#genderstudies

The best way I can explain my gender is that I am the femm-version of Castiel from Supernatural. I'm heavily autistic and disassociative, and as a result, I feel like an entity trapped in a flesh prison, rather than a human. Just like Castiel. Also, like Castiel, my innate being, my soul, or essence, or however you want to call it, is agender. It doesn't have a gender, as gender is a human social construct, and I, especially my soul, am not human. But my fleshsuit is. And it just happens to be that my fleshsuit is female. So people call it a "girl," and "woman," and "daughter," and so on. And for the most part, I go along with it (just like Castiel does). The way I quite differ from Castiel, however, is that my dissociation is not consistent. On some days I feel in touch with my fleshsuit, so feel more femm/girly. On other days, I feel no connection with my fleshsuit and don't feel much of a gender at all. And there are days when I feel super dysphoric of my fleshsuit, I just want to rip it off, and that's when I feel more androgynous, searching for a gender that is there, but not what my fleshsuit is labeled with.

So basically, I live in a gender triangle of agender-girl-androgyny, and I bounce between these like a flipperball.

Now, I don't expect people to guess which way I am feeling on a given day, especially since it can change super rapidly, or I can feel multiple at the same time, and sometimes I can't even tell which one is it this time.

So mostly I'm fine with people referring to me with she/her pronouns or femm terms/labels, but it's also good if someone refers to me in a gender neutral way. I am both after all. I can't shed my "girlness" as it was how I was raised, how I'm seen, how I interact with the world. It is an innate part of my identity, and on most days, it's not uncomfortable. It does often feel like a mask or performance, but all gender is drag after all.

In short, I am a demigirl. Part alien, part girl. But even that definition just feels too tight sometimes. Thus the rambly post. Thank you if you read it all the way through! Truly, I don't care how strangers view me, but I want at least my friends/moots to understand me. <3

Embodied Histories: New Womanhood in Vienna, 1894–1934

"Embodied Histories" by Katya Motyl explores the intersection of gender, modernity, and urban culture in Vienna during the late-19th and early-20th centuries. This book is an enlightening resource for university students focusing on modern European history.

When first picking up this book, the reader might not expect to stumble upon police reports regarding wrongful arrests of Viennese women at the turn of the century. As a contemporary reader, what is provided on the pages of Katya Motyl’s new book is enlightening yet infuriating.

Embodied Histories: New Womanhood in Vienna, 1894–1934 by Katya Motyl explores the intersection of gender, modernity, and urban culture in Vienna during the late-19th and early-20th centuries. Motyl is a cultural and social historian, Assistant Professor of History, and Affiliate Faculty of the Gender, Sexuality, and Women’s Studies Program at Temple University.

Her book, written successfully and with expert knowledge, focuses on the "New Woman" concept and is aimed at scholars and students of global history and gender studies. The New Woman, described by Motyl, was symbolic of changing traditional gender roles and aspirations among women in Vienna whether she was aware of the change or not.

Through a combination of historical analysis and cultural critique, Motyl examines various aspects of the experiences of the New Woman in each chapter. These include her participation in public life, her engagement with emerging feminist movements, her portrayal in literature and art, and her embodiment in fashion and lifestyle choices. Motyl offers readers an in-depth discovery of unbearably truthful historical scenarios based on her thorough research of documents, including police reports, court records, and more. This well-rounded research approach makes the book compelling, unique, and a must-read for anyone studying European history, women’s history, or sexuality.

According to Motyl, at the turn of the century, women in Vienna were apprehended by police simply for walking outside at night or dressing in non-traditional feminine outfits. The eye-opening and informative stories and the voices of the women affected are revealed throughout the text. The instances of women unable to speak freely about their emotions or thoughts are also mentioned, giving readers insight as to why human rights and women's rights are important yet still challenged today.

Outlets such as theater or sanatorium visits were usually the only means of expression for women in Vienna during this time. The information included in this often heart-wrenching text is sewn together with various forms of artwork. Tying the stories together with cartoons, sketches, and even the era's political drawings showcases society and gender norms, displaying the mindset of people who lived during the turn of the century in Vienna.

