Chapter 11; Sex, Gender, and Sexuality

Sex

• biological & genetic makeup of a person’s body

• ex; binary used 2 label someone man or woman

Gender

socially constructed rules & roles that exist 2 define what it means to be masculine & feminine

sexual orientation

who u r attracted to in terms of sexual partners

sexual identity

label people adopt 2 signify 2 others who they are as a sexual being

exact cause of sexual orientation largely unknown; some causes..

• gene/biology

• homosexuality in twins (% varies)

  -identical= 50% concordance rates

  - fraternal = 16-22%

• birth order 4 sons

Homosexuality

classified as mental disorder until 1973

• replaced w sexual orientation disturbance (DSM-II), Ego-dystonic homosexuality(DSM-III)

• No explicit mention in DSMIII-R thru DSM-5

compared 2 heterosexuals, LQBTQ are…

2x more likely 2 have a mental health disorder

2.5x more likely 2 experience depression, anxiety, & substance abuse

4x greater rates of suicide attempts 4 teens/young adults

______ % of LGBT individuals abuse substances, compared 2 ____ % of general population

20-30 % and 9%

Minority stress theory (meyer, 2003)

general stressors - economic environmental

coping & social support

individual local community

Minority status -

- sexuality, race/ethnicity, gender disability

distal minority stress processes-

prejudice, violence, discrimination, social messages

minority identity -

LGBT, Queer, other expressions

proximal minority stress processes-

expectation of rejection, identity concealment, internalised social messages

identity characteristics

prominence intersections

mental health outcomes -

positive

negative

Gender bundle model - (5)

• birth assigned gender category

• current gender identity

• gender roles and expectations

• gender social presentation

• gender evaluations

gender identity

one’s understanding of oneself as gendered

gender expression

external manifestation of a person’s gender identity

genderbread person (4)

identity, attraction, expression, sex

gender identity -

woman-ness, man-ness

how in ur head, u define ur gender, with how much u align w options for gender

gender expression

ways u present gender, thru actions, dress, demeanor, & how the presentations r interpreted based on gender norms

biological sex

physical sex characteristics you’re born w and develop, including genitalia, body shape, voice, body hair; hormones, chromosomes, etc

sexually attracted to-

Nobody { (women/females/femininity)

(men/males/masculinity)

Cisgender

• have gender identity that aligns w sex assigned at birth & generally express their gender in ways that match cultural expectations of gender expression 4 men/women.

Cis- is a prefix that means

on the same side as

transgender

have a gender identity that’s diff from sex assigned at birth or they express gender in ways that’re diff from cultural expectations of gender expression 4 men/women.

transgender people can identify as…

men/woman, trans men/trans women, agender, non-binary, or any range of gender identities

trans- is a prefix that means

across from

non-binary

have a gender identity that’s not male/female, but may incorporate elements of masculine/feminine identity or expression, or an absence of masculine/feminine identity/expression.

it is possible to have a strong gender identity that’s completely separate from the ______

(binary) gender spectrum

a non binary person may/may not identify as ______ also.

transgender

transgender identity development

• may form at any time thru/out lifespan

• trans often experience discrimination, stigma, & prejudice while developing gender identity.

gender dysphoria

condition where someone feels distress about/a severe disconnect btw their sex, & the way society perceives & treats them based on socially constructed norms, & their true gender

DSM-V (2013) “gender identity disorder” > “gender dysphoria”

• effort 2 destigmatize

• distress experienced is related 2 gender incongruence, rather than from identity itself

DSM-V introduced _____ in the diagnostic criteria “of other gender” (or some alternative gender diff from one’s assigned gender

language

exploring gender dysphoria

not all ppl who identify as trans experience gender dysphoria

some types of dysphoria:

physical dysphoria

social dysphoria

family/inclusion/affirmation dysphoria

physical dysphoria

related 2 specific body parts/presentation

social dysphoria

dependent on certain situations/spaces/interactions

family/inclusion/affirmation dysphoria

related 2 feelings of being misunderstood, nonacceptance, rejection from family/friends

“Dysphoria Hot Spots”

• bathrooms, gyms, restaurants, etc

gender dysphoria causes (2)

• biological

• hormones

• gender identity

biological cause-

- unclear, but likely genetic contributions

- 62-70%

hormone causes -

- in vitro experience

- brain structure differences

gender identity cause-

- 18 & 36 months of age

- parental reinforcement

gender transitioning

process of publicly demonstrating one’s gender identity in both appearance & behavior

misgender

using a pronoun that doesn’t accurately reflect transperson’s gender

more than half of transgender & non-binary youth have considered _____

suicide

gender transitioning may involve some body modification such as,

cross-sex hormones, hair removal, or surgeries

body modification may contribute to _____ or _____

passing or gender recognition

early social transition (child lives as gender that matches their identity)-

• trial run- name, attire, social roles at school, in community

• reversible

• family decision whether to share

intersex

describes wide variety of conditions in which chromosomal, gonadal, or anatomical features r not sex typical

genetic variations (2)

• Klinefelter’s syndrome

• Turner’s syndrome