How I'm Deviant: The Labels of My Life

Dressed in a green and white  hand-me-down onesie with football numbers on the back, people gathered around and swooned over the new baby. “Oh, he’s so handsome,” they’d say to the young parents, to my parents. My parents would politely thank them and casually mention that this handsome young man was actually a young girl -- she was me, and this was just the beginning.

Master Status: Female

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Since the day I was born, I have been thrown into categories that are marked as not normal, or deviant.  Deviance, as a broad term, according to Howard Becker in his article Outsiders: Defining Deviance, is considered to be, “anything that varies too widely from the average.”  It started with little things, such as wearing my brothers old clothes that made me look less feminine than the other female babies that were drowning in pink frills.  My gender was always questioned by outsiders based on my appearance, and being bald till I was two didn’t necessarily scream “female” to those on-lookers either. Comments about my parents purposely “making” me more masculine were thrown around, and many people disagreed with the way my parents chose to dress me.  Even when I wasn’t in boys clothes, which really wasn’t even that often, I still looked like a hairless baby boy.  After putting up with everyone’s scrutiny, my parents finally decided to get my ears pierced after I turned two, so people would quit questioning my gender.  Ears pierced and wearing dresses; you’d assume that my supposed deviance would wither away because I finally fit societies’ gender expectations, but that quickly escaped me as I became older.

Master Status: Tomboy

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Growing up, males were more prominent in my life, rather than females. I was constantly around my dad, brothers, uncles, and male cousins, so naturally, for me anyways, what I learned to be an “appropriate” way for me to act, differed from what society expected from me. I had such a strong male upbringing as a child, and my actions and attitude definitely reflected that. I was taught to be tough; our motto was “no bones, no blood, no problem,” when it came to getting hurt.  When it came to sticking to my own gender roles and acting like society expected me to, I did the complete opposite. As a female, I was expected to be dainty, clean, sweet, and innocent, but I did not portray those societal valued attributes. When society was telling me to play with Barbies, be a cheerleader, and have fancy tea parties, I was doing what my brothers did; playing football, riding cars, and my favorite, playing in the dirt.   Becker  also states that, “Deviance is created by the responses of people to particular kinds of behavior, by the labeling of that behavior as deviant,” and the responses I were receiving were not positive.  I was often times encouraged to stray away from these behaviors that were considered not appropriate for my gender, but I learned these behaviors by association with the males that were present in my life and didn’t felt the need to change them to match societies’ standards.

According to Sutherland and Cresseys’ Differential Association Theory, also known as Social Learning Theory states that, “Criminal behavior is learned in interaction with other persons in a process of communication” (Cressey 27).  Although doing boyish things was not a crime, it was still looked upon as a deviant act due to the influences around me. To me, I didn’t really know, at that age, that the way I was acting was considered deviant or wrong, it was what I learned from watching those around me.  My tomboy persona was just how I was raised and what I was used to. What was deviant to society was normal to me.

Master Status: Slut

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Entering into middle school, I still spent most of my time being “one of the guys.” I was still into sports, still didn’t dress super girly, and still felt comfortable in who I was, but that changed rapidly.  I went from being the cool girl who could play sports with all of the boys at recess in elementary school, to the girl who basically only had male friends, which quickly left me with the stigma and label of being a “slut.” I was young and never even kissed a boy, but here I was, being called crude names and was harshly judged just because of the people I hung out with. I would constantly get people coming up to me telling me that I needed to hang out with different people, that my friends of choice were “wrong,” because they weren’t the same gender as myself.  The constant nag of these people reminded me of what John Braithwaite says about the shaming theory.  