The adoption of new styles and beliefs together with the rejection of outdated norms during this period were seen as significant acts of rebellion, leading to police interactions, as women searched for self-expression. With this book, their experiences are brought to light. Embodied Histories reflects broader changes in gender roles of women and societal expectations of them in early 20th-century Europe, laying the groundwork for further advancements of women’s rights and social equality in the future.

Katya Motyl has contributed a significant gift to cultural and social history research with her book. Motyl's effort in demonstrating how Viennese women contributed to and were shaped by the city's dynamic cultural milieu offers insights into their individual experiences and collective impact on society.

Dear Anon,

Please don’t worry, people are not BORN with knowledge. It is something other people might benefit from remembering too ^^ I can tell you ask the question in good faith, and I am flattered that you thought that I could give you trustworthy information.

The question you have is a very simple and yet complicated question, so PLEASE FORGIVE ME FOR SIMPLIFYING THINGS DOWN LIKE THIS.

1. What are gender, sexuality and sex?

Let us first look at this question using a pizza. Dough is one thing, cheese is another, and so is tomato. Together they make up a pizza. But what makes the dough ‘dough’,  has nothing to do with the cheese.

Cheese NOT on a pizza is still cheese, and the fact that it is cheese is likewise NOT determined by whether the tomato is there or not. All these things are “individual things” that are the “ingredients that make up a pizza”.

This may seem bullshit talk, but this just serves as a metaphor to understand how different things exist on their own, but are indispensable in making up another ‘combination’. (Smart-asses out there, don’t pretend to be smart by being willfully obtuse or pedantic for now, please.)

Now let us look at gender, sexuality and sex, wherein gender is the dough, sexuality the tomato, and sex the cheese.

In humans too, gender, sexuality and sex are three different ‘key ingredients’ that shape the basis of who we are (the margarita pizza. Only later we add the toppings like olives, meat, or pineapples (which are kinks! Not for everyone, but much beloved by its lovers.))

In a human too, just like dough, tomato and cheese, ‘gender’, ‘sexuality’ and ‘sex’ exist separately, and do NOT determine the ‘nature’ of the others.

Step 1. There are 3 primary questions to ask.

Q1a: What is your gender? Who do you identify as? Do you identify as man, woman, otherwise, or different genders depending on the day?

Q1b: What type of person are you interested in romantically and/or sexually? Men? Women? Both? All genders that exist? Or are you not romantically/sexually interested at all? (There are too many different sexualities, so I shall leave it at this for now.)

Q1c: What ‘sex’, or with what primary genitals were you born with? Upon birth, doctors see our genitals and label ‘boy’ or ‘girl’ on us depending on what genitals they see. Some children are born with ‘intersexed’ characteristics. And depending on the doctor again, someone is then labeled ‘boy’ or ‘girl’ again. (This too is a topic for another time.)

Step 2. In order to understand what ‘transgender’ is, let us look at Q2. “Combine the answers from Q1a and Q1c. Do you identify as the ‘sex’ your doctors assigned to you at birth?

Hypothesis: Let’s say you were born with a vagina, and your doctor therefore assigned you to be ‘a girl’. Are you comfortable with being a girl/woman, and do you feel that correctly reflects your identity too?

Yes. ➡You are probably ‘cis-gender‘.

No. ➡ This is a VERY broad thing here, but most crudely, if you feel like being labeled ‘girl’ because you were born with a vagina does not reflect who you really are, and you identify as ‘man’, ‘something else’ or ‘also something else’, you are probably ‘trans-gender’.

Bonus: If you identify as ‘otherwise’ or specifically as ‘neither man or woman’, this is usually called ‘non-binary’. If you feel like you are sometimes one gender, and sometimes another, that is usually called ‘gender-fluid’. “Non-binary” and “gender-fluids” are two of the many options that fall under the umbrella of ‘transgender’ too.

2. Simulation through ‘Black Butler’

I have selected Nina Hopkins as our first example because she is one of the few character from whom we know their gender identity, AND have one clear established gender she is romantically/sexually interested in.

Q1a: Honestly... Nina can’t shut up about how proud she is to be a woman.

Q1b: Given how antagonistic she is towards men and how she fondles women... she probably likes women.

Q1c: For metaphor’s sake we shall assume she was born with a vagina. So her birth was probably announced with the words “it’s a baby girl!”

