Worcester State Summer I. HE 210 AL: Women’s Health. Professor Buglione.

1. Chapter 9: Gender Identity & Sexual Orientation Katelyn Hartnett June 6, 2011

2. Important Quotes “Our attractions and identities are powerful and intimate parts of who we are.” “Our race, class, geographical, physical, and sexual identities affect and shape our gender, and it may change over time; some people maintain that gender is not necessarily an identity that remains the same from birth to death.” “We all hope that others respect our identities.”

3. Sex & Gender Sex= biological features (vagina, uterus, penis, testicles) Gender=refer to behavioral characteristics (masculine, feminine) or refer to identity (man, woman) Sex & Gender: different concepts but connected Common idea: Gender identity is tied to our biological sex Idea of gender and sex being separate allows people to express themselves outside the stereotypes of how society thinks they should act

4. Transgender Definition: people whose gender identity and/or presentation do not fit traditional norms Abbreviation= “trans” Raised as woman but conduct self like man Buy male clothes, Cut hair short Grow facial hair, Bind breasts, Take male hormones Raised as man but conduct self like woman Take estrogen, Get breast implants, Wear wigs

5. Transsexual Definition: Person who lives as opposite gender “We feel we were born in a body that doesn’t match who we are inside” Changing can involve: Names, Use of pronouns, Clothes, Taking hormones Sex Reassignment Surgery Vaginoplasty=creating vagina out of male genitals Phalloplasty=creating penis + scrotum out of female genitals and skin grafts In addition to “He”, “She” or “Him”, “Her” can refer to transsexual as “Ze” and “Hir”

6. Sexual Orientation Refers to whom we find attractive Straight/Heterosexual=Women who are sexually attracted to men and men sexually attracted to women Gay/Homosexual=Women who are sexually attracted to women and men who are sexually attracted to men Lesbians=Women who are sexually attracted to women Bisexual=People who are sexually attracted to men and women Queer= Describes an open, fluid sexual orientation Asexual= Someone who is not experiencing or is not acting on sexual attraction at a given time Pansexual= Someone who is attracted to people across the range of genders

7. Coming Out… To Ourselves.. Accepting + Affirming our sexual orientation to ourselves and deciding how to open up about it Often a gradual process Can occur at any age in our life To Family, Friends, & the World… Challenging + life-changing experience Risk losing family, friends, jobs but also liberating to be open about who truly are Additional challenges Being from traditional religious/conservative communities People with disabilities, weight issues, or from different racial groups already face discrimination

8. Homophobia, Heterosexism, & Transphobia Culture teaches us to discriminate + hate transgender and homosexuality Hurts everyone Deprives us of relationships against family and friends Prevents us from publicly acknowledging friends/partners Homophobia=fear + hatred of homosexuality or gay, lesbian, or bisexual people Risk of violence, rejection, harassment, + self-hatred due to internalizing Heterosexism=assumption that heterosexuality is the only normal orientation Denied legal (filing joint tax returns), religious (marriage), and social (stereotypes, job discrimination) privileges Transphobia=fear + hatred of transgender or transsexual people Difficulty to hold jobs, go to school, and go into sex segregated places (like public restrooms) without rejection, harassment, or arrest

9. Questions.. What makes a man a man and a woman a woman? Where does gender come from? Why do people assume gender and sex are the same concept? Should people be able to choose their own gender? How can stereotyping, discrimination, harassment, and violence toward transsexual and transgender be minimized?