Gender Identity
Recently in class, we spoke about what it means to identify with a specific gender identity. I’ll be honest: before this class, I had heard the terms but I had no idea what they meant. Cisgender, Transgender, Gender Queer. These were all lost on me until a couple weeks ago. However, Knowledge and Power has really opened my eyes to what gender really is and what it isn’t.
The most key thing that I learned was that gender is a social construct. We are not born with a gender–we are born with a biological sex and our gender is then shaped to fit that sex. If you were born a female, you will be showered with pink bows and dress. If you were born a male, then you will get legos and action figures.
One of the most striking questions Dean Reynold asked our class was, “Do you think we are all more gender fluid than we think we are?” I think the answer is yes. If gender is really something that we are taught from a young age, then there definitely is some room for fluidity. Just like anything that is taught, such as religion or political views, there is a chance that people will outgrow what they are taught or will question it to a certain degree. If gender was not fluid, then there would be no room to question it because it would be a concrete fact.
I just thought this was an interesting notion and I would love to hear what other people have to say about it.













