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

[aftertorless.livejournal.com]

I wasn't arguing anything in the response I wrote; I was, instead, elaborating on the connection between Quentin and Jean-Luc's cinematic style, on which I elaborated at length with my comparison of American Westerns and the Kung Fu films. Aside from my personal admission that I "am a sucker for films with strong female characters," gender had nothing to do with the response you linked.

Additionally, it was not billed as "The First Film By Quentin Tarantino and Uma Thurman" because it was a creative collaboration, not a co-direction. Also, I did not address Uma's contribution merely to refute your argument; I simply asked for elaboration from you regarding why you reacted so vehemently to this entry; I do not have to be reminded of women's contribution to anything. Whereas, your "argument" seems to be, "if you have a dick, anything you say about women is automatically null and void." Which would of course be similar to some of my more militant gay friends who hate all straight people.