#social construction of gender

[starlightomatic]

I put this in a reblog but it’s a post I’m now blocked from so I’ll just make it its own post.

This is about gender roles and how they’re constructed differently in different cultures, using two particular cultures as an example.

So in white, Western, Christian culture the things that get lauded as masculine are things like athleticism, aggression, and physicality. Things like being nerdy and bookish will be seen as unmasculine even though they’re not necessarily feminine.

And then femininity is marked by being demure, being gentle and indirect so as not to upset anyone, not speaking up, repressing your feelings, doing household labor rather than outside the house labor, etc.

However, Jewish gender roles are constructed differently. Traditionally, Jewish men were lauded if they spent their time studying Jewish texts. They were supposed to be “eidel” which means something like refined, gentle, and studious. Physicality and athleticism were seen as unrefined and too boisterous.

And Jewish women, as opposed to their Western goyish counterparts, can be loud and opinionated without violating gender norms. And in the shtetl, they often were the ones doing business outside the home — as well as household labor.

[queering-ecology]

This is a summary (and maybe slight critique) of LGBTQ America: A Theme Study of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer History—chapter 09. Sexual and Gender Diversity in Native America and the Pacific Islands by Will Roscoe.

This piece is interesting as the theme study was published by the National Park Foundation and the National Park Service. (Connections can be made to the history of parks as places of constructing heteromasculinity and heteronormativity as well as their role in colonialism, but also the historic presence of queerness in rural places. )

This chapter discusses the significant diversity in gender roles, sexualities and identities among the indigenous peoples of ‘the united states’ though in my writing I would refer to the land, at least when discussing the land prior to colonialism, as Turtle Island.

Two Spirits in Native Tradition: Roles, Genders, Identities and Diversity

Roscoe chooses to begin the story from the perspective of a French colonizer whose intentions were to claim land for the French in what is now called Florida. His party is lost and tired and is saved by a Native who was probably from the Timucua people (09-2). This person gave the colonizers water and was described as, “an Indian woman of tall stature, which also was an Hermaphrodite” and later he encountered another ‘hermaphrodite’ serving as an emissary of a Timucuan king.  

“The multiplicity of gender and sexuality among native peoples was noted as early as 1540 along the Colorado River by Alarcon, in the 1770s in Hawai’I by Cook’s third expedition and in the same decade by Russian explorers in Alaska” (09-3). By being noticed, these gender diverse people had become targets for colonial violence. Such as when in 1513, “Vasco Nunez de Balboa had forty-two spirits in Panama thrown to his dogs” (09-3). I want to pause and be genuinely horrified and to feel sorrow for these people whose ‘crime’ was being different from what the colonists in their fucked-up worldview, knew.

Hermaphrodite is a term that was used by Europeans and other colonists to describe native people they encountered who appeared to be crossing or mixing genders. For the Europeans from this time, the term hermaphrodite “could indicate intersexuality, androgyny, or homosexuality” (09-4). In reality, “the sheer diversity of Native American and Pacific Island cultures makes the use of any umbrella term problematic” (09-3).

But colonists did often use other terms such as ‘sodomites’ and berdache—the latter of which became a ‘frontier’ term (used between colonists and Natives) to identify a social role among various tribes (09-4). The actual origins of the term linguistically are quite old but are not Native and was largely defined as a “younger or subordinate partner in a male homosexual relationship” (09-4).

[omegaphilosophia]

The Philosophy of Gender

The philosophy of gender examines the concepts, theories, and issues surrounding gender identity, roles, and equality. It delves into the nature of gender, its social and biological underpinnings, and its impact on individual lives and societal structures. This field of philosophy addresses fundamental questions about what gender is, how it is constructed, and what implications it has for justice and equality.

Key Themes in the Philosophy of Gender

Nature vs. Nurture:

One of the central debates in the philosophy of gender revolves around whether gender is primarily a biological phenomenon (nature) or a social construct (nurture).

Philosophers explore how biology and culture interact to shape gender identities and roles.

Gender Identity:

Gender identity refers to an individual's personal sense of their own gender, which may or may not align with their biological sex.

