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Lacey Zeller

WRTC Line of Inquiry RD 2

Sheila Fielding

March 23, 2018

The ‘Biology’ Behind Gender

Throughout the years many people have asked countless questions about members of the

LGBTQ community. What is transgender? Are you Gay? How did you become gay? Are you a

man or a woman? So what do you have down there? Although some who may not understand

there are many people that do understand and continue to learn about the topic. Gender is not

related to biology in any means, there is a difference between the two words ‘sex’ and ‘gender’.

Gender, being what you, yourself choose to identify as, who you feel who you are and are meant

to be: Sex, meaning what organs, or bodily parts you were given at birth.The few reasons behind

gender not being related to biology are that it is a choice, gender is inherently related to

psychology, and the simple fact that all people are equal.

Asking the question, Is Gender Inherently Related to Biology? Some authors have

opinions of their own about the question itself and other aspects of the LGBTQ community in

general. Colin Wilson, english writer, novelist, and philosopher states, “It is important to situate

queer theory and politics in the context of the LGBT movement, and the developing political

ideas of that movement in the context of history more generally” (Wilson, 2011). Wilson goes on

to talk about such related topics as in, 1960’s and 1970’s Liberation Movements, other authors

take on the topic, and queer theory.

Queer theory: that sexuality is not the result of biology, since people in many societies

are not classified into homosexuals, bisexuals and heterosexuals—concepts regarding sex vary
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from society to society, and as such are “socially constructed” (Wilson, 2011). Specifically here

in the United States, although as a nation have become more open about the topic and

considerate of others feelings and personal preferences are still stuck in a rut. The LGBTQ

community is fighting a constant battle with society. This has become so intense that others are

afraid to be themselves, hindering their creativity, and feeling trapped in their own skin.

Some people have been questioning and studying the similarities and relation between

synthetic biology and gender. Sophia Roosth, a Professor at the Harvard University with a focus

in twentieth and twenty-first century life science says, “Perhaps biology is itself a folk category

that anthropologists assume when thinking about relatedness” (Roosth, 2017). She goes on in her

article about how many of the DNA theories that scientists and philosophers have been following

for decades are now being questioned. Psychology is the study of human behavior and the

functions of the human brain. Many people try not to mix DNA with the human mind because it

gets too complicated, more theoretical and less factual.

When considering kinship theory, the study of human social relationships, marriage,

siblingship, lineage, and descent. Many scientists think such a theory cannot be related to

biology or gender. They believe that gender is strictly a psychological concept. (Roosth, 2017).

Relating to Colin Wilson’s opinion on the topic that the LGBTQ community is still under a lot of

stress and constantly fighting a battle with society and its social norms, Roosth also agrees by

stating how she feels about how scientists are still questioning how they feel about biology being

related to kinship and the biology behind gender all together.

The twenty-first century has been a turning point for the LGBTQ community, with

making samesex marriage legal in all fifty states, and Australia shortly after liberating samesex

marrigge candidates as well. 2018 being the year we are in now, has made this constant battle
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much more in the eyes of the public and being discussed more by iconic public figures, and

political activists. With teenage social media, and more famous celebrities being forward with

their sexual identity and preferences the younger generations feel more comfortable expressing

their creativity and not hiding who the really are in their own skin. With the confidence these

younger generations have with expressing themselves comes the stereotypical bullying. Cyber

bullying is what is most powerful and harmful to people who feel most comfortable in their own

skin and express themselves in public without a care in the world.

When people, especially teenagers who get reprimanded, bullied, or looked down upon

when being different than others it crucially affects their self confidence and how they feel about

being happy with who they are. Teens and some pre-teens are inspired by the celebrities in the

spotlight who feel comfortable about who they are so they choose to do the same. Some who get

bullied for being who they are is detrimental to their mental help and self confidence level. Some

severe cases lead to young adults, teens, and pre-teens committing self-harm and even worse,

suicide.

The severity of this controversial topic is high and the urgency for the issue to be solved

between the LGBTQ community and its supporters facing the negative energy confronted by

some members of society is high. The faster there is less hate towards the issue the faster more

people can be happy and comfortable in their own skin. For a young adult to gain enough

confidence to tell their friends, family, classmates and, sometimes even strangers that they feel

like they are in the wrong body or that they are feeling obstructed of their full capability to be

creative and being the best version of themselves is an accomplishment in itself. After

overcoming the fear of being rejected by the ones they love, they get trashed on, beat up, made a

laughing stock just because they are different. This is wrong and the more people in the eye of
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the public to be unsupportive and inconsiderate of other feelings, and sexual identities and

preferences is teaching our youth that it is okay to make others feel less about themselves

because again, they are different.

Katelyn Burns, and essayist and trans-woman herself talks about how our current

president Donald J. Trump and his presidency has increased the bullying rates within teens and

the LGBTQ community (Burns, 2017). Trump has pointed out his views on the LGBTQ

community and has made big decisions regarding trans people in particular. Repealing what

Barack Obama did while in office, with creating gender-neutral bathrooms for all Trump has

taken the right down and not making it a mandatory law in affect. Actions speak louder than

words, this turn of events was a one step closer then two steps back type of ordeal for America.

If society switched the roles around and made it so the straight, heterosexual people were

considered to be different of in some cases a minority life as we know it in America would be

completely different. If a man loving a woman or vice versa was not the societal norm think

about how different the world would be. Instead of focusing our lives around how we feel about

others being in love, people should worry about themselves and focus on who or what they love

themselves. Loving someone should be between the people involved in the situation and nobody

else. For another human to put someone down and make them feel uncomfortable intentionally is

inhumane and wrong. If a person born a man, but later to find that they are not comfortable

categorizing themselves with that gender chooses to identify themselves as a woman should not

affect anyone else but themselves, trans people struggle enough with accepting themselves for

who they are so when people they care about choose to longer love or care about them, there is

no reason, no excuse, and no tolerance for such ignorant behavior.

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An interesting question trans-people are faced with is Why don’t you want to be a boy?

Or Why don’t you want to be a girl? These questions come across offensive to some seeing as

they believe they did not choose this life, that this is the life they were given and these are

obstacles they have to overcome themselves. What many individuals don’t understand is that this

simply is in fact not a choice, the brains of males and females are operated differently, they think

differently, some men are known to have stereotypical traits of masculinity, acting on impulse

and, high tempered, females in comparison are thought to have the opposite traits, being weaker,

thinking more thoroughly and rationally about certain situations. These are all social stereotypes

that society has imprinted in our heads. Men can be just as loving if not more loving than some

woman, and some women have very high tempers. Fact of the matter here is, stereotypes are not

always right, every person is their own individual and has the right to be whoever they want

without worrying who will harass or degrade them for it.

Works Cited

Wilson, C. (2011). Queer Theory and Politics http://isj.org.uk/queer-theory-and-politics/

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Roosth, S. (2017). What Synthetic Biology Has in Common with Queer Theory

http://isj.org.uk/queer-theory-and-politics/

Burns, K. (2017) Transgender kids are bullied all the time. The White House is helping the

bullies

https://www.washingtonpost.com/posteverything/wp/2017/02/23/transgender-kids-are-

bullied-all-the-time-the-white-house-is-helping-the-bullies/?utm_term=.034f9304a7b7
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