Author: Abdoul Galiou Dabre

Abdoul Galiou Dabre Discussion #5

In society, many social institutions give a specific culture their specific functions and purpose. For example, education facilities provide knowledge to people in the community; families offer safety for children, and churches give spiritual nourishment to Christians. Understanding gender in communication requires more than understanding micro politics and interactions but also communication in the social institutions present in society (DeFrancisco et al., 2019). Some of the characteristics of social institutions include that they are social, facilitate behavior, are constituted of people, are contradictory, have a legitimate ideology, and continually change. These characteristics define the true nature of reality and explain the help in explaining why how institutions affect communication in gender.

The various cultural approaches interrogate the relations among groups and institutions in how they practice gender. Institutional gender discrimination comes from the different sets of rules and regulations that society has put in place through their beliefs and practices (DeFrancisco et al., 2019). An example of institutional discrimination is how black people are underrepresented in the US army but are highly represented in the American prison due to systematic racism. Another frequent microaggression resulting from systematic inequalities is the Pink tax, where women’s clothes are often sold more expensive than male attires (Sue, 2010). . Indeed, many women make less than men, so selling their clothes expensive is a form of discrimination. An example is Old Navy charging five extra dollars for women jeans trousers while the material used in making them is the same.

Notably, women pay more for car repairs than men, regardless of their knowledge of the correct prices. However, women who asked for discounts are likely to receive it as compared to men. The fact that women are paying more for the same goods and services is a clear indication of the retailer’s prejudice against the women in the society (DeFrancisco et al., 2019). Although individual bias contributes to systems discrimination, the engines that drive heterosexism, sexuality, race, gender, and cissexism are found in the community.

Movies and films are areas where microaggressions are highly portrayed by actors, either knowing or unknowing (Sue, 2010). . Women are the most common victims of macroaggression, and as actors stare at women’s breasts and bottoms. Although it appears funny in many contexts, many women are offended by such acts. Asians also regularly face macroaggression as they try to ask their actual county of origin. Most Japanese are perceived to be Chinese, while Koreans and Chinese are also confused with other Asian nationalities. Macroaggressions are common among Americans of black decent as many people understand then to be criminals or cause harm to members of society. People should avoid judging people according to how they look since all people are not the same.

 

Abdoul Galiou Dabre Journal Entry #4

Privilege is the situation where a person has an advantage, an exclusive right, or against a person or a particular group of people. In society, some people also have power over others because of their status in the community or race. Being a black  person, I do not have many privileges in society as compared to white people. Firstly, I do not have access to unlimited government services such as education and health facilities. Being a black American, I can’t attend any school with fear of any discrimination from the institution or the student. I can’t also access any hospital and receive the best treatment without prejudice from the health personnel or the hospital system. Indeed, being black do not also give me the privilege of accessing the best jobs in the American job market. As compared to white people, I can’t quickly get a job and unfortunately this does not give me a higher chance of earning more income and having high standards of living. Also being black does not give me the privilege of walking the streets without fear of arrest or harassment from the authorities. Being black makes me suspicions to the police, meaning I can’t conduct of my activities without any fear of arrest for no reason. American authorities have continually being criticized for abuse of power while handling cases of people of color.

Macroaggression is commonly defined as typical daily behavior, verbal or environmental communication, with the intention to present a negative or hostile message directed to a specific group or person. Although verbal communication appears harmless, macroaggressions are viewed as forms of everyday discrimination or covert racism. In most cases, macroaggression occurs to less marginalized in society, and it happens regularly. An example of a macroaggression is staring at a woman sexually in public. This causes a form of discomfort to the woman making it specific form aggression. Macroaggression can be either unintentional or intentional may be having a positive intention. Some of the microaggressions that I have experience include being told I don’t act like a regular black person. Another common form of macroaggression I experienced as a black person is being asked why I am driving a nice car and why I am wearing this fancy outfit. Commonly, people think that black people shouldn’t be rich, but most people usually ask me why they are rich.

