While queerness means a lot more than discussions around gender and sexuality, it's commonly associated with those topics. Queerness to me is about questioning societal norms and expectations and about disrupting all systems of oppression, as Julie Tilson says: "Queering is an ever-emergent process of becoming, one that is flexible and fluid in response to context, and in resistance to norms. When we queer something, we question and disrupt taken-for-granted practises and we can imagine new possibilities. Queering something breaks rules (usually discursive and social rules, sometimes legal ones) in order to liberate people who have been held hostage by what the rules require or prevent."
In the interest of providing helpful resources, I'll focus on gender and sexuality on this resource page.
Remember that being queer is a complex and personal experience, and there is no one right way to identify or express oneself. It's important to explore and discover what feels authentic and true for you.
In the interest of providing helpful resources, I'll focus on gender and sexuality on this resource page.
Remember that being queer is a complex and personal experience, and there is no one right way to identify or express oneself. It's important to explore and discover what feels authentic and true for you.
SEX ASSIGNED AT BIRTH, GENDER IDENTITY,
GENDER EXPRESSION, & GENDER PERCEPTION
Source: lgbt.hms.harvard.edu/terminology
1) Sex Assigned at Birth = the sex assigned to a person at birth based on organs and chromosomes
AMAB = assigned male at birth
AFAB = assigned female at birth
Intersex = reproductive and sex organs that are neither only stereotypically “male” or “female”
Note: AMAB and AFAB are terms that reinforce a biological gender binary and I prefer to not use them.
2) Gender Identity = a person’s innate sense of their gender, which can contrast with the sex assigned to them at birth.
AMAB = assigned male at birth
AFAB = assigned female at birth
Intersex = reproductive and sex organs that are neither only stereotypically “male” or “female”
Note: AMAB and AFAB are terms that reinforce a biological gender binary and I prefer to not use them.
2) Gender Identity = a person’s innate sense of their gender, which can contrast with the sex assigned to them at birth.
|
*This is an example graphic. Note that not everyone who finds themselves under the non-binary umbrella will identify/use transgender or trans as a label.
|
3) Gender Expression = how you demonstrate your gender with behavior, clothes, make-up, language, voice, pronouns, etc. (e.g. more stereotypically masculine/feminine/androgynous)
4) Gender Perception = how others perceive our gender based on what they see and notice about us. Our perception is not always right AND The way a person behaves or looks does not tell us anything about their actual gender. Some people don’t express their gender in stereotypical ways. We shouldn’t assume someone’s gender based on how we perceive them! Gender expression does not imply gender identity :)
4) Gender Perception = how others perceive our gender based on what they see and notice about us. Our perception is not always right AND The way a person behaves or looks does not tell us anything about their actual gender. Some people don’t express their gender in stereotypical ways. We shouldn’t assume someone’s gender based on how we perceive them! Gender expression does not imply gender identity :)
SEXUAL AND ROMANTIC ORIENTATION
Sexual Orientation = the gender(s) a person is sexually attracted to
★ like gender, sexuality can be fluid & is on a spectrum but usually we have a pattern in terms of what kind of people we are attracted to
★ people can use multiple terms to describe their sexuality at the same or over the course of time
Different Sexual Orientations
commonly known: gay, lesbian, hetero, bi, queer, questioning
not so commonly known:
● asexual: not experiencing sexual feelings or desires
● pansexual: attraction to anyone regardless of gender
● demisexual: sexual attraction only after developing deep emotional closeness
● graysexual: not often experiencing sexual feelings or desires but on rare occasions
● polysexual: sexually attracted to more than one but not all genders
● androsexual: sexually attracted to masculinity
● gynesexual: sexually attracted to feminity
● skoliosexual: sexually attracted to non-binary people
● & MANY MORE!
Romantic Orientation = the gender(s) a person is romantically attracted to
★ like gender, sexuality can be fluid & is on a spectrum but usually we have a pattern in terms of what kind of people we are attracted to
★ people can use multiple terms to describe their sexuality at the same or over the course of time
Different Sexual Orientations
commonly known: gay, lesbian, hetero, bi, queer, questioning
not so commonly known:
● asexual: not experiencing sexual feelings or desires
● pansexual: attraction to anyone regardless of gender
● demisexual: sexual attraction only after developing deep emotional closeness
● graysexual: not often experiencing sexual feelings or desires but on rare occasions
● polysexual: sexually attracted to more than one but not all genders
● androsexual: sexually attracted to masculinity
● gynesexual: sexually attracted to feminity
● skoliosexual: sexually attracted to non-binary people
● & MANY MORE!
Romantic Orientation = the gender(s) a person is romantically attracted to
Poems & Writings by ALOK
"Queering is an ever-emergent process of becoming, one that is flexible and fluid in response to context, and in resistance to norms. When we queer something, we question and disrupt taken-for-granted practices and we can imagine new possibilities. Queering something breaks rules (usually discursive and social rules, and sometimes legal ones) in order to liberate people who have been held hostage by what the rules require or prevent."
|
|