Ahliyah Williams
Dr. Hinks
05/26/19
Help Received: References Ahliyah W.
The Elephant in the Womb
When trying to understand the difference between sex and gender, one has to take into consideration the multitude of the many types of identities that people uptake. From the fairly older terms like “gay”, “lesbian”, and “bisexual” to the newer terms such as “middle-sex” and “third gender”, society has adjusted around these new-identity persons more than any other years before. Not only have new terms come out, but laws with bathroom rules for both gender restrooms are being passed across multiple states, one of the most controversial topics to date. Even with all of these things that seem to be a step forward for human beings, we are still taking many steps back. The problem still lies in the fact that people are either too ignorant to identify people as what they want to be identified as or refuse to consider them anything more than any other thing that society has put into stone. For example, “third-gender”, defined as not being considered man nor woman, something that many people find it difficult to wrap their heads around. When discussing the subject of “society” one should consider the wholesome impact it has really had on people. Don’t even get me started on “gender roles”. It’s like playing a game of Operation when discussing it. A touchy subject that hits hotspots for men, especially in America.
The definition of “sex” is two categories that living things are divided into based on their reproductive system. This is something that for a long time could not be changed until medicine became more advanced and surgery improved. This now gives people the opportunity to change their genitalia. Many people get this term mixed up with sexual intercourse which is defined as sexual contact between individuals. The definition of gender is the label that a person has based on society and culture rather than biological factors. This is when the term “society” comes into play. See society is such an influential thing on people today that it can make people guess the gender of a child simply based on the masculinity or femininity of their name. Society has become so influential on the lives of people that it has made it become a social thing for parents to determine the gender of their unborn child who has not even been able to identify themselves in any type of way. The term “third-gender” is evolutionary for the world. Giving highlight to those identifying as that, the option of being labeled neither male nor female, but gender neutral “X” is being pushed to be the identification on official forms. An example of third-gender persons would be an entire community in India called the Hijra. These women have become so culturally accepted in India that a Hijra gender identity is being added to the voter’s list, giving these women the ability to express themselves comfortably.
What’s very interesting about the topic of heterosexual people discriminating against homosexuals is that many of those claim to be straight people may have inner sexual attractions towards the opposite sex. In a study conducted on heterosexual men who “never had a homosexual thought” and homosexual men, it was quite apparent that many of them were attracted somewhat into seeing homosexual acts. In society nowadays it is an urban term, “on the DL”, meaning on the “down low”. Young people say this mainly about straight men that are accused of being homosexual. I religiously believe in this term. I believe that just as in the video when straight men are watching homosexual acts and getting turned on by it, by grabbing a guys ass and bending over naked for another man, there is some type of curiosity flowing through those boys minds. That’s a problem with society is that is it normal for “straight” men to act like this in public, but a homosexual couple holding hands in public is “weird”.
Homophobia is a cultural and social norm. In this video:https://youtu.be/n-6njDZM974 , even without English translation, you can see the huge discrimination against these two men holding hands. Stares, snarks, and a whole lot of bleeps from multiple people. This is an example of how culture is a huge part of homophobia and discrimination. The video is named, “ Homophobia in Russia” for a reason. A homophobic culture, so bad that not even the police are putting a stop to. In the article, “Not A Sin To Thrash Gays’: As Russian Meme Convictions Mount, Police Shrug At Homophobic Slurs”, the author, Carl Schreck, said something unbelievable to hear:
“ Internet users in Russia have faced criminal hate-speech charges for mocking religion on social media, including for likening the Jon Snow character from Game Of Thrones to Jesus Christ.
But when a Russian LGBT activist complained to police about online comments saying “faggots should be pummeled” or “snuffed out,” they said no laws were broken — and that sexual minorities are not a group protected under hate-speech laws.”
Honestly, if people cannot be protected by the police whose only job is to protect and serve, then who can protect them?
Gender roles. Is there such a thing? Should men and women act in a certain manner that is socially and culturally acceptable? If women and men were still acting like people from the ’60s, we wouldn’t have all of the amazing things we have now such as RuPaul’s Drag Race show, showing men being feminine and switching the gender stereotypes. In speaking of gender equality and fairness, I don’t have to go any deeper than my Biology of Gender classroom. From discussions about abortion rights to even maternity leave, there was a hotspot in seemingly every male in the room. As I listened to one male saying, “A woman shouldn’t get paid if she’s not doing her job, hey! It’s business”, I begin to think if he has ever heard of “Gender Wage Gap”. Something very existent, women are being considerably paid less than men for doing the same job. So when women are carrying whole bodies in their abdomens for 9 months and unable to do jobs rather than men who on average work less than a woman, but still get paid more, where does “hey! Its business” live up to its role. Then I ask myself, “why do men care about if a woman wants an abortion or not?”. Many men wouldn’t even know what an ovary is, let alone be able to make a judgment on abortion. Also, it is completely unfair to me the majority of legislators that pass these laws are men, no representation of women at all. One of my favorite quotes is in the song Keep Your Head Up by rapper Tupac. It says “Since a man can’t make one (a child) he has no right to tell a woman when and where to create one”. Also, Jessica Valenti makes a great point on politician having control over women’s rights:
“The politicians passing these arcane laws seem to have zero understanding of how the implementation of their legislation will impact real-life women.”
With finishing off my essay, I have thought a lot about how much society and culture has shaped the way the world is now. I realize just how huge the spectrum of gender goes with not only identification, but roles played. The reason I title this essay, The Elephant in the Womb because I truly believe that the decision of being homosexual or any identifying gender is not caused by your environment, society, religion, etc. It is something that will be and will always be in someone since their time in their mother’s womb. Being gay is not a choice. It is biological and there are many other species who practice same-sex connections. Studies have not found a real “gay-gene”, but suggest that some genes “make being gay likelier”, says Ghose. There are many underlying problems in this world with the issue of stepping out your comfort zone and going against social norms to accept people, but with things such as label X, it is slow, but an evolutionary step for mankind into changing the way that people are able to express themselves.
References
Dhaka Tribune. (2018). EC adding ‘Hijra’ as a gender identity in voters’ list,
https://www.dhakatribune.com/bangladesh/2018/01/13/ec-adding-hijra-gender-identity-voters-list
Charlie Arrowood. (2018). Male, Female or ‘X’: The Push for a Third Choice on Official Forms. New York Times.
Jessica Valenti. Anti-Abortion Lawmakers Have No Idea How Women’s Bodies Work. Medium Politics
https://medium.com/s/jessica-valenti/anti-abortion-lawmakers-have-no-idea-how-womens-bodies-work-3ebea9fd6015
Big Think. (2018). Women are more productive than men, according to new research. World Economic Forum.
Carl Schreck. (2018). ‘Not A Sin To Thrash Gays’: As Russian Meme Convictions Mount, Police Shrug At Homophobic Slurs. Radio Free Europe.
Tia Ghose. (2015). Being Gay Not a Choice: Science Contradicts Ben Carson. Live Science.
Google Search. What is gender?
Google Search. What is sex?