Lecture 10 Flashcards
What is the movie It’s Pat about?
- Woman or man?
- Pat is androgynous.
- Blending of masculine and feminine traits.
Transvestites
Dressing or acting in a way that is traditionally associated with the opposite sex.
Cross-dressing is permissible when?
Halloween, Mardi Gras.
True or false? Cross-dressing is always done by homosexuals.
False, can also be done by heterosexuals.
Gender Bending
Goes beyond wearing clothes of the opposite sex. Transgressing prescribed gender roles for a person’s sex.
When does cross-dressing become a fetish?
When it is thought of erotically.
What is the difference between cross-dressing and gender bending?
Gender bender may dress in clothing appropriate to the opposite sex, but beyond just cross-dressing, the gender bender also acts and behaves like the opposite sex.
What do the transgendered and transsexual have in common?
Both believe their gender identities are not in agreement with biologically assigned sex.
Describe transgenderism as a process:
- Redefines over time what their gender means to them, and what kind of actions they are going to take to make sure there is correspondence between how they feel and how they act/behave.
- Describe themselves as a “man trapped in a woman’s body,” or vice versa.
- In the process of transition, they often view their new gender identity as their true gender and have a sense of euphoria.
What are transsexuals?
- When individuals realign their sex to match their gender identity, they become a transsexual.
- Undergo counselling, hormone treatments, and sometimes even surgery to realign their physical appearance with their chosen gender.
What is the similarity between transgendered and intersex people?
Oppressed sexual minorities.
Intersex
Being born with a mix of female and male anatomical features.
What is the difference between transgendered and intersex people?
Intersex is about how you are born in terms of your sex organs, while transgender is about how you feel in terms of your gender identity.
What is being transgendered labelled as in the DSM?
Gender dysphoria, or gender identity disorder.
What did J. Michael Bailey, a sex researcher at Northwestern University, introduce?
A theory that suggested that in cases of men who become women, being transgender or transsexual isn’t just about gender identity. It’s also about sexual orientation.
What did activists say to respond to Bailey’s theory?
Activists have emphasized that all being transgendered means is that people are born with the brain of one sex and the body of another.
Describe the second point brought up by Bailey in his theory.
- Bailey also rejected the idea of anyone being simply male or female.
- Gender is not a binary, the inner experiences we all have of gender are gradations.
- None of us can be easily assigned to a specific gender. You cannot look at a brain and say this is a male brain, or this is a female brain.
How did Bailey justify the erotic part of his argument?
As part of the erotic part of his argument, he found that homosexual transgenderism is most common. The majority of transgender people are in fact homosexuals.
Bailey believes that transgendered people detracts from…
The human rights issue of which gender identity people favour.
Adultery and its punishments:
Extramarital sex. In North America, it’s been considered a felony, a misdemeanour, a sin, a grounds for divorce, and a factor for child custody cases.
What percentage of men and women engaged in extramarital sex prior to the sexual revolution?
Despite widespread negative attitudes, in the 40’s and 50’s it was found that 50% of married males and 26% of married females admitted they had participated in extramarital sex.
Wife-swapping, or swinging:
Couples in a committed relationship who engage in sexual activity with others as a social or recreational activity.
What are some other words for wife-swapping?
Mate-swapping or swinging. “The Lifestyle.” Co-marital sex.
What is the demographic of swingers?
Swinging is considered to be deviant. However, swingers are middle-class, many are college educated, and many claim to be in happy marriages. Mostly non-deviant.
