The Anthropology of Gender Variance: From Third Gender to Transgender

Dr. Muriel Vernon Fall 2013

Monday, September 30, 2013

Course Terminology
Gender: principle of masculinity/femininity

Gender Role: social and cultural roles

normative for men and women man or a woman

Gender Identity: sense of oneself being a Gender Expression: expression of masculine

or feminine traits, behaviors, or cultural signiers

Monday, September 30, 2013

Course Terminology
Sex: principles of male/female

Sexed Body: biological, anatomical structures of males and female Sexual Orientation/Sexual Preference: homosexuality, bisexuality, asexuality, pansexuality, polysexuality, etc. Sexual Identity: gay/lesbian/bisexual/queer/ polyamorous/asexual, etc. Intersex (hermaphrodism): mixed biological structures of both sexes

Monday, September 30, 2013

Course Terminology
Synonyms for Gender Variance: gender
diversity, gender non-conformity, gender crossing, gender transgressive, gender bending, bi-gender, etc. gender, transsexual, transvestite (cross dresser), intersex, transgender (singular), gender queer/androgynous, etc.

Transgender (umbrella term): third

Monday, September 30, 2013

Course Terminology
Third Gender: culturally specic term
for people outside or beyond the binary in cultures which conceptualize gender not necessarily as binary outside of the heteronormative roles for men and women

Institutionalized social space for individuals

Monday, September 30, 2013

Course Terminology
Transsexual: person who unambiguously
identies as the gender or sex opposite of that assigned to this person at birth (natal sex, ascribed gender). such as hormone replacement therapy (HRT) or Genital/Sexual Reassignment Surgery (GRS or SRS)

Desire for permanent body modication

Monday, September 30, 2013

Course Terminology
Transvestite (Cross Dresser): person
who may or may not experience autoerotic arousal by wearing the clothing or specic parts of the clothing of the opposite gender

Transvestic fetishism: arousal by wearing

specic articles of clothing of the opposite sex

Monday, September 30, 2013

Course Terminology
Transgender

person who identies as the opposite gender or sex but does not seek permanent or only partial or temporary body modication person who intentionally rejects the heteronormative sex/gender binary person who makes a political statement about the oppressiveness of the binary and openly identies against it person who feels they do not t into stereotypical gender roles as dictated by his or her culture

Monday, September 30, 2013

Course Terminology
(Gender) Queer: questioning or
rejection of clearly bounded and permanent categories such as man/woman, gay/straight, feminine/masculine subvert normative gender, sexuality, or both discourse of dominant or hegemonic systems

Gender queer people may play with or Refusal to be dened by the terms or

Monday, September 30, 2013

Gender is a Cultural Construct

Ideas about gender change over time and

space: ideals of masculinity and femininity have changed throughout history and across different cultures only

NOT just gender as nurture over nature Gender as distinct from sex, not always
based on sexed body

Monday, September 30, 2013

Biological Essentialism
Gender is assigned at birth, immutable, and
inextricably tied to sex

Goffmans natural attitude: there are only

two sexes and two genders and they correspond to one another who is masculine

EX: a biological male is also a social man

Monday, September 30, 2013

Gender-Neutral Pronouns and Alternatives

Ze (gender neutral) S/he (gender neutral) Hir (possessive pronoun) They (multiple gender possibilities)

Monday, September 30, 2013