Abdoul Galiou Dabre Journal Entry #4

In gender studies, one of the most contested subjects is the feminist philosophy of language. Many feminists have argued that for women to be free from the oppression in society, they need to develop a style that only they understand. One of the feminist philosophy theories is the feminism and speech act theory (Moi). Hornsby and Rae Langton did the first substantial research on the feminist philosophy of language as they tried to prove Catharine MacKinnon’s theory that pornography subordinates and silences women. According to Langton, pornography silences women during rape, since men cannot understand when women are saying no to sex. Langton distinguished three terms in the philosophy of language which are; perlocutionary, locutionary, and illocutionary (Moi). It is a locutionary act of uttering a word to change its meaning. A perlocutionary act involves speaking a word to have an expected result while the illocutionary act is uttering the concept altogether. An example is Jennifer uttering the sentence, “ I pledge my allegiance to her majesty the Queen and all her heirs. The locutionary act was speaking the sentence with a different meaning. The perlocutionary effect of this act is that she got a British passport, and the illocutionary act was becoming a British citizen.

The speech act theory became the most widespread idea in feminism and was taught and studied in mainstream education. Over the past years, more feminists have risen separately, each with different reasons and perspectives of feminism. In 2015, Bauer and Lorna Finlayson argued that pornography as an example in speech acts was misguided since pornography should not be treated as a form of speech. Her major critique was that the scholars in this theory did not consider other factors that may lead to the silencing of women in the society. Although pornography may have a role to play, there are other underlying factors in the community, such as toxic masculinity that lead to women’s subordination (Beattie).

She further argued that the idea of using the example of pornography was irrelevant and should never be used by scholars in speech act theory. Recent studies have shown improvements in the use of this theory in talking issues such as hate speech and racism. Modern feminists argue that there is a form of silencing that develops from pornography, but speech is not only considered as subordinating or silencing but also oppression. Indeed, researchers argue that the use of oppressive forms of expression is a widely developed phenomenon across the globe. More feminists have come up with the idea of using the speech theory act in explaining racism. Feminists such as Langton have shifted their attention to how hate speech affects interactions between people in society (Beattie)

Abdoul Galiou Dabre Discussion 4

In gender and community studies, identity terms refer to what a person perceives himself to be or what the society has decided on what gender a person should belong to. Commonly, there are two genders, male and female, with distinctive characteristics. However, the past decade has recorded many people identifying themselves as Bigender or gender fluid. In my case, I identify myself as a man with all the characteristics prescribed by society for the male gender. First, my physical structure and appearance are masculine and robust, unlike women, who tend to be physically weaker.

Furthermore, I have the reproductive system of a man with all reproductive organs. During my adolescence, I experienced broadening of arms and chest, deepening of the voice, growth of facial hair, and rapid growth in size. The physical features on my body plus my physical complexity, qualify me to be a man. However, society is a crucial determinant of how things should run or perceived. My dressing code and the roles I play in society qualify me to be a man. Some of my clothes include trousers, shirts, and suits, unlike women, who commonly wear dresses and head wraps.

I have gone through the stages of growth defined by the norms of the society in which I live. One of the significant rights of passage is circumcision, in which the foreskin is cut, to represent a transition from childhood. In society, lack of circumcision lowers your status as a man, and one cannot freely interact with other men. Other community aspects that qualify me as a man include the different gender roles I play in society. One of my most crucial tasks is protecting and leading the family. As the firstborn boy in our family, I have the second-highest authority in the house.

Furthermore, when I get my own family, I expect to be the leader and breadwinner to the family members. As for women, their most significant role is taking care of the family and raising children, but modern women are slowly evading their gender roles. Identifying myself was not a choice since I was born a male child with all the characteristics and features of a male child. In the modern era of technology and scientific discoveries, people can change their gender to a man or woman through medical procedures.

Abdoul Galiou Dabre Gender Identity Project

Gender and decision making is still a critical subject when it comes to social construction. Despite most international conventions stressing on the importance of participation and equitable access when making decisions, studies show some communities still disregard other genders based on gender identity. In some settings, feedback from men is likely to considered and utilized when making decisions on issues (Rao & Tilt, 2015). In some cases, women are likely to follow decisions made by men as opposed to women. These cases possess a question about what influences decision making based on factors such as sex, race, class, and other identities.

Growing up in a village setting where people value culture and social norms in decision making allowed me to encounter a particularly rememberable case. I was raised by an aunt who worked against odds to ensure I got the basic need, including education. In my community, women are not entitled to own hereditary or communal land. My grandparents owned more than 30 acres and had three children (two sons and a daughter). Since my aunt was not married, we stayed with my grandparents until they all died when I was at a tender age. When the time came for the division of family land, she was left landless since our norms never recognized women as part and parcel of beneficiaries. My uncles sub-divided the property within them and never allocated any land for my mother to use.

