W4-D4-Peer Resp.

Remember to respond to two peers while being respectful of and sensitive to their viewpoints. Consider advancing the discussion in the following way:

· Post an article, video, or visual to reinforce a peer’s perspective.

PEER 1 CS

How do our attitudes impact our view of gender?

Any attitudes heavily impact our views of gender, transgender people don’t just want to be tolerated they want to be celebrated. Trans people can’t express their gender in day to day life, there is a growing awareness of a community which doesn’t fall into traditional gender categories. Trans issues are viewed, trans people are treated and then more broadly to promote a very simple idea accepting people for who they are, accepting people’s differently. 

· How does personal belief impact our view of normal and abnormal?

An individual’s personal belief have a vast impact the view’s of normal and abnormal. Being of Catholic belief, Pope Francis thinks teaching children about being transgender is “ideological colonization”. The believes it is wrong (abnormal) to explain gender theory to younger children because it can change their mentality. Gender theory is briefly the concept that every person has the right to identify themselves as male, female, both or neither. In that sense it would be abnormal, but it takes a much more knowledgeable individual to break down the belief’s that impact our views and make it normal to see equality through all eyes. What is normal anymore? What is abnormal anymore? 

· Does culture play a role in our perceptions of gender?

A large part of who we are and the decisions that we make are influenced by the culture that we grew up in, so where does this influence start? Think all the way back to when you learn manners you were probably scolded for engaging in behavior that was considered rude in your culture conversely your’re probably encouraged to engage in behaviors that are considered to be polite now as you were conditioned to engage in more polite behavior you subconsciously picked up on patterns that influenced how we behave, this patterns are highly influenced by the values of the cultures that you grew up in but not all cultures hold the same values. Depending on the culture, you probably pick up on these values and they have definitely influenced your decisions and your personality towards gender. Culture helps teach you at a young age what to approach and what to avoid, culture doesn’t teach you to avoid. Yes, culture does play a huge role in our perceptions of gender and gender identity. 

· In what ways can one validate an individual’s gender expression?

Someones biological sex, gender identity and gender expression are all related but separate aspects. Gender expression and gender identity are two separate things they each have their own spectrum. Gender stereotypes are the perceptions of the differences between man and women. Gender differences are the actual differences between men and women in terms of different psychological traits or physical characteristics. At the end of the day, if we respect everyone and respect how they identify and express themselves that’s what’s really important. 

· How does the concept of gender dysphoria apply to any of the following programmatic themes? You may want to review the Programmatic Themes document.

In the DSM-5, it involves a conflict between people’s physical or assigned gender and the gender with which they identify. People with gender dysphoria may be very uncomfortable with the gender they were assigned, sometime described as being uncomfortable with their body or with the expected roles of their assigned gender. Self-care is vitally important for all people, some self-care steps: first would be, cut out self-deprecating humor and negative self talk from your day to day. Second would be keep track of the good things happening in your life. Thirdly, remind yourself of traits that make you feel particularly validated. Lastly for great self-care, surround yourself with people who want nothing but the best for you. 

PEER 2- KW

Our attitudes can impact our view of gender by only classifying someone as man or woman. When you have a certain attitude, you leave no room for yourself to become educated, or change your ways of thinking. The world is constantly evolving. Personal beliefs can have a huge affect on the way you view things as normal or abnormal. It is hard sometimes to realize not everyone was raised with the same beliefs, and that’s okay. Diversity throughout the world is what makes individuals different and unique. You may not always agree with someone’s life choices, but the least you can do is educate yourself and have an open mind as to why they made the life choices. I do believe culture plays a role in how we perceive genders. In some cultures women are sought to slave for men. This idea of men “owning” women sets a certain bias of what women are capable of. D-L Stewart stated, “I am at home with myself, my body is a sovereign country” (Stewart). As people, we can validate an individual’s gender expression by getting their pronouns correct, and believing what they say about how their body makes them feel. An individuals gender expression should be heard, understood, and respected. Gender dysphoria applies to theme social justice. Black trans lives matter, and they should never be mistreated because they do do not identify as the norms of society would suggest.

TEDxCSU, 2021. Scenes from a black Trans Life. [image] Available at: <https://www.ted.com/talks/d_l_stewart_scenes_from_a_black_trans_life#t-905772> [Accessed 26 May 2021].

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