The Failure of Gender Definitions

So, I'm still out here Dear Reader.  Yes, I know I am awful about updates, but there are people trying to kill me and the other people around me, so you know what?  It's not unreasonable to expect a break.  I do feel hella guilty about the hit to my writing though.  I think that maybe this is one of those times when I'm building up experiences that can be written about for a long, long time.

 

On to business, this deal about Caster Semenya is fascinating to me.  First, I think that it is kind of horrible that the official response to a women being a badass athlete is to suspect her of cheating. That's lame. As some of you know, I am a huge fan of the Tour d' France.  Cycling is a sport that has been all but brought down by doping and that kind of cheating is toxic.  At it's best, sports is an expression of what all of humanity is capable of.  In my opinion, screwing the rules says all the wrong things about humanity.

 

However, what ever the truth about Semenya turns out to be, she certainly rocks the running.  I hope that she has come by it honestly.

 

That said, I a thrilled to see a sort of open and honest discussion on the lack of definiteness of gender assignment.  It's nice to see people openly admitting that gender is not just a 0 or a 1. It's complex, there's much more going on.  It is a pleasant change to watch as Semenya forces people to think about their basic understandings of maleness and femaleness.  Think about the realities of those things.

 

Once people realize that there is more to gender than certain stereotypical physical traits it throws them for a loop.  As for being trans, if males can be XX and females can be XY, then what males a "real" man or woman?  Unfortunately, the answer I have seen tossed around is the ability to bear children.  This reminds me unpleasantly of the South Park episode where Mr./Ms. (and God knows I hate putting it like that, but it's a cartoon, it is trying to be offensive, and that's what is going on) Garrison transitions back to male after a mtf sex change the season before.  Garrison goes through all this because Garrison is convinced that the definition of real gender is in the ability to either father or bear a child.

 

Of course, South Park rarely comes entirely down on one side or the other.  The episode ends with another teacher telling Garrison than his wife is infertile.  Garrison responses stupidly, saying the teacher better get an HIV test 'cause he's sleeping with another man.  Everybody's offended and now end scene.

 

But, however stupid, the point does get across.  Because, any universal or hard and fast definition of gender is so full of holes that it is laughably stupid.  We kinda are what everyone accepts us as.  It's a shitty definition but, hey, hopefully I'll be alright with it once I'm out on the closet and more fully transitioned.  Selfish?  Oh yeah. But it's the truth.

 

Anyway, I got to get back to breathing sand and smoke from the oil well fires. There should be something new up at least once a week.  Stick around.  But never, never come to Iraq. This place is kind of lame.

Comments

[Irene M.]

I wonder, what do you think about race and the Caster Semenya "scandal"? Do you think people feel more comfortable questioning her gender identity because she's black? Or, as I theorize, do you think people see her as being masculine because she's black?