My aunt then decided to approach family members in a bid to get some piece of land to enable us to sustain ourselves. This plea fell on deaf ears as none was able to hear her since she was a woman. She then tried to approach the local authorities and elders. My uncles were summoned to make their comments before the community land committee. My aunt’s arguments were simple; she is not married and has children to raise. My grandparents never left any will, which should have also guided on the proper way of sharing the land. My aunt received support from other women who were single parents. Unfortunately, during the ruling, the land community followed my uncles suggestion which said one acre of land to be bought outside the family land and given to my aunt. Upon further inquiry from the state authorities, the decision of the community land committee was upheld. By advocating for equal rights when making decisions, he was branded feminists and regarded as someone who does not honor the cultural norms.

Whenever issues arise in my community, the elders set a date for a public hearing, and this is where decisions are made based on the peoples suggestions. Unfortunately, women who attend these forums are not allowed to speak. Only men are allowed to give their suggestions and to participate in decision making while women are supposed to listen and adapt the final rulings. Women, in this case, are classified as children and cannot give sound judgment. This case extends to the family setting where fathers have the final say when making any decision for the family. For instance, when determining economic activities such as farming, a man is the only allowed when making this decision. Although women are allowed to access education, their place and role in society are still defined and fixed.

According to psychological theories, individuals’ identity is not set at birth naturally but is developed through an experience such as childhood interaction (Levien, 2017). In my community, there are cultural and social norms that everyone is expected to subscribe to and adhere to. When children grow, they develop a finite mindset that defines the specific role of an individual in society. In my community, people grow up knowing that women are not entitled to own a piece of land. They also develop a mindset that depicts women as inferior and cannot participate in decision making without a factual basis. When they grow up, these people will continue practising the same norms without enquiring. In my case, my aunt was denied land-based on gender, and her arguments were disregarded without a real basis. In this kind of setting, girls also grow knowing the defined role and remain submissive to the man without valid reasons.

Biological theories suggest that some things are natural and cannot be changed. In this case, being born a male or female naturally outlines your role in society. One of the theory shows men brain is distinct from the females. For instance, men can confront challenges better than women, while women wired to more empathetic and detail. From this theory, people in society classify being born a girl or boy will naturally define your role (Ilie & Cardoza, 2018). This can be one of the reasons when my aunt was not even heard during the land case dispute. She is expected to get married elsewhere and giving them rights to own hereditary land is not right. This theory, when not approached well tries to disadvantage and rule out others in the decision-making process.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Abdoul Galiou Dabre Discussion #3

 

Mouth – How I talk Whenever I talk, I like people to listen to me. While many people may mistake this as a weakness, I consider it as my strength. I never fail to speak out whenever I feel I should. Even when I know what I will say might hurt someone, I never hold it back. I always say it confidently. I don’t believe that we should keep quiet on things that matter. Sometimes, people frown when I say something embarrassing. At times, this makes me want to hold back. However, when I remember that it may hurt me in the future, I release it. I use any words that I feel are the most appropriate at the moment. Never holding anything back is what I live for. As I was growing, my parents always emphasized the need to speak up on things that matter. According to him, we should never allow someone to be downtrodden just because they are less privileged in the society. I believe it is he who inspired the personality of always speaking out my mind in me. The two theories that in my view relate to my ways of being include; –

1.     Cultural theories,

2.     Social learning theory.

At an early age, my parents emphasized the role that each one of us should play in society, depending on gender. For males like me, we had to be firm and confident. As the social learning theory postulates, it is these memories that determine the gendered conduct of a person in later stages of life. The cultural theory on the other hand portends that it is the society that determines the type of gender people ascribe to. In my case, I was forced to be confident and aggressive due to perceived societal expectations.
Legs – How I walk When I walk, I feel like I own the world. My walking style exudes confidence. I always believe everyone has a role to play on this planet. Since I know my purpose in life, I choose to exemplify it in my walking style. Nonetheless, I do not stand in the way of others. I will always respectfully give way. I believe that a person’s walking style can inform about their character and personality. As a result, I make it my responsibility to portray all the characteristics that I would like to be known for. I hold my head high as if no problem exists in my life. That is how I was brought up. Since we were young, our parents always insisted that only confident people succeed in life. According to them, confidence was evidenced by attributes such as the way a person speaks, how they dress, or how they present themselves. Walking also indicates an individual’s character. Therefore, it is my parents who inspired my walking style.
Hands – How I work When I see my hands, I see hard work. I believe that if a person does not work, they should not be allowed to eat. It is this philosophy that guides my feelings towards what I do. I approach my work passionately and pursue it with unending zeal. I will never quit before I finish my work. I also make sure that I always deliver high-quality work. Sometimes, I may feel lazy. However, I always remind myself about my commitment to never tire and proceed to completion. Many people tend to think that I am a workaholic, which irritates me. I cannot comprehend why people cannot distinguish between being a workaholic and being hardworking. To me, they should never be equated. I believe in the mantra, “hard work pays.” As a person born to parents who are both professionals, the message has always been about the lack of a short cut to success. In their many lectures to my siblings and I, they insisted that hard work was the only way out of poverty. I grew up with that notion in mind to this day.