According to John Braithwaite, “Shaming means all social process of expressing disapproval which have the intention or effect of invoking remorse in the person being shamed and/or condemnation  by others who become away of the shaming.”  He then goes on to say it, “Sets out to moralize with the offender to communicate reasons for the evil of her actions” (Braithwaite 34).  This statement is portrays exactly what was going on at the time; I either needed to change my, oh so deviant ways of hanging out with boys, or else I was considered having evil actions and was a slut.  Although, when a boy hangs out with solely the opposite sex, they’re label can go two ways; they are either labeled as a ladies’ man, or as being gay, but if a girl does the same, they are instantly labeled things that hold negative connotations, like I was.  Society holds different genders to different expectations and standards.  What is deviant for one, is praised for another.  It wasn’t until high school that people realized that how I was brought up had a lot of influence on who I chose to hang out with, and how I chose to act, that I wasn’t just some incorrect label they had placed on me.  

           

Master Status: Overacheiver

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During my second year of high school, my brother passed away in a motorcycle accident, and it completely changed the way I acted as well as the way people viewed me.  I was no longer attacked for who I hung out with, I suddenly became viewed as fragile and everybody was walking on eggshells around me.  People treated me, almost as if I couldn’t take care of myself.  It reminded me of Mark Zupan’s movie, Murderball, where people were trying to help him do things that he did on a daily basis, when he could actually do them himself.  In this case, I wasn’t in a wheelchair like he is, but people were still acting like I wasn’t capable of doing what I always do. 

I used this time to focus on myself, my schooling, and my faith.  When everybody was expecting me to break down and be fragile, I pushed myself even further. I did anything I could to keep my mind off things.  I got very involved in a youth group, volunteering, and worked very hard to keep up my academics.  Once this started, it was what everybody, mainly my parents, kept expecting from me.  Becker’s labeling theory suggests that, “It sets in motion several mechanisms which conspire to shape the person in the image people have of him” (Becker 41), which is what I saw happening.  I was labeled as this overachieving individual, who had overcome many hardships, and the more this label was placed on me, the more I started believing it and wanting to conform to it. I found myself starting to embrace the labels I was given at this point.

Master Status: Fat vs. Thick

            Throughout my childhood, I have always been more on the heavy side, and it was always viewed as a negative thing up until recently.  To the majority of society, being fat is not an ideal of beauty.  In the article,  3 Strikes Against Curvy Women , it states, “ Yet another new study hammers home the reality that tall, thin women (bonus for weensy waists and long arms) are rated most attractive,” and I did not fit into that most attractive category.  Up until high school, I was considered to be fluffy, chunky, plump, and any other word that was supposed to kindly say “fat.”  Once I hit high school, this new term came about; “thick.”  To me, this term seems just as silly as those other “safe” words to call somebody fat, but to society it is became valued and entailed positive meanings. Girls with curves that are appealing to men, hold a sense of beauty and sex appeal, not being either fat or skinny, but thick.  As I toned my body more throughout school, I was often called “thick” rather than overweight, because it held a more positive connotation, it was considered to be a compliment.  As long as I had a big bust and big butt, being chubby was okay, but if I had a big stomach, then the positive thick label would go away.   

Master Status: Modified (Good vs. Bad)

             As I’ve gotten older, I have found more ways to outwardly define myself, other than labels that I have gathered throughout the years from society and my peers.  These definitions of character that I have mustered up have gone against societal norms as well.  Since a young age, I have been interested a lot in body modifications, mainly tattoos and piercings, and have began to get them myself.  With such a strong Christian background, this has been considered extremely deviant in the setting and culture of the church, because being heavily pierced or having visible tattoos holds numerous negative assumptions and connotations.  In the article  Body Art, Deviance, and American College Students , a study conducted showed that people with a great amount of tattoos or piercings were “substantively and significantly” more likely to use marijuana regularly, use other illegal drugs, be arrest for crime, cheat on college work, drink, and have multiple sex partners.  I feel like most of society feels like this is true for the majority of modified people, that just because they’re modified, they’re automatically lesser of a person or involved in criminal behavior.

            On the first day of class, we did an exercise where we had to examine the person next to us and answer specific questions without communicating, and my partner was surprised to later find out that I was involved a lot with my church because my outward appearance told her otherwise.  For me, this reassured the negative stereotype that belongs to these deviant body declarations; that they’re associated negatively with the person that posses them.  It is interesting for me to see how things that are so taboo here, are culture in other parts of the world, such as the Mekranoti Tribe, Kayapo, where they embrace modifications as a tradition.