Philosophical inquiries into gender identity examine how it is formed, experienced, and expressed, and the implications for individuals who do not fit into traditional gender binaries.

Social Construction of Gender:

Many philosophers argue that gender is a socially constructed category, influenced by cultural norms, practices, and institutions.

This perspective highlights how gender roles and expectations vary across different societies and historical periods.

Feminist Philosophy:

Feminist philosophy is a major area within the philosophy of gender, focusing on issues of gender inequality, patriarchy, and women's rights.

Feminist theorists critique traditional philosophical ideas and advocate for greater gender equality and the dismantling of oppressive structures.

Intersectionality:

Intersectionality is a framework that examines how various forms of social stratification, such as race, class, and sexuality, intersect with gender.

This approach emphasizes that gender cannot be understood in isolation but must be considered within the broader context of other social identities and power dynamics.

Transgender and Non-Binary Perspectives:

The experiences and perspectives of transgender and non-binary individuals challenge traditional notions of gender.

Philosophers explore the ethical, social, and political implications of these identities and advocate for greater recognition and rights for trans and non-binary people.

Gender and Language:

Language plays a crucial role in shaping and reflecting gender norms.

Philosophers analyze how language can reinforce gender stereotypes and explore ways to make language more inclusive and representative of diverse gender identities.

Gender and Power:

The relationship between gender and power is a key focus, examining how gender roles and expectations contribute to power dynamics in society.

This includes analyzing how gender influences access to resources, decision-making power, and social status.

Gender and Ethics:

Ethical considerations surrounding gender include debates about gender justice, rights, and equality.

Philosophers explore issues such as reproductive rights, gender-based violence, and the ethics of gender reassignment.

Gender and Representation:

The representation of gender in media, literature, and art shapes societal perceptions and attitudes.

Philosophers critique stereotypical and limiting portrayals of gender and advocate for more diverse and nuanced representations.

The philosophy of gender provides a rich and complex framework for understanding one of the most fundamental aspects of human identity and social life. By exploring the nature, construction, and implications of gender, philosophers seek to uncover the underlying dynamics that shape our experiences and strive for a more just and equitable society.

[if-you-fan-a-fire]

“A DATELESS GIRL,” Vancouver Sun. February 22, 1933. Page 16. ----- Cruel and Inhuman Punishment ---- By Dorothy Dix ---

Dear Miss Dix, 

I am one of those dateless girls and am so resigned the situation that I wouldn't bother about it if it wasn't for my family. They have insisted upon my becoming a society debutante at much I am an utter misfit. I hate the social whirl. I don't speak the language of the girls whom I am thrown with and I can't enter into their conversation. I haven t the money to buy their interest by giving splendid entertainments. I wasn't cut cut to be the life of the party, yet I am expected to keep up a gay, witty and entertaining conversation to amuse the man with whom I happen to be. Partners don't ask me to dance with them and when I rebel against all this my family say that I am silly and what a fine wholesome girl I am and, of course, people like me and admire me. What am I to do? 

E.T.

Answer: I don't think there Is any more pathetic figure than the girl whose family try to force her into being a butterfly when she has none of the attributes of the butterfly and never feels at home in the rarefied atmosphere in which they thrust her. 

Perhaps mother was a belle in her day and she looks forward to living ver her triumphs in poor little plain Mary Ann, who is shy and retiring with never a word to say for herself and who has no more sex appeal than plate of oatmeal. Or perhaps mother is socially ambitious and depends on Mary Ann opening doors that are closed to her.

So she buys Mary Ann all sorts of pretty fluffy clothes that never for an instant disguise her Mary-Ann-ness. And she makes Mary Ann go to every party to which she is invited, where she sits around on the sidelines suffering agonies of embarrassment and mortification because nobody ever dances with her except the unwilling youths whom a hostess drags up to her wearing ! the expressions of lambs being led to the slaughter. 

And Mary Ann is a social flop and another reproaches her with it and wonders why the boys never pay her any attention and why she doesn't get married. 