 

  1. In what ways does your embodied communication comply with the command performance?

GUANTE’s command performance is that society expects males to always man up no matter the circumstances. As detailed in my description and embodied communication in the chart above, I have been forced to comply to this command performance ever since I was young. Society has set various expectations for men. For instance, a man cannot stay without working. As the breadwinner, the man should be aggressive to find the opportunities even if they are rare. Besides, a man should not be timid. Instead, men should exude confidence wherever they go. I have already complied in the command performance through the way I speak, work, and walk. Therefore, my embodied communication fully complies with the ‘man up’ commend performance talked about by GUANTE (2016).

  1. Are there any ways you have refused a command performance?

Rarely have I refused a command performance. Many times, I have been forced to comply. However, I can remember two incidences when I refused a command performance. The first incident was when a lady insulted me back in my first year. As usual, my friends expected me to either abuse her or hit her. They could not understand how she would keep insulting me without responding. Men are not expected to be inferior to women. However, since I knew that she was mistaking me for someone else, I chose to resist the urge to revenge. Instead, I chose to remain calm defying the expected command performance. In the other instance, I had been hurt by a close friend. As a man, I am not expected to cry or show feelings of being hurt. However, the hurt was so bad that I found myself crying. Of course, many people could not understand this since men are expected to man up. I chose to defy the expected command performance since this was the only way that I could feel better.

  1. How would you explain your embodied communication using theories from the texts?

From my embodied communication, the conduct and behavior was as a result of the desire to conform to my gender identity. The role played by my parents reinforced this behavior. Arguably, children are expected to behave in a particular way or face punishment. With my parents as my mentors, I had people to observe and learn from. In particular, I learned that men ought to be brave. Women on the other hand ought to be passive and submissive as Button Poetry (2013) says. According to the social learning theory, children learn by observing what relatively older people or their guardians do. In particular, they understand societal norms, gender identity, and acceptable habits (Palczewski et al., 2019). For instance, as we grew up, young girls used to be encouraged to be neat and well behaved. Boys on their part were trained to be independent and to have control of their emotions. Where either portrayed these tendencies, they were rewarded. The communication also agrees with the cultural theories which suggest that culture determine the gender identity of a person.

Abdoul Galiou Dabre Journal Entry 3

There are several sub-schools of gender and sex theorists that give insight into different contrasting approaches which include materialist and psychoanalytical feminists as well as  postmodern and poststructuralist theorists of gender. Psychoanalytical feminists are further divided into Laconian, Kristen, and freudian feminists. Poststructuralist theorist has been contesting the historical feminist discrimination between nature as well as nurture and Thomas Laqueur, a famous writer, happens to follow the former theorists.

Back in the era of ancient Greece and Rome, the theorists were mainly interested in then idea of sexual relations between same gender partners. Most feminists  of that time followed Sappho who being an influencer openly express her desire for lesbian love. However, this notion on the same sex relations was not accepted by the majority. Thomas Laqueur, in his Making Sex, writes that the concept of sexuality in ancient time  was different than modern times. Men and women were not perceived as two  different genders, rather two versions of one same  gender. Women were taken as slightly  different version  of men with  clitoris as a genital in place of the penis. Laqueur come up with the conclusion that sex, like gender, is determined historically.

During the Renaissance period, Non-reproductive sexual acts including sodomy and bestiality were considered as capital offense. However, gender of sexual partners was not clarified by Parliament. The reason behind the non-clarification pf the sex  of partners was the fact that the medical world has still not differentiated between male and female genitals.