            Another thing that is interesting to me is that within the negative stereotypes of having body modifications, there are also ranges of acceptance. With piercings, nipple and genital piercings are considered more deviant than others, which the article  Body Art, Deviance, and American College Students  also suggests.  If somebody has their ears stretched, that’s okay, but not too big or it’s considered gross.  Something that relates to me the most is that the meaning behind tattoos change the level of deviance attached on to them.  All of my tattoos have either personal meaning or religious affiliation behind them, and are more accepted than someone who is tattooed with something considered random or something that was done at the spur of the moment.  Within each and every stereotype, society also holds a view of what can be justified within a given label, while others still remain more deviant.

Master Status: Student

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            In this social deviance course, I have learned a lot about what it means to be deviant and how it is constructed by the way society molds beliefs and values pertaining to certain things.  Master statuses are fluid with many factors, provided by society, that can expose them to change.  They are put into place so that when society sees you, they can make a quick judgment on how they relate to you, just like the exercise on the first day of class showed. As I’ve grown up, I’ve gone through many different master statuses, whether they be associated with the way I look, the way I act, or the types of people I surround myself with.  I’ve learned things about myself that I hadn’t realized before I took this course, and with each different situation I experience, I am exposed to new things that can alter my master status, in both negative and positive ways.

Word Count: 2,129

References:

Becker, Howard S. "Labeling Theory." Readings In Deviant Behavior. Boston, MA: Pearson Education, Inc. 20120. 39-41.

Cressey, Donald R., and Edwin H. Sutherland. "Differential Association Theory." Readings In Deviant Behavior. Boston, MA: Pearson Education, Inc. 2010.  27-29.

Live Nude Girls Unite! Film Review

Live Nude Girls Unite! is a documentary following Julia Query, a peep-show stripper/stand-up comedian/daughter of a feminist activist, and her co workers, focusing on the struggles strippers face and their fight for their rights as workers.  Certain rights, such as, sick days and basic safety precautions/protection from the business owners, are usually automatically granted to people who hold a position in a job, but since being a stripper is not looked upon as being a “real” job, unfortunately, they do not have the same rights.  This documentary follows the women of Lusty Lady Theater in San Francisco, as they make the successful efforts in unionizing and demanding these basic rights from the owners.  The thesis of this film shows that these women, as strippers, are also still human beings, mothers, daughters, and sisters that deserve the same rights any other job would offer.

The main arguments supporting this thesis are shown throughout the entire movie, coming from the determined workers to fight for their rights and equality, eventually going on strike to prove their determination and hard efforts.  Acts of discrimination against the women based on their race, body size, breast size, age, and even hair color were/are issues that arise within the sex industry, and this documentary shows the women fighting for equality for all women. Although they were not given exactly what they were asking for, their hard work still paid off, successfully leading to the first unionized strip club, which had a rippling effect, leading other women to seek our assistance in fighting for their rights as well.

This film relates to the course in a few ways, including inequality with gender, class, race, and most apparent, the stigma revolving someone who is considered deviant in society. To society, individuals who are involved in sex work are not positively acknowledged or given help in regards to their rights, because they are considered to be less than human, when in reality, they are people too, just like you and me.  Those who are labeled deviant to society don’t receive the same privileges as those who are considered an “ideal” individual to society, and they have to work much harder to receive those same privileges.

There was only one part of this documentary that was least convincing for me, and that was how Julia was so open about fighting for her rights and making it a point to show people that she deserves equality, but was too scared to tell her mom about what she truly does for a living.  It bothered me knowing that was she was fighting for, she also felt shameful for in some regards.  Other than that, I found this documentary to be very convincing, and although I never looked down upon individuals involved in the sex industry, it opened my eyes to what they actually go through, and gave me a new respect for those who are involved in that type of work.

