GENDER AND SEXUALITY

GENERAL COMMENTS ON GENDER AND SEXUALITY

“Gender-crossing is so ubiquitous, that genitalia by itself has never been universal nor essential insignia of a lifelong gender. Gender instead is an achieved status rather than an ascribed biological characteristic and is based on tasks performed and the significance of clothing as well as anatomical and other factors.”

(cross-cultural views of gender-crossing. Page 5.)  ‘Cross Dressing, Sex, and Gender’. Vern L. Bullough/ Bonnie Bullough.  University of Pennsylvania Press. 1993.

“Many, but not all, were homosexual in orientation when they presented for treatment, which meant that they might have seen sex reassignment surgery as a means for them to become heterosexual.”

(Diagnostic Criteria. Page 259.)  

“The early transsexual population was made up primarily of men who wanted to become women, but the ratio has changed over time to  about four men to one woman, with the Swedish data showing a ratio of one to one.”

(Page 260)

“After surgery there is a significant decrease in the level of dissatisfaction among transsexuals but not among homosexuals.” 

(Page 260)

“It is a sad commentary on our society that some people feel less of a stigna about being a transsexual than they do about being homosexual.”

(Page 261)

“Transsexual therapy, legitimated by the terminology of disease, pushes patients toward an alluring world of artificial vaginas and penises rather than toward self-understanding and sexual politics. Sexual fulfillment and gender-role comfort are portrayed as commodities available through medicine.”

(Page 267)

“They concluded (john money, joan hampson and john hampson studied hermaphrodites) that pyschosexuality was neutral at birth and determined almost entirely by socialization. They identified the critical period for the development of gender identity as before 27 months of age.” 

“Using Money's format, a transvestite can either be heterosexual, homosexual, bisexual, or asexual. A heterosexual man or woman can be masculine, feminine, or ambivalent about gender identity.”

(Causes of transsexualism. Page 269.)

“Money and Ehrhardt argued that if the decision was made early enough, and providing it was unambiguous enough, socialization rather than chromosomal sex would be the key variable in determining gender indentity. This implied that nurture was stonger than nature in determining gender identity.”

(Page 270.)

“Sex reassignment surgery was popularized after Christine Jorgensen made her surgery public in 1952. The availiabilty of surgery as a treatment possibility caused the medical and scientific communities to rethink the diagnosis of transvestism and distinguish people who wanted both to live in the role of the opposite sex and to have different genitalia. ...there are a growing number of people who can be called transsexuals (because they want to change their gender role) who have decided to cross dress and live their preferred role full time with the help of hormonal therapy but without surgery. ... An important consequence of the transsexual movement was the interest it sparked in studies of gender identity and sexual orientation. ...We can now safely say that both gender identity and sexual orientation are the result of a combination of nature and nurture.”

(Summary. Page 274.)   

“As Devor states in her lecture, How many sexes? How many genders? When two are not enough (1996), we have begun to come to terms with the extraordinary bio-diversity around us in the world - together with an understanding of the need for its survival if the planet is to thrive - but, "unfortunately, we have been very slowt o generalise this concept to our understandings of gender, sex and sexuality. We tend to think of people whose genders, sexes or sexualities are unusual as 'mistakes' of either nature or of nurture. Our dogged insistence on thinking in terms of binary categorisations of male/female, man/woman, heterosexual/homosexual, either right/wrong serves to blinker our vision. It is time that we begin to ... retool ourselves for the job of coming to see, appreciate and understnade the value of human gender, sex and sexual diverisity." Devor, Holly (1996), 'How many sexes? How Many genders? when tow are not enough.' Univeristy Provost's lecture, University of Victoria, Canada."

(‘This is an absurd ordination for people to live in, in 2002'. Page 181.) ‘Unzipping Gender. Sex, Cross-dressing and culture’. Charlotte Suthrell. Berg.  Oxford. 2004.

“In my questionnaire, which was designated for 'Transsexual participants,' the first question was, 'Are you transsexual?' I assumed that this was a throw-away item and the second, 'What does transsexual mean?' would bring more colourful reactions. But MTF answers to Question no.1 include the following: I no longer consider myself a transsexual; I am at this point, a transsexual candidate; No  - I am a woman; No. I was during transition. I feel after completion of surgery, I'm no longer a person in gender transition.”

[ Meaning of transsexual - are they 'women' post-op, or still transsexuals? Third sex??]

(Sexualities and Genders: Eliminating dysphoria does not eliminate transsexualiam. Page 91.) S/He. Changing sex and changing clothes. Claudine Griggs. Berg. 1998. Oxford/New York.              

Think that's it for now...!

Tasha