Most people in my circles would assume that there are only two genders and there’s nothing more to think about. Case closed. Maybe that’s what I think – thought? – too.
Gender has come to refer to the social and cultural roles that tend to be associated with one or the other biological sexes and is no longer considered synonymous with physical sex.
But even before the meanings of gender and sex diverged, there have existed terms for people not fully male or fully female, as in Mesopotamian mythology, or from inscribed Egyptian pottery shards from 2000 BCE that list three genders: tai (male), hmt (female), and sḫt (sekhet). Sḫt is often translated as “eunuch”, although there is little evidence that such individuals were castrated. Continue reading
Our physical experience is a large part of being human. We strive for comfort, not just mentally and emotionally, but physically. We gain emotional well-being through physical touch. We find satisfaction through seeing reflections of ourselves, and are attracted to others’ physical manifestations, all the while knowing that our physical selves only partially represent the complex beings housed inside. We crave scent, taste, sound, color, and texture. Our physical bodies are mysteriously intertwined with our “real selves,” our inner persons.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m fully aware that there are genetic propensities towards issues of gender and sexuality. I’m fully aware that there are environmental stimuli and triggers. I’m fully aware that most people don’t just wake up one day and say I think I’d like to be gay. I think I’d like to be transgender. Those are not the choices to which I refer in my title.
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