Don’t think you have a gender identity? Think again
A freshman student participating in my survey ‘Why do students have sex?’ responded to the question ‘What is your gender identity?’ by writing, “I have no f****** gender identity. I AM a Male. That's what my body composition is, so it doesn't f****** matter what my "identity" is.”
While this student’s reaction certainly was influenced by and typical of the current backlash against the LGBTQ+ community in the U.S., not so long ago, many people would have expressed the same or a similar sentiment or wondered what gender identity was in the first place. A hundred years ago, the only use of the term ‘gender’ was in grammar, where it referred to grammatical categories that divide words into masculine, feminine, and neuter classes, mainly in languages such as German, French, Spanish, or Italian.
It wasn’t until the 1950s that the sexologist John Money introduced the distinction between biological sex and gender. He suggested that gender was an aspect of one's identity that could be socially constructed and conditioned rather than purely determined by biology. This was a revolutionary idea at the time, yet acceptance and uptake were slow. Throughout the preceding millennia, people only knew two sexes: male (boys/men) and female (girls/women).
Using a broad-brush approach, we can say that sex is a biological and physiological characteristic usually determined by physical attributes such as chromosomes, hormone levels, and reproductive/sexual anatomy. Gender, in a socio-cultural sense, on the other hand, refers to the roles, behaviors, activities, and expectations that a society or culture deems appropriate for men, women, and other gender categories. It's about how society perceives individuals and how individuals perceive themselves. Use and understanding of the term still vary widely among different cultures, societies, and individuals, and the historical development and acceptance of this term and concept are ongoing and difficult to predict.
Unfortunately, this understanding of sex and gender as related but nonetheless distinct concepts is often forgotten or neglected in everyday use, leading to some of the fierce arguments and battles that currently surround the topic. For example, people throw gender reveal parties that reveal the (biological) sex of the baby based on ultrasound or, in some cases, genetic testing.
While this student’s reaction certainly was influenced by and typical of the current backlash against the LGBTQ+ community in the U.S., not so long ago, many people would have expressed the same or a similar sentiment or wondered what gender identity was in the first place. A hundred years ago, the only use of the term ‘gender’ was in grammar, where it referred to grammatical categories that divide words into masculine, feminine, and neuter classes, mainly in languages such as German, French, Spanish, or Italian.
It wasn’t until the 1950s that the sexologist John Money introduced the distinction between biological sex and gender. He suggested that gender was an aspect of one's identity that could be socially constructed and conditioned rather than purely determined by biology. This was a revolutionary idea at the time, yet acceptance and uptake were slow. Throughout the preceding millennia, people only knew two sexes: male (boys/men) and female (girls/women).
Using a broad-brush approach, we can say that sex is a biological and physiological characteristic usually determined by physical attributes such as chromosomes, hormone levels, and reproductive/sexual anatomy. Gender, in a socio-cultural sense, on the other hand, refers to the roles, behaviors, activities, and expectations that a society or culture deems appropriate for men, women, and other gender categories. It's about how society perceives individuals and how individuals perceive themselves. Use and understanding of the term still vary widely among different cultures, societies, and individuals, and the historical development and acceptance of this term and concept are ongoing and difficult to predict.
Unfortunately, this understanding of sex and gender as related but nonetheless distinct concepts is often forgotten or neglected in everyday use, leading to some of the fierce arguments and battles that currently surround the topic. For example, people throw gender reveal parties that reveal the (biological) sex of the baby based on ultrasound or, in some cases, genetic testing.
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Gender identity refers to people's internal sense of their gender. It's how individuals perceive themselves and what they call themselves. This can be the same or different from the sex assigned at birth. Individuals' gender identity can be male, female, a blend of both, neither, or something different. And most importantly, people may have a gender identity that changes over time. It's essential to note that gender identity and sexual orientation are independent of each other. They are distinct but interconnected aspects of a person's identity.