During the 18th century, the concept of gender categories was naturalized. Advancement  in medical science has led to the differentiation and categorization of genders (male and female). Women with all their anatomical  and behavioral difference were  considered opposite to men. Women were considered  to be passive, sexually less active type while men  were associated with aggressive and sexually associated nature. However, this concept of dimorphism  also fought with older beliefs like gender is produced by performative activities and not natural. After the categorization of gender, there were  initiated enlightenment  values  for gender equality and women’s rights. Feminists of the time argued for liberty of women  and giving them equal rights to them as men. Women were not even able to enjoy basic right owing  to the conflicts of race, class, and politics. Another major  concept that was put forward in the 18th century was the association of masturbation with many contagious diseases. Along  with prohibition from masturbation, disciplining of private parts was among the strict instructions.

During the 19th century, the concept of natural gender types was widely accepted  and followed by normal procreative sexuality. However, the social society in the 19th century was divided into an upper class and middle-class cultures. The upper-class culture showed equality between men and women  regarding both work and home while middle-class culture was classified onto two separate spheres:

Public sphere: This was associated with male partners and men were publicly more active. Men were considered to work outside and bring money to the house. Men were supposed to face all the struggles of industrial, political, or business nature.

Private sphere: This sphere belongs to women and it consisted of house-chores, nurture, and child-rearing jobs.

In this two phased culture, men had the privilege to enjoy both public and private spheres where they could just wing around between home and outside while women were only restricted to private space. This double sphere system were not good in bringing a good image of women to society. Women were divided into two types depending on the space were they existed such as domestic angelic and demonic whores.

The 19th century was about to bring revolution in the lives of women when Divorce Court was created which allowed women to give divorce to their spouses. Besides, sodomy was also removed from the list of capital offenses leading to the de-intensification in the regulation of sexuality in women. However,  the major drawback of de-intensification in the regulation of sexuality was that prostitution was adopted  as a profession of women at a big level owing to the increased population of women. The parliament had to put a stop to increasing population and CD Act was implemented. A large number of women  suspected as prostitutes were arrested. However, this CD Act was suspended in 1883 due to long protest by groups of the working class and a new Act Criminal Law Amendment Act which also clearly prohibited  men from any indecent act with any other man. Oscar Wilde who was allegedly reported to have sexual relations with a man had raised his voice vigorously against these kind of Acts. Along with sexuality regulation, another worth mentioning even took place in the 19th century was creating The New Women concept which was supposed to be completely denying the feminine qualities  described before. The New Women  wanted equal rights and place in society with men and was public, active, and aggressive as men. A completed switch between  the gender was seen leading to change in concepts of home, race, and even politics. The new women who were before labeled as feminists had changed the notion every soon. Women become part of society acquiring different roles as feminists, socialists, or as child-rearing partners in the house. The male domination in the society though had not finished yet. It was forced by a lot of competition by women. This new women which emerged from 19th century and is ruling the present era has proven as a threat to male-oriented society in almost all fields of life including politics, imperialism, or economy. The 19th century has unveiled the stereotypes and created a society of natural sexuality and gender equality creating a balance between proper desires and proper roles of both genders. Feminists have still got to run a long battle to achieve the rights they are demanding.

The theories of gender and sexuality have been very distinct from each other from ancient times. Some theorists consider gender to be nurture and sex to be natural are the one who believe in insignificant subject values including race. Some of the theorists who believe in ideology and language to be the main determining factors of everything are followers of postmodernists and poststructuralist approaches. Regardless of the position, all the critics suggest us to be critically conscious of the performative natural identity.

Abdoul Galiou Dabre Journal Entry 2

Gender identity is typically the innate sense of being a female or a male, not a male or a female, or both. A given gender characterizes every individual. In the case of people who are transgender, their sex is assigned when they are born. This, therefore, makes their gender sense different from that of other individuals. Girl, female, and a woman and boy man and male are not always linked to one another but are somewhat different identities. Presentation of gender is the identity of gender through the manifestation n of tangible things such as clothing, the shape of the body, type of hairstyle, among others. In most cases, the majority of individuals that re transgender, make attempts to transform the expression to suit their identity in terms of gender as compared to their assigned sex during birth. Primarily, the categorization of and the assignment of individuals as females, intersexes or males are done based on hormones, the anatomy of the body and chromosomes in the body.it is appropriate not to use the term sex due to the kind of vagueness that it portrays when it is being defined and its transphobia position.