One point that stood out to me was how diverse each person’s background was; some were parents, some had college degrees, while some didn’t. If I were to conduct a study around this, I would like to learn about each individual’s background, and why they decided to get involved in sex work.  I feel like a lot of society believes that strippers have some previous emotional scarring, or intense duty to provide for a family, and have no other choice but to get involved in sex work. I’d like to see how many workers enjoy their job, their background, and their reasoning being working there to see if it differs from societies preconceived assumptions.

Blog Post 4: Story of an Illness

Making mental health diagnoses have been proven much more difficult to determine than other biological diseases that have been provided with more common research and testing.  To be acknowledged a disease/illness, mental disorders have to fight for their label and become a political testing ground as to whether or not they can be defined as a disease in order to get available treatment. Many forms of Autism fall under this category of constantly having to prove that this illness is important, and if it is overlooked, there are many obstacles that one with this illness may have to face.

Growing up with a cousin who was diagnosed with Asperger’s Syndrome, a form of Autism, I have grown from seeing him as a little “off,” to actually being able to understand more about why he acts the way he does. He shares many of the same characteristics as Emanual Frowner from  the audio clip  we listened to in class. My cousin is incredibly smart, but very shy and slow to make friends. He also has a speech impairment that makes it difficult for him to communicate with others.

 Before Autism was added to the DSM, Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental disorders, according to the article Did the DSM Create an Epidemic of Asperger's? , “A study was done to figure out how common Asperger’s was, and the results were clear: It was vanishingly rare.” Once the DSM added this diagnosis, there has been a sort of epidemic, where 1 in 110 children were diagnosed, many given this “trendy diagnosis” for just being shy or socially awkward.  Asperger’s was associated with some who had very mild cases, to people who could actually really benefit from treatment for this diagnosis.

 Before treatment, just like Emanuel, he just had to make do with life, and work around his “disabilities” in the best way his family thought would work for him. He is now offered assistance that fit his needs so that he can be successful in school, which according to the article, Report: New Autism Definition Could End 'Epidemic" , this assistance can possible be taken away from him.  There are changes being made to the DSM to redefine the importance Autism, and he could lose his label. “The proposed criteria will lead to more accurate diagnosis and will help physicians and therapists design better treatment interventions for children who suffer from autism spectrum disorder,” said James Scully, medical director of the American Psychiatric Association, but there are also many losses that and individual might experience if they are stripped of this label like the “access to support and services” ( RNADCEE ).

As we’ve discussed in class, once somebody is labeled, their label becomes their master status that sticks with them everywhere they go, and is then spread throughout society.  The article,  The Autism Information Epidemic , shares that information about Autism is practically “contagious.” Studies show that a child is more likely to be taken in to seek a diagnosis of Autism if a child around them has been diagnosed. “This study shows that the social aspects of our environment may play the biggest part in determining rates of conditions like autism” ( TAIE ) . The more social connections one has, the more they are likely to be exposed to someone with this illness, and want to self-diagnose or seek diagnosis for their own child.

Social institutions also have a huge influence on the creation and maintenance of this label.  Favorably, most parents want their children to have friends, to be involved in school, not to be shy, and when they stray from what is considered “normal,” thoughts easily focus on an individual being different or “sick.” In family, school, and most societal institutions, it is highly stressed as to what being normal is, and if a child is shy, has social problems, or is not the ideal child, they become deviant and quickly labeled.

With most labels, there is usually both positive and negative associations contributed to the label that hold consequence to the individual. With the label of being Autistic, their master status already portrays them as being different, and the way people view those who learn, speak, act differently than everyone else have negative connotations. In regards to positive consequences, once labeled, many are able to get the help and attention they need that better fits with the way they understand and learn.  This usually takes them out of that negative associated societal environment, giving them the treatment they need to accomplish things in different ways.

As discussed in the article,  Minorities Show More Severe Signs Of Autism, children of minority are more like to suffer from more severe symptoms than white children,” likely because their symptoms go unnoticed longer.” This article discusses the reasoning linking to many different things such as, how child development is perceived in different cultures, socioeconomic differences, and even stigmas to the label of being disabled. Underlying social constructions dealing with class, race, and age are all contributed to this illness. Society believes that the younger a person is, the less credibility they have, especially when labeled as something deviant. As for class and race, society believes that he more in minority you are, the poorer you are, giving you less opportunity to help your children be treated in a timely and effective manner.

