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A...Rant? Sort of?

Discussion in 'Gender Identity and Expression' started by GailtheFail, Jun 6, 2015.

  1. GailtheFail

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    So the other day, I find myself thinking, since I really don't believe in gender stereotypes, does that mean I should just identify as agender?

    Let me explain. To me, anyone of any gender should be able to dress however anyone else might. No "male" or "female" clothes.

    However, in my eyes, that also means that male and female really have no differences in the slightest.

    Without male or female, it eliminates the need for androgynous and binary genders.

    Just an opinionated thought, no hate please.
     
  2. kaotyc

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    I've thought about that too honestly. And without male or female, it would eliminate homophobia, transphobia, etc. Etc.
     
  3. AlexTheGrey

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    Is gender just stereotypes and clothing? That's a bold claim, to be honest. It also implies that people who transition from male to female and vice versa have some sort of problem. If there is no male and female, why would someone be inclined to "change"? Any ideas of gender would have to account for the transitioning community, IMO, as they suggest there is something intrinsic in how we see ourselves. In my case, I tend to view myself as being tomboyish. Not terribly stereotypically feminine, but it is still female when I was designated male at birth. So how does that work in this supposed model?

    I'd subscribe more to the idea that we consider to be gender is a mix of inclinations and biology filtered through the lens of social norms and language. Julia Serano has a better description in her essays, IMO. Things like stereotypes and clothing would be side effects of the filtering effect rather than the core, or cause, of gender.
     
  4. Mogget

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    There's a difference between gender abolitionism and being agender (I'm both!). Even if gender shouldn't exist as a social construct it still does and you can believe in getting rid of it while still identifying with a particular gender. At the same time, I think being agender (and not having any internal sense of gender) can lead to being a gender abolitionist.
     
  5. darkcomesoon

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    Different people will define gender in different ways, but this is how I see it. Gender isn't based on stereotypes. Gender isn't based on what you wear. Gender is based on how you relate to your body. You are assigned a gender based on your physical sex. You are cis if you feel 100% content with your sex characteristics. You are trans if you feel any sort of disconnect or discomfort with your sex characteristics. Taking away gender stereotypes would not stop gender from existing. Taking away gender stereotypes would actually be incredibly awesome. But trans people would still exist because dysphoria would still exist.
     
  6. Acm

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    Gender stereotypes and gender roles are different from gender identity. I feel like being trans would still exist even if there was no societal idea of gender. I think darkcomessoon summed it up pretty well.
     
  7. Matto_Corvo

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    I can understand where you are coming from, but gender is something that can't be simply gotten rid of. Gender (or lack there of) is an innate (and sometimes subtle) part of a person. Now gender expectations, stereotypes, roles, etc. Those should be gotten rid of. I think instead of getting rid of gender, gender should be thought in school so people know that there is more than the binary and no one has to try and fit into a box that is not them.