It is a cruel and inhuman punishment for any woman to force her daughter to go "out in society," as the phrase goes, unless she wants to. Moreover, it is of no use, because unless the Lord gave a girl dancing feet no man is going to cut in on her, and unless Nature supplied her with IT she can't manufacture it for herself. 

Far wiser and kinder to let the girl find her own niche in the world. Let her go with the people who are congenial to her. Let her do the things she wants to do. 

My advice to any girl who finds herself a misfit in society is to go to work. Get a job. Interest herself in that, and for her comfort and also for mother's consolation - let her remember that a lot of the biggest fish swim around in business offices and rise to the bait of an intelligent ,quiet girl after they have fought shy of a dazzling, painted, vivacious one.

[a-gay-poptart]

I have found the best ally

Straight and cis people will say that they are allies, but you will NEVER measure up to my dentist.

Me: "Hey, is it ok if I can change my name on my info from [DEADNAME] to Aspen?"

Random woman that I wasn't even talking to in the chair next to me: "Honey, if that's the name you had at birth, [DEADNAME] is your only name."

My dentist, very slowly turning her rolley chair towards the woman: "Shush."

Random woman: "Excuse me?"

Destist: *closes privacy curtain while staring bullets at the lady*

Me: *pissing myself laughing*

My dentist while changing my name in my info (reminder that English is not her first language, she immigrated from Russia): "There, Sai, you have pretty boy teeth. Smile and make all girls swoon."

Me not having the heart to tell her I'm not transmasc but I'm Agender, and still pissing myself laughing: "Thank you [DENTIST NAME]."

Edit: Ok, this has gotten alot of attention, but right now my other posts is what really needs attention. I have a few fundraisers for people trying to evacuate Palestine and Gaza, but also a diabetic who needs her insulin shot. Please please please, go to my page and at the very least repost those posts, have the day you deserve and free Palestine🇵🇸

[taliabhattwrites]

The Third Sex

After months of research and painstakingly connecting the threads of transmisogyny theory, queer activism, and field-wide epistemic injustice, I would like to present "The Third Sex": my treatise on a third-world transfeminism.

[victusinveritas]

[queerism1969]

[astralwashboard]

autism just keeps winning

it’s because gender is stupid and autistic people aren’t

[anarcho-catboyism]

[lgbtqtext]

Requested by analog-autistic

[blazestar345]

[lucidmagic]

Gender is a performance and we’re all just clowns

[chongoblog]

as it turns out there is a way to denounce transgenderism without being anti woke, or as you like to call it "transphobic" you see if you think sex or as you like to call it "gender" is a social construct then how can you identify as a women if according to you that "gender" isn't real but a mere social construct? By that logic we're all fruitless, or as you like to call it "nonbinary" either way it looks your pronoun wars are ending in defeat. Checkmate.

I feel like this is meant to be hate mail, but you're unironically advocating for abolition of gender roles, which is pretty based

[taliabhattwrites]

The most widespread form of transmisogyny within the queer community is denying trans women epistemic authority.

Which means: people do not believe us on our own experiences. They frequently assume any and all oppression we face must be mild or must simply be anti-effeminacy instead of "real misogyny". We are considered to be exaggerating the material consequences of bigotry on us and assumed to not experience various harms that we in fact do, including medical misogyny, sexual violence, CSA, being infantilized and dismissed, being inadequately represented (since most popular depictions of us are cissexist caricatures and do not authentically portray our lived realities!), and more besides.

Perhaps the most hysteria inducing aspect of this is being told that our testimony is not frequently dismissed, BY PEOPLE WHO ARE ACTIVELY DISMISSING OUR TESTIMONY ON HOW MUCH MISOGYNY AND DEGENDERING AND VIOLENCE WE EXPERIENCE.

We are not "new to oppression". We do not have to be taught what it is like to be feminized and dehumanized under patriarchy. We are painfully familiar with how misogyny operates and experience it regularly, in addition to having to justify even to "our" communities that we do in fact experience it!

That, my friends, is the core of transmisogyny: being dehumanized while being denied the right to even name one's oppression or have it be acknowledged as such!

[victusinveritas]