We can presume that people have had gender identities that didn’t match their biological sex since Homo sapiens came to be. There just weren’t any terms or labels they could use or that society would understand and accept. |
This changed slowly once gender started to be used as an expansion of biological sex. Leaving the binary system of male-female also included redefining the terms ‘male’, ‘female’, ‘man’, and ‘woman’, which proved rather complex and has yet to be accomplished. For instance, ‘female’ and ‘woman’ are often used interchangeably in everyday conversation. When it comes to gender identity, however, the terms can have different implications. In a gender context, a female is a person who identifies as a woman or girl. That may be the same as the person’s biological sex or different.
People may use the different gender identity terms in diverse ways and have very personal and unique interpretations of what these terms mean to them. This uncertainty or inability to clearly define gender identities without leaving gray areas is at the core of many discussions about gender identity. Defining ‘female’ strictly based on biological sex, for example, allows for a separation of sexes in athletic competitions as well as in the use of public restrooms.
As a gender identity, ‘female’ describes any person who identifies as a woman or girl independent of their biological sex. Therefore, if people are allowed to compete in events or use public restrooms based on their gender identity, it challenges and may break societal and cultural norms and rules as well as laws, which is where things get particularly problematic.
There are numerous gender identities that people may identify with. Currently, the most used gender identities are:
Please keep in mind that these are just the most commonly used identities. There are other terms people use to describe their gender identity, and some people may define the above terms differently. Therefore, we should always keep in mind that everyone's experience with their gender identity is unique and personal and that we have no right to question people's self-identified gender.
Going back to the student who denied having a gender identity, I wasn’t able to write back and explain to him that by stating that he was a ‘Male’, he made it clear that his gender identity was ‘male’ because the survey collected data anonymously. To make matters worse, I could have told him that he’d be ‘cis male’ or ‘cisgender male’, as his gender identity aligns with the sex he was assigned at birth. But I don’t think he would have taken this news kindly.
People may use the different gender identity terms in diverse ways and have very personal and unique interpretations of what these terms mean to them. This uncertainty or inability to clearly define gender identities without leaving gray areas is at the core of many discussions about gender identity. Defining ‘female’ strictly based on biological sex, for example, allows for a separation of sexes in athletic competitions as well as in the use of public restrooms.
As a gender identity, ‘female’ describes any person who identifies as a woman or girl independent of their biological sex. Therefore, if people are allowed to compete in events or use public restrooms based on their gender identity, it challenges and may break societal and cultural norms and rules as well as laws, which is where things get particularly problematic.
There are numerous gender identities that people may identify with. Currently, the most used gender identities are:
- Female: Any person who identifies as a woman or girl independent of their biological sex.
- Male: Any person who identifies as a man or boy independent of their biological sex.
- Transgender: Any person whose gender identity differs from the biological sex they were assigned at birth. Transgender (or trans) women were assigned a male sex at birth but identify as female; transgender (or trans) men were assigned a female sex at birth but identify as male.
- Non-Binary: This is a term for people who do not exclusively identify as a man or a woman. Non-binary individuals may identify as a mix of both genders, neither, or a different gender entirely.
- Genderqueer: Similar to non-binary, this is a term for people who do not identify solely as male or female. They might identify as a combination of genders or as different genders at different times.
- Genderfluid: This is a term for people whose gender identity isn't fixed and can change over time. They may identify as male, female, both, or neither at different times.
- Agender: This term is used by individuals who do not identify with any gender. They may see themselves as being genderless or without a gender identity.
- Two-Spirit: This is a term used by some Indigenous cultures to recognize people who embody both masculine and feminine spirits.
Please keep in mind that these are just the most commonly used identities. There are other terms people use to describe their gender identity, and some people may define the above terms differently. Therefore, we should always keep in mind that everyone's experience with their gender identity is unique and personal and that we have no right to question people's self-identified gender.
Going back to the student who denied having a gender identity, I wasn’t able to write back and explain to him that by stating that he was a ‘Male’, he made it clear that his gender identity was ‘male’ because the survey collected data anonymously. To make matters worse, I could have told him that he’d be ‘cis male’ or ‘cisgender male’, as his gender identity aligns with the sex he was assigned at birth. But I don’t think he would have taken this news kindly.