GENDER: Nina is proud to be a woman, and seemingly happy to be assigned as such. Therefore she is a cis-gender woman (or cis-woman).

SEXUALITY: Who someone is sexually/romantically interested in is by NO means determined by your sex or gender. So Nina’s sexuality is an altogether separate category. The only part that has SOME role is ‘gender’, but ONLY in the ‘name’ that someone gets. Namely: Nina identifies as ‘woman’. Nina likes ‘women’. A woman who likes women is ‘a lesbian’. Hence, Nina is a cis-gender lesbian.

PIZZA: The pizza identity of Nina is probably a pissaladière. Caramelised onions, anchovies, garlic and olives? Strong flavour to the point of choking, not for everyone, but VERY beloved by its lovers.

Now let us look at Grell, a character who is surrounded by many controversies, even though she is arguably one of the least gender ambiguous characters in the Kuroverse XD. Unlike for Nina, questions Q1a to c can easily be filled in without too much hypothesising.

Q1a: Grell has said multiple times in the manga that she identifies as woman.

Q1b: Grell likes MOSTLY men with potentially some rare exceptions (Madam Red???).

Q1c: Grell was born with a penis and assigned to be ‘male at birth’.

GENDER: We see that Grell was ‘assigned male at birth’, but is uncomfortable identifying and living as a man. Rather, she constantly calls and presents herself as a woman. Hence, Grell is a transgender woman. (Dear Anon. Yes, we call somebody by their ‘preferred gender’, not their ‘originally assigned gender’. Let’s just say that Grell for example would never let anybody call her a ‘trans-man’. The thing of coming out as transgender is partially to ‘break away from your ‘assigned’ gender and living as your ‘discovered true gender’.)

SEXUALITY: We don’t know for certain whether Grell was romantically interested in Madam Red, but we do know for sure that she is 99% of the time interested in men. Grell identifies as woman. A woman who likes MOSTLY men, but maybe very occasionally other genders, is probably bisexual or pansexual. Hence, Grell is a trans-gender bi-/pansexual woman.

PIZZA: Grell’s pizza identity is indisputably PIZZA HAWAII. Fight me. Endless controversies and debates about FUCKING PINEAPPLES!! Not for everyone either, but people who love this pizza will defend it TO THEIR GRAVES!

Sebastian.... is a whole different can of worms, cockroaches and tarantula spiders... BUT SINCE I HAVE OPENED IT BEFORE ANYWAY, LET’S OPEN THIS AGAIN!

In this post I have touched upon how we cannot be sure Sebastian is ‘male’, much less assume he has a gender to begin with. But there are no characters in this series that are confirmed to be neither man or woman, let us use Sebastian just to add to our simulation test here.

Q1a: Sebastian has said that “he is nothing, but can become anyone.”

Q1b: N.A.

Q1c: The genitals he was born with was probably ‘black goop miasma’, but in his current human form he probably concocted a penis.

GENDER: Eerm... he is ‘masculine presenting’, FOR NOW... but as Sebas has also said that “he is nothing and can be anyone”, and can take the shape of even a table... I’d say it’d be unreasonable to assume he identifies as a gender we know of. Gender, after all, is a purely human construct. (Click here for more details on gender and human society.) Hence, IF according to human standards, then Sebas would be non-binary and/or gender-fluid. As discussed above, these two fall under the ‘transgender’ umbrella.

SEXUALITY: So far in the series we have only met 1. humans, towards whom he has not shown any romantic or sexual interest (and as humans are cattle to Sebastian, this is very understandable), and 2. reapers, towards whom Sebas has also not shown any romantic/sexual interest (and since all these reapers are actively after his blood, that is quite logical too.) 

“What about Ciel???” Short answer: LOL. Click here and here for the full answer.

“What about Beast?” Short answer: Nope. Click here for the full answer.

PIZZA: The pizza identity of Sebas is CLEARLY a quattro formaggi. Someone as cheesy as him can only be a quattro formaggi.

Welp... I guess that’s the most schematically simplified version I can give on gender, sexuality and sex for now... I hope this helps?

For more, please use this masterpost on gender in Kuroshitsuji.

BONUS ROUND!!