Okay so I've been thinking, wouldn't it be good if we could have two separate words for what our gender is and what our biological sex is? For example, I'm male, but I'm biologically female. I thought maybe it'd be easier for trans* people if we had two different words for it. So gender could be male/female and sex could be, I don't know, Y or X (just as an example). I think society would be a lot more accepting towards trans* people if they fully understood that sex and gender are different, but since we use the same words for both it might be harder to grasp. Just my opinion. Any thoughts?
It would have been useful if we had started out that way. But now that the world is used to them being the same, it would confuse a lot of people, and transphobic people would definitely not like it.
I see your point, labels are unhealthy and I do have an unhealthy obsession with them. But I think sex and gender do widely need to be recognised as different because I remember telling myself when I was younger that I was not allowed to think about being a boy because I wouldn't fit in with all the other girls, and I had to be a girl because I had girl parts, and I know a lot of people go through the same kind of thing. So I think we do at least need further education on the differences between sex and gender.
As a young 'man' or whatever I was only aware that people that tried to be the gender they were not born as were viewed with derision and disrespect. No wonder, if others had the same experience, that they also simply tried to be something they were not rather than face that. The ones that do anyways are amazingly brave. More education is definitely needed.
What we need is time. Lots of time. Time for people to get the idea wrapped around their heads, time for people to get out of what they've been told 24/7, time for people to accept it and at least tolerate it. Even just today, I saw yet another person crying out against non-binary people, arguing that what's between your legs determines your gender, and that non-binary people identifying as such isn't an identity about gender, but sexual orientation. There probably are hoardes of people who are against the idea of seeing gender and sex as separate things. 50 years ago, there were hoardes of people against the very notion of same-sex couples, let alone marriage. Maybe it won't be 50 years, but I can definitely say that it will be time that we need to be accepted. I may be in my 40s by the time that happens.
You are most likely right, but it's something I have difficulty accepting - I might be dead by the time trans* people are accepted fully, and that scares me. I just don't understand (or rather don't like) humanity's aversion to change when it really is necessary...
Fortunately, humanity has shown itself to be able to adapt quickly but unfortunately, also be stubborn. Despite this, I think the level of acceptance is growing at an exponential rate, as in, the more people who accept it, the more people who are going to change their views and accept it.
Sex, to me, is not just the chromosomes. It's a mixture of that, hormones, and your body features and functions. For example, someone may be assigned female at birth and look completely female on the inside. But their chromosomes are XY. This does not automatically make them male. Both definitions of sex and gender is very blurred and a lot of people squabble over it. So, yeah. That was my definition, anyway. If you want to differentiate from gender and sex, you can use "afab" and "amab" or "cafab" or "camab" to indicate your birth sex. AFAB and CAFAB stand for (coercively) assigned female at birth while AMAB and CAMAB stand for (coercively) assigned male at birth. "Coercively" refers to intersex people. But, a disclaimer, if I may? I'm uneducated in this sort of topics, so apologies if I spread misinformation or if I offended anyone. Just wanted to spark conversation, I suppose. My two cents.
Interesting thoughts. The problem I have personally with AFAB and things like that is I do not fault my parents for raising me as female, I was (and still am) biologically female, and AFAB just sounds a bit attacking to whoever assigned you, to me. Again, that's personal though. I agree with you that sex isn't just the chromosomes, it's a mix, but people will always have different opinions on that. I don't see much right and wrong, merely speculation. ---------- Post added 20th Aug 2014 at 10:09 PM ---------- Unfortunately worldwide those rates differ. I live in a reasonably accepting country but in certain places it really is tragic the struggle some people go through just to be themselves. I just wish everyone could be accepting and loving and rainbows etc etc.
If I may ask, how does it sound attacking? If you were referring to the coercively assigned sexes/genders, I read somewhere that the parents of an intersex child usually chooses their kid's sex, usually with the advice of a doctor. So that's why it's described as "forced". Unless I misunderstood something. Here's the article: Intersex babies
I wasn't referring to intersex people. I just think that, for me personally, it implies resentment to being assigned that gender, which I don't have. I'm not saying anyone else does or that it's wrong to feel that way, I'm just saying that I would not feel comfortable describing myself that way, for me. I have no issue with anyone else calling themselves that if they want. It's like queer. I wouldn't like to be referred to as queer, but some people do. I don't have a problem with people calling themselves queer, I just don't like it for me. Understand?
I'm sorry, I didn't mean to make my post sound condescending. I understand. I feel similarly to a lot of words, I just didn't know what you meant at first, I suppose.
Ughhh... Gender is a social construct based on biology. The gender barrier is slowly coming down. But that only changes with time and social pressures. People say gender vs. Sex is semantics. It's not. I refer to my biology as xy but my gender as female.