Gender Benders

It’s not that I think our society’s progress is a direct result of abandoning traditional beliefs and values as much as I think our society’s progress is a movement from the simple to the more complex. In most cases progress is a good thing; it is the primary goal of many civilizations. It seems like the more we know about our world, our society, and ourselves, the more we realize how many intricate complexities rest in between our “black and white” point of view.

Personally, I think this is no more so seen than in individuals who have gender identity disorders. Perhaps not even 10-15 years ago, this group of people would be labeled as crazy along with a host of other derogatory terms. Even today, our society has certain barriers in place to confine people who step outside the defined and acceptable social parameters. The common term used for this kind of “deviant” behavior is “gender bender”. While many of the problems related to this disorder fall into the category of psychology, there still remains broader social implications that should be discussed within the realm of sociology.

Is it the environment the individual was raised in, or is it the biological make-up the person was born with that ultimately contributes to gender identity conflicts. The truth is no one really knows. Sure, studies have been done on both key arguments that provide “results”, however no one can say, as a fact, either environment or genetics causes an individual to question their sexual identity. Yet, even though there is not a definitive cause we, in the sociological perspective, can take a step outside our own world and view the impact our society has had on these people who have violated a particular personal set of social norms.

Families, schools, media, public bathrooms, locker rooms etc. all serve to reinforce the classic black and white view of men and women. Just look at how we designate the difference between and man and a woman when it comes to using the bathrooms. It’s the dress. Obviously the women within our society must relate to a faceless symbol wearing a dress more so than a man could. But is this always the case? No. Not at least with those who are confused about their gender. If, for a second, we could step outside the box and view the world as they would, we might be able to better understand how difficult and traumatizing it would be to identify the self as one sex while phenotypically displaying the properties of another.

The bottom line is this: sure our society has come along way since the 50’s. We have influential celebrities such as Boy George or Lady Gaga who cross certain sexual barriers, and despite their popularity, their personas, as a whole, are viewed with judgmental eyes. Maybe one day all of us can come together and see that this isn’t just an act or behavior…who would CHOOSE to live a life that does not correspond with their bodies’ display? As a soon to be BS in Molecular Biology, I can say with confidence that there are a multitude of genotypic variations within 46 chromosomes that can cause conflicting phenotypic expression. Disorders such as Klinefelters’ and Trisomy X are just two of many disorders that can affect how a person feels, acts, or looks sexually. But this is just scratching the surface. Although the Human Genome Project is finished, there are still a host of genes that need to be matched and coded with a specific sequence. I do not mean to propose that a person’s gender identity disorder is caused by a genetic aberration, I’m only suggesting that maybe if we were more sensitive and accepting of “gender benders” today, perhaps 5 or 10 years down the road we won’t have to look back and say wow we were so ignorant as to assume being a transgender was a choice