Gender Identification - A.

Today I'd like to talk briefly about gender identification. I don't have too much personal experience, but there are some ideas that are incorrect today in America.

Our culture has two main genders: male or female. I have heard that other cultures have some other genders, which allows people more freedom when identifying their own gender and sexuality. But here in America, it is rigid. Even transgender or transsexual people run into this rigid inflexibility, which is ridiculous! We need a new mentality! I'm going to propose one that I've heard before:

Separate gender and sexuality from anatomy.

This takes away the labels. This takes away all that rigidness. And I'm going to address a few examples. But first, what do I mean by this separation of functions?

Say you were born a male. But all through your life, you felt like a woman. You identified with women, you felt every feeling and urge a woman felt, and you really truly felt that mentally and emotionally you were feminine. Now, America looks at you, says "Oh, you have a dick. You're a dude." But separate anatomy from identity for a moment, and you can say, "I strongly identify as a female," regardless of your body. This can also allow someone to place themselves on a scale. You can say that you are around 60 percent male, 40 percent female, REGARDLESS of anatomy. This opens up unlimited possibilities for gender identification based upon mentality. I dislike the bi-gender ideals of America, because for someone who does not identify as 100 percent the same gender that their physical form dictates that they are, it can cause confusion, stress, anxiety, and discomfort.

I want to also say that this is something that we should adopt as a society and talk openly about. Imagine the clarification for tomboy-ish girls, who could then say "Yes, I do identify as partially male," and for feminine guys who could know without shame that they were partially female. I can only hope that one day we can learn how to expand our idea of genders. I don't mean that we should go overboard about it, and say that if you like chick flicks you are one more percent female. But for someone who genuinely does not identify as the standard norm, this can be a lifesaver.

Neither S. or I identify as partially both genders. Even in her bisexuality, she fantasises about being with girls AS a girl. If I got something wrong, please message me your corrections and I will edit this post. Thank you!

-A.