and romantic attraction. Those whose sexual orientation is to
people of the opposite sex are called "heterosexual", those whose sexual
orientation is to people of the same sex are called "homosexual" (or
lesbian or gay), and those whose sexual orientation is to people of both
sexes are called "bisexual." Sexual orientation is not necessarily the
same as sexual behaviour.
GLBTT2IQQ – what does it mean?
Gay -
A man who is romantically/sexually attracted to or involved with other
men; also used as an umbrella term for everyone who has same-sex
romantic/sexual attractions or relations.
Lesbian -
A woman who is romantically/sexually attracted to or involved with other
women.
Bisexual -
A person who is romantically/sexually attracted to or involved with both
men and women.
Transgender (or
trans) – is an umbrella term that includes people who do not fit
traditional male or female roles and expectations, and/or who identify
with a gender other than the one assigned at birth (e.g., women who feel
like men, or men who feel like women). Transgender does not imply any
specific form of sexual orientation. Individuals in the transgender
community express themselves in different ways. This can include
adopting the clothing and/or behaviours of the opposite or both genders,
use of hormones and/or gender reassignment surgery.
Transsexual –
Individuals whose gender identity is not in keeping with their physical
bodies. They may desire to, or have modified their body through hormones
and/or surgical procedures in order to bring their body closer to their
gender identity.
2 - Two-spirited is
a term for individuals who are considered to be neither women nor men
among many First Nations groups. It often implies a masculine spirit and
a feminine spirit living in the same body. It is also used by some
contemporary gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, queer and intersex
First Nations people to describe themselves. There are many indigenous
terms for these individuals in the various First Nations languages.
Intersex - A person whose sex chromosomes, genitalia
and/or secondary sex characteristics (e.g. facial hair, breasts) are
determined to be neither exclusively male nor female. An intersex person
may have biological characteristics of both the male and female sexes.
The intersex community has generally rejected the term ‘hermaphodite’ as
out-dated. Intersex people may or may not identify as part of the
transgender community.
Queer - Some people prefer to be called queer rather
than gay, lesbian, bisexual, or trans. For some people the term queer is
positive and empowering.
Questioning - People who are either experimenting with
or exploring their sexuality, or who refuse to label their sexual
orientation.