Discussion
Raciel1990
GlobalSexualities_BodyPolitics.pptx
WST3015 Intro to global women’s & gender studies
Dr. Victoria Burns
There are various terms, ideas, theories, concepts, and perspectives that will be presented in this module. These are intended to be presented in an objective manner and not as an endorsement of what you should personally believe. You may decide that certain concepts/ideas are worthy of your personal belief. Understanding a concept/idea does not mean that you are required to believe it or agree with it.
In addition, there may be other definitions you have heard for these terms. I encourage you to share with me additional or more comprehensive definitions you may have come across.
Sex and Gender
According to the APA (2012):
“Gender” refers to: “the attitudes, feelings, and behaviors that a given culture associates with a person’s biological sex. Behavior that is compatible with cultural expectations is referred to as gender normative; behaviors that are viewed as incompatible with these expectations constitute gender nonconformity.”
“Sex” refers to “a person's biological status and is typically categorized as male, female, or intersex (i.e., atypical combinations of features that usually distinguish male from female). There are a number of indicators of biological sex, including sex chromosomes, gonads, internal reproductive organs, and external genitalia.”
According to APA (2015) “gender role” refers to:
“a pattern of appearance, personality, and behavior that, in a given culture, is associated with being a boy/man/male or being a girl/woman/female.. A person’s gender role may or may not conform to what is expected based on a person’s sex assigned at birth. Gender role may also refer to the social role one is living in (e.g., as a woman, a man, or another gender), with some role characteristics conforming and others not conforming to what is associated with girls/women or boys/men in a given culture and time.”
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Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual
LGB = lesbian, gay, bisexual can be used to describe someone’s sexual orientation or sexual identity. Sexual orientation is “an often enduring pattern of emotional, romantic, and/or sexual attractions of men to women or women to men (heterosexual), of women to women or men to men (homosexual), or by men or women to both sexes (bisexual). It also refers to an individual’s sense of personal and social identity based on those attractions, related behaviors, and membership in a community of others who share those attractions and behaviors.” (APA, n.d.)
Transgender & Queer
T = “transgender” is an umbrella term for people whose gender identity and/or gender differs from what they were assigned at birth (APA, 2015a)
Gender identity has been defined as a component of gender that describes a person’s psychological sense of their gender (APA, 2015a)
Cisgender is a term for people whose gender identity aligns with the sex assigned at birth (APA, 2015a)
Other gender identities may include genderqueer, gender nonbinary, gender neutral, agender, and gender fluid (APA, 2015a)
Queer = umbrella term that can describe someone’s sexual orientation, gender identity, and other fluid identities (Human Rights Campaign, 2016)
Queer was once considered a slur and therefore is not a “universally accepted term even within the LGBTQ community” (GLAAD, 2018)
Intersex
According to ISNA (n.d.), intersex is
“a general term used for a variety of conditions in which a person is born with a reproductive or sexual anatomy that doesn’t seem to fit the typical definitions of female or male. For example, a person might be born appearing to be female on the outside but having mostly male-typical anatomy on the inside. Or a person may be born with genitals that seem to be in-between the usual male and female types—for example, a girl may be born with a noticeably large clitoris, or lacking a vaginal opening, or a boy may be born with a notably small penis, or with a scrotum that is divided so that it has formed more like labia. Or a person may be born with mosaic genetics, so that some of her cells have XX chromosomes and some of them have XY.”
Asexual, Aromantic, & Ally
A =Asexual, A-spectrum, or Ally*
The asexual community is diverse and people may use additional and varied terms to describe their romantic and sexual desires and relationships that may or not be reflected below (Prause & Graham, 2007; The Trevor Project, 2019)
Asexual describes individuals who may experience low or no sexual attraction to others (also referred to as “Ace”) (APA 2015)
Asexual people can desire romantic relationships and experience emotional and romantic attraction
In 2013, the American Psychological Association stopped categorizing a lack of sexual desire as a psychological disorder
A-spectrum is one umbrella term people may use who identify on the asexual and/or the aromantic spectrum (AVEN, n.d.)
Aromantic can describe individuals who may experience low or no romantic attraction to others (also referred to as “Aro”) (AVEN, n.d.)
Ally* is an individual who may not identify as LGBTQIA but are supportive of individuals who do (GLAAD, 2018; HRC, 2016)
Two-Spirit
Two Spirit (2S) = term used by many Indigenous populations to describe someone as having a masculine, feminine, (and sometimes intersex) spirit. This term can refer to someone’s sexual, gender, and/or spiritual identity. People using this term can identify with a third/alternative gender identity not associated with being a man or woman (APA, n.d., Indian Health Service, n.d.)
The + in LGBTQ+ can be a sign of inclusion and can describe additional identities and communities (e.g. agender, pansexual, pangender, gender nonconforming) (HRC, 2016)
You may have also heard the term gender expression which has been defined as “an individual’s presentation, including physical appearance, clothing choice and accessories, and behavior that communicates aspects of gender or gender role. Gender expression may or may not conform to a person’s gender identity.” (APA, 2015a)
References
American Psychological Association (n.d.). Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender. Retrieved from https://www.apa.org/topics/lgbtq
American Psychological Association (APA). (n.d.). Two Spirit. In APA dictionary of psychology. Retrieved from https://dictionary.apa.org/two-spirit
American Psychological Association. (2015). Key terms and concepts in understanding gender diversity and sexual orientation among students. Retrieved from https://www.apa.org/pi/lgbt/programs/safe-supportive/lgbt/key-terms.pdf
American Psychological Association. (2015a). Guidelines for psychological practice with transgender and gender nonconforming people. American Psychologist, 70(9), 832–864. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0039906
American Psychological Association. (2012). Guidelines for psychological practice with lesbian, gay, and bisexual clients. American Psychologist, 67(1), 10–42. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0024659
The Asexual Visibility & Education Network (AVEN). (n.d.). General FAQ: Definitions. Retrieved from https://www.asexuality.org/?q=general.html#def
References
Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD). (2018). GLAAD Media Reference Guide (10th Ed.) Retri eved from https://www.glaad.org/reference#guide
Human Rights Campaign (HRC). (2016). Glossary of Terms. Retrieved from https://www.hrc.org/resources/glossary-of-terms
Indian Health Service. (n.d.). U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Retrieved from https://www.ihs.gov/lgbt/health/twospirit/
Intersex Society of North America (ISNA). (n.d.). Retrieved from https://isna.org/
Prause, N. & Graham, C.A. (2007) Asexuality: Classification and Characterization. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 36, 341–356. https://doi-org.proxyiub.uits.iu.edu/10.1007/s10508-006-9142-3
The Trevor Project. (2019). The Trevor Project research brief: Diversity of youth sexual orientation. Retrieved from https://www.thetrevorproject.org/2019/09/30/research-brief-diversity-of-youth-sexual-orientation
