From: celeste%express@freedom.msfc.nasa.GOV (celeste)
Subject: Gender and Gender Roles (was Re: Perpetuating Stereotypes)
Newsgroups: soc.feminism
Date: 6 Apr 92 16:58:17 GMT

[I've added a more appropriate subject line.  --CTM]

> Our entire culture is impregnated with gender expectations.  I don't
> think all these expectations are a good thing, and I am glad that
> some of them are changing, but we cannot eliminate gender-specific
> roles entirely without ditching our whole culture.  This seems to be
> precisely what some radical feminists would like to see, but I think
> that would be a cure far worse than the disease.
>
> Sex is not hereditary-- you are of the same sex as only one of your
> parents, you cannot be of mixed sex, and people of *different* sexes
> live together in families and communities.  Although some might say
> that men and women have different cultures, IMHO, what they have in
> common overwhelms any such distinction.

I feel there are at lest 5 components to being a "man" or a "womyn".

1 Genes: XX, XY, are typical but XXY and X0, Y0 are also possiable
         The British transsexual model Tula is XXY

2 Secondary sex and homone configuration:
	 There some "women" that are XY due to failure of the Y
  chormosone to generate testostrone. This is why some female Olympic
  hopfuls were crushed when they found that they were XY when there
  are "born" female. This happens to about 1 in 20,000 of us. There
  are several intersexed conditions that leaves one with gentitals
  that are neither male are female but a mixture of the two.

3 Sexual preference or orientation. I let others expound on this one

4 Sexual identity. What sex do believe myself to be. Tula is an
  example one born "male" (yet sterile) but looked very feminim and
  identified with begin a "female". Surgery and daily hormones changed
  her.

5 Behevior: This is how one speaks, talks, acts and presents one's
  self. This is generally becomes an interpertation of "maleness" or
  "femaleness" in a perticular culture.

I know several people who identify with the sex that they were not
born with.  They are learning the behevior of the other role and
modifying their body to conform with that role. They people are
referred to as transsexuals.  Some stop short of surgery and live in
oppsite role.  They fequently call themselves as "women" (or "man")
inspite of configuration of their gentials or genes.

There are other people who temporaly cross the "gender line" to act
and look like the other sex. They maintain two wardrobs, names and
identies.

Trans-gendered people (as they sometimes refer to themselves) both use
and expand on stereotypes to allow them to "pass" as members of their
selected gender. Personally the embracing of an "image" of the other
gender allows one to break free of the stereotypes that the person was
"born" with.

What "man" can know the difficulties in makup or the frustration of
putting on pantyhose unless he has done it? (Putting your hand
throught $4 hose that you just bought!) What "man" can understand the
problems of walking in heels (soft ground, gratings, uneven footing,
pain) unless he has done it. What "man" can understand the knife of
fear when confronted with screaming red necks saying "We are going to
FUCK YOU!"  and know he can't get run away or fight because because of
limitations of heels, hose and dress. (Remember a rapist has the
mental advantage that he KNOWS he can subdue you! That is major
advantage in any battle!)

No wonder women say "YOU JUST DON'T UNDERSTAND" when they talk to men.
Unless you look, walk, talk and live like a woman you just don't
understand what a woman has to put up with.

-- Celeste


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