Gender (Part 2)
Chapter from “Culture Is Not Your Friend: Sex, Death, Drugs & Madness”.
The Gender Spectrum
New York City recognises 31 different genders. Facebook has 51 gender options. There may be more.
The easiest way to think of gender is to see it as a spectrum, usually with male on one end, and female on the other, and a long expanse of possibilities in between. And some possibilities outside of it all together.
You could say that gender is a lot like religion. There are many religions out there, just as there are genders. And just as some have no religion, some have no gender.
“But if I don’t know what gender they are, how will I know how to treat them?”
Treat them like human beings.
Transgender
“Transgender is an umbrella term for persons whose gender identity, gender expression or behaviour does not conform to that typically associated with the sex to which they were assigned at birth.” – American Psychological Association
One question that people have is,
“Do all transpeople want sex change surgery?”
Some transgendered people require hormones and surgery, others do not. Being transgendered does not necessarily mean that you are transsexual. You could be a transvestite or bi-gendered for example and not need surgery.
Some would like to have surgery, but cannot afford it or have health concerns that prevent them from getting treated, which can be a great burden.
Being transgender and in need of surgery is a bit like wearing a tattoo advertising something that you have no intention of selling, and constantly being asked to represent what you are not selling. Share on X
If you were a Republican and someone tattooed “Democrats do it better” across your forehead you would not feel very comfortable, would you? Even if everyone around you was OK with it. “No shame in being a democrat, son. Not my cup of tea, but you do whatever makes you happy.”
Nope. That still does not make it easier to live with.
So, you try to remove the tattoo.
“But aren’t these people sick? I mean, like mentally ill and stuff? Is it okay to do surgery on those people?”
Where do you cut someone to cure their depression?
Their schizophrenia, PTSD, bipolar disorder or social anxiety?
The simple answer is that you do not, as mental illness can not be fixed with surgery.
The very fact that the discomfort experienced by some transgendered individuals can be removed by surgery, and that it enables them to live long, happy and productive lives, points to it being a somatic condition and not a mental illness.
Gender Across Cultures
Heteronormativity is a pain in the backside. It teaches us that we should behave a certain way based upon our genitals. But does the same mould translate across cultures?
Here are some culture caricatures to illustrate how gender is viewed differently, and please bear in mind that these are not actual examples, but grotesquely exaggerated tendencies used to bring a point across.
Culture one – High degree of gender inequality. Women are objects, men are subjects.
Female: A cooking, cleaning sex toy that produces children. Screams a lot when set on fire.
Male: Honourable, just and born to lead. Screams at the sight of a woman’s hair.
Culture two – Medium degree of gender inequality. Both men and women are subjects.
Female: Never runs out of things to say and likes to go shopping. Screams whenever there is a sale on at the mall.
Male: Hard working and dependable. Inexhaustible ATM and sperm donor. Screams when he sees the monthly credit card statement.
Culture three – Low degree of gender inequality. Both men and women are subjects.
Female: Smart, independent and capable. Values cooperation over competition. Screams at injustice.
Male: Smart, independent and capable. Values cooperation over competition. Screams at injustice.
As you can see, from the use of these caricatures, there is no fixed mode of behaviour or any particular quality of gender that translates across cultures. Because gender is culture.
The behaviour that is expected of the genders depends on the degree of gender equality that the culture has, and to what degree both men and women are regarded as people – subjects, rather than objects. Share on XWhenever we label ourselves as one or the other gender, we are trying to convey how we believe we should be treated in our culture, what role we expect to play and what our natural inclinations are.
If I call myself a woman, I am telling you that I to a large extent agree with my culture’s definition of what that is, and that I will both behave and expect to be treated accordingly.
If I say that I am genderqueer, agender or two-sprit, I am saying that I do not believe in these heteronormative culture labels of male and female and that neither of them suit me.
© Merlyn Gabriel Miller
