Gender and Sexuality for Beginners

We should not need to prove our experiences, defend our realities, or negotiate basic human rights. But we do.

What does sexual orientation mean if the very categories of gender are in question? How do we measure equality when our society’s definitions of “male” and “female” leave out much of the population?

There is no consensus on what a “real” man or woman is, where one’s sex begins and ends, or what purpose the categories of masculine and feminine traits serve. While significant strides have been made in recent years on behalf of women’s, gay and lesbian rights, there is still a large division between the law and day-to-day reality for LGBTQIA and female-identified individuals in American society.

The practices, media outlets and institutions that privilege heterosexuality and traditional gender roles as "natural" need a closer examination.