Gender Identity An Unfamiliar And Confusing Concept

Gender identity is an unfamiliar and confusing concept to many people. Until recently, Americans have been taught and conditioned to believe that one’s anatomy and genetics are what determines one’s gender. Acting or dressing like the other gender was considered disgusting and taboo, and people who claimed to be transgender were thought of as severely mentally ill. Some would even confuse gender identity with sexual orientation; like believing that all transgender people are gay. However, now that the LGBT community is gaining more popularity and momentum than ever before, these individuals are slowly but surely becoming more understood and treated equally, as the idea of gender identity uncertainty and exploration is becoming more widely accepted. Americans are finally opening their eyes and ears so to be educated about these misunderstood and mistreated people. Has this been effective? Before that question can be answered, one must understand the terminology behind th e discussion. To begin, one must understand gender identity. It’s the gender one feels himself to be, and thus, the one he identifies as. According to Barbara A. Kerr and Karen D. Multon’s article, â€Å"The Development of Gender Identity, Gender Roles, and Gender Relations in Gifted Students† for the Journal of Counseling Development, one discovers his own gender identity by determining where he believes himself to be on a spectrum of maleness and femaleness, regardless of biological sex—meaning that he couldShow MoreRelatedGender Identity : Gender And Masculinity Essay1509 Words   |  7 PagesGender plays an enormous role in every society around the world. There are debates about whether gender is defined by strictly biological characteristics or social attributes. Others argue that gender is a spectrum, rather than the dichotomy of male and female. Masculinity and femininity are sets of attributes, roles and behaviors that are associated with men and boys and girl s and women, respectively. Both masculinity and femininity have specific traits that are both biologically and socially definedRead MoreFriendship And Cultural Discourse During Colonial India Essay1162 Words   |  5 Pagesemerged, Anglo-Indians and Indians were dichotomized. Using facts and concepts displayed in A Passage to India and Philipa Levine’s The British Empire, we can start to unwrap the dichotomy that evolved within the political climate of British colonization in India. In the historical fiction, interactions between the characters exhibit the limitations of friendship of between the Anglos and Indians. In colonial India, the cultural identity of both the rulers and the ruled strengthened. Consequentially, friendshipRead MoreMedia Project1616 Words   |  7 PagesArt as Technique 1. Defamiliarization is stripping objects or subjects from their individual or â€Å"familiar† characteristics and giving them unusual or â€Å"unfamiliar† traits to allow the reader to see it in a whole new perspective. An example of this is in Tolstoys defamiliarization of spanking, explaining the act as â€Å"to strip people who have broken the law, to hurl them to the floor, and to rap on their bottoms with switches.† The crude description removes the disciplinary context it had andRead MoreThe Religions Of Hinduism And Buddhism1587 Words   |  7 Pagesdistinctive soul, the world, and the highest Lord found within the Brahman. This led to another teaching- that the soul and body are connected yet different just as the Lord’s soul of an individual’s soul in a personal relationship includes both â€Å"identity and difference (Ludwig, p.94).Adding to further distinctions throughout Hinduism, through the years, other sectarian bhakti movement s have also expressed the ultimate sacred through more personal theistic terms such as the Great Vishnu, the greatRead MoreCommon Misconceptions on the Word Anime2635 Words   |  11 Pagesnot like it. They sometimes say I hate all anime saying that they never could get into that genre. This is a statement that gets my geek fathers rattled because anime is not a genre; it is an entire medium and whole form of entertainment. It is a confusing statement to say because to me that is like saying you hate all movies or TV shows. To traditional Americans who do not know a lot about anime, it tends to have a stigma attached to it. Hence is why I decided to write about it as a social devianceRead MoreLgbt19540 Words   |  79 PagesWhat Is LGBT? LGBT stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender and along with heterosexual they describe peoples sexual orientation or gender identity. These terms are explained in more detail here. Lesbian A lesbian woman is one who is romantically, sexually and/or emotionally attracted to women. Many lesbians prefer to be called lesbian rather than gay. Gay A gay man is one who is romantically, sexually and/or emotionally attracted to men. The word gay can be used to refer generallyRead MoreUnderstand the Factors That Can Effect Interactions and Communication of Individuals with Dementia4047 Words   |  17 PagesOutcome 1. Understand the concept of diversity and its relevance to working with individuals who have dementia. 1. Explain what is meant by the terms Diversity: This means difference and peoples differences are varied. Race, culture, age, marital status, politics and religion is all what makes us an individual. Anti-discriminatory practice: Action taken to prevent discrimination against people on the grounds of race, class, gender, disability etc. Anti-discriminatory practice promotes equality byRead More Depression in Children and Adolescents Essay3662 Words   |  15 Pagesanother’s point of view. They can be quite sympathetic and empathetic, particularly toward other kids who may be crying or having a difficult time. By the time they are around eight years old; most children are capable of understanding fairly abstract concepts. School-age children tend to move away from magical â€Å"there’s a monster under my bed† fears and into more reality-based anxieties (McKnew, 1996). They may worry about passing a spelling test, being accepted by their peers, or having their house blownRead MoreStudy Guide9234 Words   |  37 Pagesunderstand a topic. For example, students will say that they plan to marry for love, but society narrows the field; they are more likely to marr y individuals of the same race, ethnicity, age, educational attainment, and social class. Making the familiar unfamiliar also helps to explain how society shapes our lives. Sociologists ask questions about those influences outside the control of individuals. For example, if someone is successful, is he perceived as superior? If he fails, is he seen as personally lackingRead MoreEpekto Ng Polusyon19213 Words   |  77 Pagestheir authority over women, as well as to uphold male honour, is the use or threat of violence, women’s unequal status in patriarchal societies and consequently one’s value, status, authority, power, privileges, and socialization are determined by gender (Taylor, 2001). It is not only while enduring an abusive relationship that the woman feels the impact of the negative stereotyping associated with domestic violence, research shows that even after leaving the relationship, feelings of rejection and