Gender 101

I've decided it's high time to write a list of definitions which I've found people are often confused by, or more often not even aware of. This blog deals with the oft-forgotten "T" in "LGBTQ" (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer).
It took me a looong time to write this, so if I get any hatin' on it, I'll simply delete your comment. Bwaha!


SEX
This word is used to refer to physical anatomy. A person's sex is determined by the shape of their genitals, their chromosomes, and whether they produce sperm or eggs. Consequently, the word "sex" is correctly used in a solely biological context.


INTERSEX
A person who is intersex is someone who cannot be biologically determined as exclusively male or female. This is determined by the presence of either or all of the following; ambiguous genitalia, ovotestes, atypical chromosomes, etc. Intersexuality has so many variations that I can't include them all in a small summary.
A person who is intersex is not a hermaphrodite. Hermaphroditism requires that one is completely biologically male AND female. There is no confirmed record of true hermaphroditism in humans. An intersex person may or may not be assigned a sex role and may or may not choose a masculine or feminine gender identity.
Controversially, the most common management of intersexuality is surgery performed on intersex babies to make them appear more typically male or female. This is problematic largely because it means the intersex person cannot make a decision for themselves. Such surgery is also difficult to reverse if the person grows to find that their gender identity is socially incongruent with their assigned genitalia. Moreover, in 20 to 30% of cases, sexual sensation is lost as a result of this surgery. Some intersex people are never made aware of their intersexuality and some only as a result of questioning their sex role or gender identity.


GENDER/GENDER IDENTITY/SEX ROLE
The word "gender" originally referred only to grammatical gender, like that found in many European languages. It was claimed by feminists, in conjunction with the assertion that a woman is not born a woman; she learns to be a woman.

To put it crudely, sex is between the legs, gender is between the ears.

Upon emerging from the uterus and having their genitalia surveyed by a doctor, a baby is assigned a sex role. This means that if you have a vagina, you're proclaimed to be a girl and if you have a penis, you're proclaimed to be a boy. Social conditioning begins at the beginning, in spite of the fact that at this stage, babies are entirely genderless.

Without expensive surgery, a person cannot change their physical anatomy. Outwith that, every aspect of presentation can be chosen - what you wear, where and if you shave, where and if you wear make-up, which body parts you display and how you display them, what activities you take part in, the words you use and the way you act. These things are classified using the binary gender system - masculinity and femininity. Socially, masculinity is expected of people who are biologically male and femininity is expected of people who are biologically female. For example, if you are masculine in your appearance and mannerisms, it will likely be assumed that you have a penis. Whether you are masculine or feminine is also an indicator of how another person is likely to interact with you - many people are uncomfortable interacting with someone whose appearance is androgynous, because men and women are treated differently.

However, just like everything else, all aspects of femininity and masculinity are taught from birth. Boys are given cars, guns and action figures while girls are given dolls, make-up, etc. In contemporary society, the blurring of binary gender codes is accepted to a very limited degree. Certainly more so than pre-feminism, but not yet to the extent that all people are given free rein over their gender identity. A boy wearing eyeliner and nail polish is still found questionable.

In summary, your sex role is the role expected of you based on your appearance and mannerisms. Your gender identity is the gender you feel you are. Neither can be dictated by physical anatomy.


CISGENDER
A cisgender person is one whose gender identity matches what is socially expected of them based on their physical anatomy. For example, if you have a vagina and call yourself a woman, you're cisgender.


TRANSGENDER/TRANSSEXUAL
Now prepare yourself to wrap your head around this...

Transgender, in it's traditional sense, is a word used to describe people who are transitioning or who have transitioned from one gender to another. A female-to-male transgender person is a transman while a male-to-female transgender person is a transwoman. A person's gender has absolutely no bearing on their sexual orientation. For example, a transwoman may be gay, straight, bisexual, pansexual, asexual or any other orientation. A transwoman who identifies as a lesbian is attracted to women. A heterosexual transman would also be attracted to women!

In other usage, transgender is a catch-all umbrella term used to describe anybody whose gender identity doesn't match what is socially expected of them based on their physical anatomy. It encompasses a vast array of gender identities, including but not limited to; genderqueer, genderfucked, genderless/agender, androgyne, neuter, birls, bois, third genders, two-spirit, hijra, transmen, transwomen, boydykes, trannyfags, drag kings, drag queens, gender non-conformists, etc.

A transgender person may or may not decide to have full sexual reassignment surgery. A transsexual person is one who has had, is currently having, or plans to have sexual reassignment surgery. A person can be transgender without being transsexual, but only in extremely rare cases would a transsexual person not also be transgender.

