Sex And Gender

[poliphilo]

People get pulled up on the feminist site I frequent for using "sex" and "gender" interchangeably. The distinction is useful. If I've understood it right, "sex" is about physical characteristics and "gender" is about what goes on in your head.

Someone proposed that if you enjoy the cut and thrust of the work-place your gender is male and if you like staying home knitting bootees your gender is female.

I expect they got jumped on. But here's the problem. Sooner or later you stumble over the stereotypes. "Sex" is easily determined (in most cases) but "gender" is a social construct.

I'm confused. I've just written a book in which my tomboyish heroine keeps dodging in and out of drag. She is, of course, a version of myself.

I'm a man. And I'm heterosexual. But when I put myself in a book it's as a girl who goes running about with a sword in her fist having wild adventures.

I think there are probably quite a lot of us with this cast of mind- we are the male fans of Buffy and Xena and Uma Thurman's Bride- but I don't believe there's a word for us...

...Yet.

Comments

[arielstarshadow.livejournal.com]

Hmmm...for me, sex is something you DO, gender is something you ARE. Thus, heterosexuals enjoy having sex with those of the opposite gender, homosexuals with those of the same gender, and bisexuals with both. For me, the word "transsexual" is an incorrect term and should always be replaced with "transgender." I suppose if I were to define the former, it might be something along the lines of "someone who is confused about with which gender they prefer to have sex."

I'd comment more, but my migraine-addled brain really isn't up to it at the moment.

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

Sorry about the migraine. I used to get them on a regular basis. I know how horrid they can be.

Yes, trans-sexuals are usually quite clear about whom they want to have sex with.

Though I did come accross the case of a transsexual who went from gay man to lesbian woman. I guess in this case the person's self-identification as gay trumped everything else.