A label can be easily viewed as both being positive or negative depending on the individual carrying the status. Those who benefit by being labeled, receive proper treatment for their diagnosis where others may feel like they are tied down by their label and forced to change themselves to better fit societies’ standards. I don’t believe society takes responsibility for the care of those labeled, because they are considered deviant and society feels like they must “fix” themselves on their own because it’s their own problem, even though something like Autism is ascribed, not achieved. I think there are some programs that are they to help, but society as a whole does not put enough focus or importance onto helping those who have this illness.

WORD COUNT: 1,017

Tough Guise Film Review

In the 1999 film, “Tough Guise,” Jackson Katz shows masculinity being portrayed through media and how societal perceptions of masculinity and violence are linked to these media interpretations. This film shows that masculinity is put in place to mask any sense of vulnerability and to reiterate the importance of being tough, dominant, and powerful.

Violent roles were primarily taken on by males, and Katz provides statistics showing that 85% of murders were committed by men, and  physical assaults, domestic violence, dating violence, sexual abuse, and rape were all 95% or more committed by men.  Most cases involving woman were committed in defense, where as men’s motives were just men being men, holding strong to their tough persona.

In media, male and female violence is portrayed differently, depicting different expectations for each gender.  When a male commits a violent crime, such as some of the recent school shootings, the media talks about “kids killing kids,” whereas when a woman mutilated her husband, the media made sure to state her gender clearly. Male violence is generally expected, which is why there is so much more emphasis on female violence in the media, because it is look at as being unfeminine and going outside of the social constructions about how a female is supposed to behave.

There were two sections of this film that showed male dominance by the degrading of woman, that strongly argued the point of this film. One example was the increase in size of male figures, them becoming more muscular and having bigger guns, as the size in females, such as a once valued Marilyn Monroe, became devalued and skinnier women were more ideal. The decrease in size of females allowed men to take up more space on the screen, showing that they were the more dominant figures and more important than women. The second example that also reinforces the importance of male dominance is the acceptance of degrading jokes from people involved in media such as Howard Stern and Rush Limbaugh.  Their joke making approach reinforced the negative connotations of woman and increase the importance of masculinity and power to their audience.

I couldn’t find any areas of this film that I found to be unconvincing to me. I think Jackson Katz gave a lot of strong arguments on how masculinity is portrayed through media.  This film strongly relates to our class because it identifies all of the underlying social constructions of what an ideal male is supposed to act like.  The film shows that wearing a mask to cover up any form of vulnerability and putting on a tough guy act is the ideal route for men.  This strongly relates to our discussions of how we perceive a male to act, and what ideal characteristics and standards we value men to have. 

Something that stood out to me in this film was that violence isn’t necessarily a natural instinct, but a learned behavior. I would base a study around this by randomly selecting different males that were exposed to different things while growing up (access to media, no access to media) and see how their perceptions of masculinity differ.

Word Count: 522

Blog Post 3: Special Then, Special Now

According to the  Online Etymology Definition Website , in the early 13^th century, the word special meant, “better than ordinary,” and further developed into a definition of being
“marked off from others by some distinguishing quality.”  In the 1900’s the word special was tacked on to other words such as special interests in 1910 and special effects in 1951.  Previously, all definitions were depicted with a positive connotation, setting apart something good as something better, special. In all aspects, this word was used to make something appear as more appealing.

Recently, the definition according to the online  Merriam Webster Dictionary  as being “distinguished by some unusual quality, readily distinguishable from others of same category, being other than the usual, and designed for a particular purpose.” Although these definitions may appear positive at first glance, today society has emphasized a dislike of anything that strays away from what is considered mainstream or ideal. Underlying social constructions show that anything that is different than the usual is considered deviant, so these new age definitions show a different meaning that what they once held. The world special today is a more derogatory term used to label individuals who are developmentally disabled. 