There are a number of options for transgendered people who wish to medically alter their appearance. Transmen can take testosterone, which deepens the voice, extends the clitoris, causes hair growth, adjusts body mass, among other things. Transwomen can take estrogen, which causes breasts to develop and adjusts body mass, among other things. Transmen can have top surgery which involves removing the breasts and reshaping the chest with male contours, or in the case of transwomen, breast enlargements. Transwomen can have laser hair removal and voice coaching to raise their voice. Bottom surgery refers to genital surgery, which can be done in stages or all at once. All these procedures are extremely expensive and results vary in efficacy. For transmen in particular, options for bottom surgery leave a lot to be desired and a lot which can go wrong. Many transmen choose to take testosterone, undergo top surgery and a hysterectomy, but never undergo phalloplasty (the construction of a penis).

All these potential medical options often render it almost impossible to identify someone who is transgendered simply by looking at them, especially if they have been taking hormones. For an example of an (extremely cool and attractive) female-to-male transman who has had top surgery and taken hormones, go to my videos and watch "The Life" by Katastrophe.

Many transgender people actively choose not to medically or surgically alter their bodies because they don't believe their gender is or should be dictated by their sex. A transman may not believe that he is less of a man simply because he doesn't have a penis, while a transwoman wouldn't necessarily believe that she is less of woman because she does have a penis. However, outlooks of transpeople vary in the extreme and while some may be comfortable, others may feel literally tortured inside their bodies, while still others wish to change some aspects of their bodies, but not others.

Transgender and transsexual people are distinctly different from transvestites. Transvestites are primarily heterosexual men who dress in traditionally female clothing, for a variety of reasons, which may or may not have a sexual motive (sexually motivated transvestism is called transvestic fetishism). They are not in transition, nor do they desire to live as another gender 100% of the time.
(edited section)

In addition, I'd hate to in any way imply that being transgender or transsexual is a simple social or medical transition with no repercussions. It involves a complete overhaul; new passport, new birth certificate, new drivers license. It's expensive because it's not always covered by medical insurance. Transpeople are often rejected by family, friends and colleagues. They become the subject of derision and transphobia. Transphobia is common, even within the supposedly enlightened gay and bisexual community. Institutional transphobia means many transpeople are unemployed. Something as simple as using a public toilet becomes a massive deal. Non- or pre-operative transpeople are often obliged, by law, to use binary gendered public spaces, such as toilets and changing rooms, which "match" their physical anatomy.

A transgender person cannot happily be conditioned back into their original sex role. The only successful management of transgenderism so far is to allow the person to transition to the gender they identify with.

Despite the fact that transpeople make up only a tiny percentage of the population, more transpeople are murdered as a result of discrimination than all other minority demographics put together.


GENDERQUEER
This is one of the most common transgender identities, after ftm and mtf and is an umbrella term, which means supplementary phrases may be used by the individual to expand on their genderqueer identity. For example, being genderqueer and transmasculine, or genderqueer and also genderless.

A person who is genderqueer may consider themselves to be both a man and a woman or neither a man nor a woman. Their gender may fluctuate, meaning sometimes they feel and act masculine and other times, they feel and act feminine. They may consider that none of their actions or presentations can be qualified as either masculine or feminine, or perhaps only some of the time they can. Their identity may be static or it may be fluid. They may appear feminine, but act masculine, or appear masculine but act feminine. They may appear and act entirely androgynous. They may purposely play with their presentation to confuse people and subvert binary gender. Or they may remain relatively consistent in their presentation.

You cannot call somebody genderqueer unless you have already ascertained that they identify as such. Not everyone who doesn't appear to conform to binary gender rules will identify as genderqueer.


PRONOUNS (A Matter Of Respect)
Basically, if you meet someone who identifies themself to you as a woman, regardless of her appearance, you should use the female pronoun in reference to her - she, her, hers.
If you meet someone who identifies themself to you as a man, you should use the male pronoun in reference to him - he, him, his.
Genderqueer people may use any one or any mix of the following pronouns - he, she, sie, xe, ze, zie, they (singular) or it or they may choose to simply use their name.
If you're uncertain of what pronoun a person would prefer you to use for them - ask! It's a lot politer and less awkward than trying and getting it wrong.
The pronoun "it" is used only by those people who have carefully selected it for themselves. This pronoun should not be used freely in reference to transgender people because, for those who haven't selected it, it's extremely offensive.


A Thorough Well Done to anyone who read all the way through this.