ABSTRACT
By the end of Chapter 7, you will be able to:
Discuss the relationship between gender, gender identity, gender expression and sexuality
Understand how non-normative performances of gender and sexuality disrupt heteronormativity
Examine heteropatriarchy and cultures of gender-based violence
Apply your knowledge and understanding to case studies.
In Chapter 7, we discuss the relationship between non-normative gender identities, queerness, and social injustice. First, it is helpful to make a distinction between sex and gender. Sex refers to the biological traits that societies use to distinguish between female, male or intersex. Biological traits include chromosomes, genitalia or other physical differences. Gender is more fluid than sex. It refers to cultural, personal and social constructions of difference such as masculinity, femininity or gender queer. Gender may or may not depend on biological characteristics. Societies tend to ascribe certain norms, expectations, attitudes and activities to specific genders creating a gender order. Gender orders change over time. But they remain powerful social organising principles. We should also note the difference between gender and gender identity within this context. Gender identity refers to one’s internal feelings, experiences and sense of self about one’s gender. Most people’s gender identity does not differ from their assigned gender at birth whereas some feel that their identity differs from their birth assigned sex. In this chapter, we will use the term transgender and non-binary (TGNB) to refer to those who feel deeply that their gender identity does not match their natal sex.