Sex, Gender, and Orientation

Sex, gender, orientation, sexual behavior, intimacy, relationships ...

People sometimes assume that these things line up in a specific way. However, each of these are different and distinct concepts, and this is very important if we plan to understand transgender experiences. One way to break it down is as follows:

• Sex is the body we have

• Assigned gender is what we were told we were at birth

• Gendered behaviors are the actions we engage in

• Gender expression is how we communicate our gender

• Perceived gender is how other people see us

• Legal gender is what the government says we are

• Gender identity is how we see ourselves

• Orientation is who we are attracted to

• Sexual behavior is what we do with our bodies

Not every culture around the world categorizes these things in the same way, but this gives us a basic place to start the dialogue for the context of this book. So let's buckle in and look at these individual concepts to help us see where a lot of misunderstandings around transgender come from.

Sex

The concept of sex is based around the body we were born with. It is based on our biology. Sex is broken down into a few major categories: chromosomes; primary sex traits; and secondary sex traits.

Chromosomes

In school, many people are taught that there are only two chromosomal types: XX and XY. Girls are assumed to be XX, and boys are assumed to be XY. But there are a wide diversity of other chromosomal variances and intersex conditions.

Intersex conditions happen in one child out of 2000. Most children are XX or XY, but others are XXY, X0 or XX0. A child might have a mixture of two fertilized eggs, have a Mosaicism (patchwork of cells), or have a diversity of chromosomes within a single body. People who were assigned female at birth might be XY, while people who were assigned male at birth might be XX.

Very few people ever have the opportunity to have, or know it is possible to have, their chromosomes tested. Most people don't know if their gender matches their chromosomes. Many of us are making assumptions about our bodies that might be challenged if we had access to all the information.

Primary Sex Traits

Primary sex traits include not just the chromosomes, but the gonads, anatomy of the internal genitalia, and the anatomy of the external genitalia. Early on in the development of a fetus, all genitals begin with a similar structure – if not in function. Gonads, such as ovaries or testes, are responsible for holding and producing the eggs and sperm for producing future offspring. Female individuals have ovaries and males have testes; girls have vaginas and clitorises, and boys have penises and scrotums. For most XX and XY individuals, this specific type gonad to body configuration applies, but there are exceptions.

There are people who believe that females have estrogen and males have testosterone. This is not entirely accurate as everyone has estrogen and testosterone in their systems. Females traditionally have more estrogen while males have more testosterone, but variances in levels of productions for those hormones occur all the time.

Just as chromosomes are not as binary as they seem, neither are genitals. Everyone is different! This is sometimes due to birth differences, including phallus size, scrotum length, the degree to which the clitoris is exposed or the length and color of someone's labia. Other differences are from medical operations, such as a person who has had a hysterectomy (uterus removal, sometimes with ovary or cervix removal) or having the testes removed. It may also be due to culturally imposed standards, such as foreskin removal (circumcision) or clitoral nullification (female genital mutilation).

Secondary Sex Traits

Appearing usually at puberty, secondary sex traits are the body characteristics including breasts, body hair, menstrual cycles, fat distribution, and overall height. It is through these secondary sex traits and the cultural cues (such as the color a person wears, hairstyles, or scents worn) that we figure out whether someone is a man or a woman when we see them on the street.

Just like shape and size of genitals, the diversity of secondary sex trait distribution varies wildly; not just by person, but by family, nationality or ethnic background. The belief that only men having large upper bodies and shoulder girdles creates a story that some women of Polynesian or African descent are "manly," or that only women have little body hair infers that various Asian men are somehow "girly." Women with facial hair get painted as less feminine, while men with mammary tissue get harassed for their body realities.

Secondary sex traits have certain patterns, but are not as all- inclusive or homogenous as depicted by mass-media. At different points in history specific physical displays of femininity and masculinity have been praised. Cultural standards vary as well, from the flat-chested flapper-girls of 1920s to Rubens' 1600s voluptuous ladies, lithe J-pop singers to curvaceous Nigerian fashionistas.

Intersex Conditions

An intersex person is born with the sexual anatomy, reproductive organs, or chromosome patterns that do not fit the typical definition of male or female. Being intersex is not about sexual orientation or gender identity. It was sometimes referred to in historical contexts as being a hermaphrodite when a child had traits of both expected sexes, but this term is nowadays considered inappropriate and even offensive to many – but not everyone. Intersex circles and activists point out that it is inaccurate, and refers to a story within Greek mythology.

In the case of some intersex children, there is a hesitation by medical professionals in determining whether male or female should be assigned, based on the presentation of their genitals. For 1 in 20,000, this ambiguity leads to a drawn out process. This sometimes causes discomfort for both parents and medical professionals, due to a desire to have an expression of binary gender, as well as confusion for administrators who are not able to issue birth certificates until a gender is assigned.

With only male and female available as markers on birth certificates in the United States, it can alienate these children whose body do not match with the expectations of those assigned sexes. Over the years there have been many doctors who have attempted to "disambiguate" babies with ambiguous genitals, forcing them into one expected gender or another through operations. There has been a push to develop the rights for intersex children to stop unnecessary surgeries, with some countries...