Definition of gender identity
: a person's internal sense of being male, female, some combination of male and female, or neither male nor female (Facebook provides more than 50 options beyond “male” and “female” for users to describe their gender identity, from “gender questioning” and “neither” to “androgynous.” — The Chicago Tribune)
First Known Use of gender identity: 1964
www.merriam-webster.com
Editorial: From Bruce to Caitlyn: When 'the total man' becomes a woman
http://www.chicagotribune.com/
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/editorials/ct-jenner-caitlyn-bruce-transgender-understanding-20150610-story.html
Excerpts:
On YouTube you can find a TV clip of Jenner from the Games. It's one of those ABC-TV hagiographies depicting the athlete as mythic figure. Legendary sportscaster Jim McKay narrated, in a dramatic reading for the ages, as Jenner on videotape flew by on the last turn of the 400-meter race, muscles taut, face grimacing, hair flying:
Strong though he is, just as lean and hard and well-trained as he could possibly be, still, this is the face of a tired, breathless man, reaching for reserves not used until now. And that's the purpose of the decathlon — to test the total man, body and spirit, to the last ounce of energy."
Yes, that was Bruce Jenner: "The total man, body and spirit."
How odd it must have felt for Jenner to be seen by the world as the definition of masculinity, and then to look in a mirror and see ... the opposite?
You get a clue to Caitlyn Jenner's emotional state — the relief and the leftover sadness — in a one-minute promo for "I Am Cait," her upcoming show. You get a strong dose of the new reality, too: There she is on the screen, Caitlyn Jenner, wearing a bathrobe and applying makeup, the embodiment of mature femininity, as she speaks:
How many people go through life and just waste their entire life because they never deal with themselves, to be who they are?
We're all on a journey here. Now that gender identity is a recognized concept, and transgender people have found their voices through the media, the cultural, legal and political realities are getting sorted out. Should transgender personnel be allowed to serve in the military? Should insurance companies be compelled to cover reassignment surgery? Do we all know the right pronouns to use?
Another question some ask: Do we really need to embrace this trend, too? Can't we please just ignore it?
Society has struggled like this before. There was a time when intermarriage between faiths and races was taboo, when homosexuality was illegal, when "don't ask, don't tell" was the rule. Then the culture shifted and what seemed wrong or abnormal became accepted, and normal.
For most of recorded history, a man who believed his true identity was female locked those feelings away. Now we're in a moment of cultural discovery about another frontier in sexual politics. This moment will pass and transgenderism will seem different, but not so strange.
: a person's internal sense of being male, female, some combination of male and female, or neither male nor female (Facebook provides more than 50 options beyond “male” and “female” for users to describe their gender identity, from “gender questioning” and “neither” to “androgynous.” — The Chicago Tribune)
First Known Use of gender identity: 1964
www.merriam-webster.com
Editorial: From Bruce to Caitlyn: When 'the total man' becomes a woman
http://www.chicagotribune.com/
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/editorials/ct-jenner-caitlyn-bruce-transgender-understanding-20150610-story.html
Excerpts:
On YouTube you can find a TV clip of Jenner from the Games. It's one of those ABC-TV hagiographies depicting the athlete as mythic figure. Legendary sportscaster Jim McKay narrated, in a dramatic reading for the ages, as Jenner on videotape flew by on the last turn of the 400-meter race, muscles taut, face grimacing, hair flying:
Strong though he is, just as lean and hard and well-trained as he could possibly be, still, this is the face of a tired, breathless man, reaching for reserves not used until now. And that's the purpose of the decathlon — to test the total man, body and spirit, to the last ounce of energy."
Yes, that was Bruce Jenner: "The total man, body and spirit."
How odd it must have felt for Jenner to be seen by the world as the definition of masculinity, and then to look in a mirror and see ... the opposite?
You get a clue to Caitlyn Jenner's emotional state — the relief and the leftover sadness — in a one-minute promo for "I Am Cait," her upcoming show. You get a strong dose of the new reality, too: There she is on the screen, Caitlyn Jenner, wearing a bathrobe and applying makeup, the embodiment of mature femininity, as she speaks:
How many people go through life and just waste their entire life because they never deal with themselves, to be who they are?
We're all on a journey here. Now that gender identity is a recognized concept, and transgender people have found their voices through the media, the cultural, legal and political realities are getting sorted out. Should transgender personnel be allowed to serve in the military? Should insurance companies be compelled to cover reassignment surgery? Do we all know the right pronouns to use?
Another question some ask: Do we really need to embrace this trend, too? Can't we please just ignore it?
Society has struggled like this before. There was a time when intermarriage between faiths and races was taboo, when homosexuality was illegal, when "don't ask, don't tell" was the rule. Then the culture shifted and what seemed wrong or abnormal became accepted, and normal.
For most of recorded history, a man who believed his true identity was female locked those feelings away. Now we're in a moment of cultural discovery about another frontier in sexual politics. This moment will pass and transgenderism will seem different, but not so strange.
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