In the article,  What is Ableist Language and Why Should You Care?, Thomas Hehir explains that, “there are many varied manifestations of ingrained ableism in contemporary society and pop culture, but I see it most often in uncritical use of language based on ableist assumption,” and the definition given by the Merriam Webster Dictionary, “ designed for a particular purpose,” reaffirms the that the word “special” has been put into place as a euphemism.  According to FWD, Feminists With Disabilities , “Euphemisms illustrate a world where good intentions and changing language norms collide, leaving some of us in an uneasy position on the sidelines,” which shows that when words such as special education, special bus, or special education were put into place as a positive reinforcement of a societal negatively viewed disability, they can often times be seen as very offensive for those it is in regards to.

With almost all words, there are both individuals who identify with the word special, and individuals who do not like it at all, but in regards to the word special, there are more so of those who do not accept it.  In the past, this word was used to make words such as “retard” or “mentally challenged” replaced with something less dehumanizing “Earlier generations of disability rights activists started using ‘special’ to talk about and frame disability from a place of kindness” ( FWD ),  but with any new term, people found ways to turn it around and use it against individuals.

 Special is often times thrown around and joked about among people who are able bodied, which shows how it is looked down upon and dehumanizing to those who are actually considered by society to be special.  Just like Kelly Osborne described wanting to retire the word "tranny" because it is “derogatory and hurtful,” the word special has the same negative connotations attached to it.   FWD  says, “It sets people with disabilities aside and stresses that they are different and alien. That using a wheelchair, for example is ‘special’ and different and weird.” People who belong to the disabled community are more affected by this word than those who do not identify as disabled and through it around as a joking insult, but either way, negative associations are tied onto it. Starting as a positive word, the meaning of special has become the complete opposite.

Word Count: 592

Murderball Film Review

In society, the individuals who are labeled, “disabled,” are often times believed to fall into two categories,  The Good Cripple , someone who’s depicted as, “quiet, patient, and never complain,” and the  The Supercrip , whose attitude is “amazing and inspiring;” both of which are very misleading stereotypes.  An education scholar,  Thomas Hehir  describes a devaluation of disabilities, “that 'results in societal attitudes that uncritically assert that it is better for a child to walk than roll, speak than sign, read print than read Braille, spell independently than use a spell-check, and hang out with nondisabled kids as opposed to other disabled kids,”  and society believes disabled individuals are “so brave” for being able “overcome” these situations like the archetypes portray.  The 2005 documentary, Murderball, proves these stereotypes wrong, showing that they are very much able-bodied, maybe even more so than people who can walk, and are capable of the same emotions and actions as somebody who is able.

This documentary’s thesis is shown through the life stories of men who are quadriplegic, going through their everyday lives, accomplishing daily tasks, just like anybody else.  When many people think of disabled people as not being capable of being independent, this film shows quadriplegics being able to drive to the grocery store, dancing, playing cards, and also being able to engage in sex. All of which defeat the whole stereotype of a disabled individual having to rely on others, when they are actually very much capable themselves.

Another stereotype this film tears apart is the thought that disabled individuals are fragile, and have very inspiring emotions because they have overcome such tragedy.  This film shows a variation of emotions coming from the men that disprove that certain stereotype.  The main character, Mark Zupan is a good example of this incorrect stereotype.  He wasn’t afraid to let people know that he had a very strong and opinionated attitude.  He often times made crude remarks to his opponents, would joke around with his friends, but his passion was shown with anything that he did, whether it be taunting the other team, or being enthusiastic about playing quad rugby. He exhibited the same sort of emotions that he would have if he wasn’t in a wheelchair.

Although I didn’t find anything in this film to be unconvincing, there was only one part of the film that was difficult for me to watch, and that was the relationship between Joe, the Canada coach, and his son.  His son was more into academics than he was sports, and Joe expressed multiple times that he wished his son was more involved in sports.  He had a very “tough love” outlook on his parenting style, but to me, it almost seemed as if he was too focused on sports, and since his son was capable of playing sports, that he should naturally be interested in them too, but he wasn’t. Towards the end, it showed him opening up more to what his son enjoyed doing, but his negative disposition was still visible.

One part of the film that really struck me as interesting was when it explained how the players were each rated on a scale of ability level.  I thought it was interesting that even with the label of being “disabled” there was a range in which you were considered so. I would like to see how this scale would do on all types of people, if society was held to a scale to determine who is ideal and who isn’t, would their still be negative connotations on those who we believe to be “disabled?” I think society would realize that each individual is different, and although they aren’t the same as you or me, that they are strongly capable in their own ways.

Word Count:627

Middle Sexes: Redefining He and She

This documentary expresses both gender and sexual identities as being something biologically and naturally defined, opposed to something that is chosen.  Variation among identifications were portrayed as something positive, and demonstrated that all types of people deserved to be respected equally, no matter what their differences are, even when society hasn’t followed that construction.  One line in the movie that really tied this thought together was, “ Biology loves variation, but society hates it.” This quote really depicted how biology is construed of variety of things, but society has been the one to put negative connotations onto something that is naturally defined.

An argument that I found to strongly support this was the story of Noah, an eight-year-old boy who physically is a male, but takes on feminine tendencies such as dancing, dressing up, wearing girl clothes.  At a young age, Noah is confident in being who he is, and although his parents have tried to discourage his behaviors, they also did nothing to rear him in a feminine manner, making his identification quite natural. During this documentary, Noah is questioned about how the way kids treat him at school, and he says they ask a lot of questions and sometimes he gets tired of people asking him the same questions, such as, “Are you a girl or boy?”  This reminded me of the clip, “Reteaching Gender and Sexuality,” in which young individuals express how they are “so over” getting asked these reoccurring question.

  Noah’s story also reminded me of the article,  Cisgender Privilege Checklist, that defines all of the privileges somebody who identifies as cisgender receives, such as, “ 2. I can be confident that people will not call me by a different name or use improper pronouns.” People just like Noah won’t always have the same privileges as cisgender individuals, which is something Noah never chose for himself, that’s something that was naturally taken away from him, but he is happy with the way he is nonetheless

Another example of natural intersexuality is the story of Max, who was born as a female named Judy with indistinct genitalia, which led to identification confusion throughout life, and made Judy feel like an outcast.  After being in a strong relationship with another woman, Judy finally decided that the label of “female” did not necessarily pertain to him, resulting in him changing into Max, where he became much more comfortable and happy with his identification.  His story shows that an individual does not always fall in the distinct black and white categories of male and female, and there is quite a variation of possibilities as shown in Anne Fausto- Sterling’s article about the five sexes. The title alone, The Five Sexes: Why Male and Female Are Not Enough, shows that two categories are not specific enough to define a persons’ gender identity. Both the movie and this article show that there are biologically multiple variations to the XY(men) and XX(woman) gender categories, and that there shouldn’t be limitations to having just two genders.

The only argument I didn’t find convincing in this documentary was when it was describing animals and their sexual habits.  I feel like animals are always brought into human biology, even when our behaviors and characteristics are different.  It was focuses a lot on pleasure and I didn’t think the natural sexual tendencies of animals helped explain the natural biological tendencies of how an individual identifies as.

This documentary relates to our course in various different ways.  The individuals in this documentary show anybody who identifies outside of a male and female label are considered deviant.  The different stories from all around the world also show that each place holds different societal values, where it can be considered deviant in one setting, it can be valued as beautiful in another.

            Something that stood out to me was the traditions of the Katoi and how socially they were accepted. I would like to study the social constructions around why the Katoi are so well accepted, and why other cultures believe differently. I would like to gather information from individuals about their views and values of intersex from both outside sources, to people who are involved in viewing or taking part in being a Katoi, and see how the social constructions differ from each perspective.

Word Count: 715

Works Cited:

Fausto-Sterling, Anne. "The Five Sexes: Why Male and Female Are Not Enough." The Sciences March/April (1993): 20-25. Print.