 

Chromosomes occasionally determine sex based on prenatal karyotyping. However, the chromosomes in any way do or define either gender or genitalia. In terms of orientation sexually, it is critical to acknowledge that sexual attraction that is coupled by emotions is an s result of a wide variety of factors such as attraction based on emotions, sex assigned by birth, and even gender identity. They are, however, not limited to these factors. There exist other types of attractions, such as intellectual and aesthetical, that are strictly related to gender. There is curiosity from most people as to whether people who are asexual are part of this kind of graphic. There can be changes that result from persons that are gender bread. The graphic of itspronouncedmetrosexual was established to effect critical changes to precisely depict the difference between gender, sex, sexuality, and gender that is duly assigned at birth. Primarily, there is a need to recognize the genders that exist out of the western binary and in which case is not required by persons that are gender bread. All people do not exist in either the scale of either manhood or womanhood. Moreover, they’re other numerous challenges that are associated with this kind of graphic. Some of these issues include the term biological sex that is inaccurate. Also, the deployment of the word sex that does not entirely prescribe individuals into particular sex. A lot of issues, additionally, exist concerning various presentations and terminologies. Lately, gender unicorns allow kids to show their identities in terms of gender and is now gaining widespread popularity.

 

The advocacy of transgender is now equipping schools with purple unicorn cartoons that tend to incline their thought towards the rainbow of LGBT triggering parents outrage . A good example is the situation of a particular district situated in California that was marred with remunerations after it employed Gender unicorn when offering training in its faculty. It is believed that gender unicorn is an extension and an upgraded version of persons that are gender bread. Gender bread is another graphic of cartoons concerning identities in terms of gender that is targeting the younger population. Most of these organizations dealing with gender identities are offering definitions of gender expressions, attraction to sex, sex that is assigned after birth, and affinity-based on romance. It does this primarily on its page that deals with communication. Besides the unicorn, the organization offers guidelines especially to pronouns, including they, he, hir, ze, among others. It should, however, be noted that these are not the only available pronouns as they are infinite. Gender unicorn primarily is a technique that is applied nationally to aid elaborating the terminology of gender identity. It was well and successfully used in education n sessions typically for that purpose. Its primary goal is to provide a welcoming and safe environment whereby each student can excel both socially and academically.

Since everybody has a kind of gender identity, the use of biological status or sex is not advisable since it is transphobic. Sex that is assigned at birth is the classification and the assignment of people as either female, male intersex, or any other combination that could be in existence. According to the society, these people are totally against socially acceptable norms. Media has, however, aided in bringing about awareness that is heightened and the visibility of the various types of sexual identities. The media has achieved relevant and promising signs of progress, especially concerning the multiple challenges that are developing. Other sexual characters, for the longest, have been fighting for recognition and equality, mounting a lot of issues in the identification of multiple sexualities.

Abdoul Galiou Discussion 2

The gender binary is the societal acceptability of men and women in society. At some point, every one of us has interacted with people who get identified as transgender or transsexual. Typically, transgender can get referred to as a situation in which a particular individual is recognized by sex as not their original biological sex. this kind of identity entails the alteration of life of the body such that a given individual can get identified with totally separate sex from that defined after their birth . Identification of transgender alternatively involves the use of a common term that is employed in a wide range of behaviors of people. Additionally, there are groups associated with the behavior of deviating from the culturally accepted roles of gender. Most of the people globally lead their normal lives with no thought or pounding about their respective gender. They just wake up each day without ascertaining whether their gender matches what they are feeling. Most people thus take this idea for granted. Typically, our society is designed to revolve in the binary of gender in a wide variety of ways. Allover, washrooms, and restroom places are well labeled as strictly belonging to women and men. Moreover, some magazines belong to men and women, respectively. When it comes to diet, some food has been seized up as belong to men and women. However, there is a kind of gender that is not clear-cut in the way society wants things to work. There are also a lot of people who are opposed to the gender binary. Due to how society propagates and supports the aspect of binary, individuals that do not fit the kind of gender that is acceptable are sidelined and stigmatized. They could also be subjected to abuse and violence. In our consciousness, during our daily activities, defining the people that we interact with and stay around us is our portion. The moment we encounter new people, we are in a position to tell whether they are male or female. However, eyebrows are raised if we are not in a position to classify these people, are either male or female. We tend to judge those who do not fall under the binary very quickly, and the society considers it abnormal. Occasionally, the society is characterized by an underlying requirement of putting all humans into categories of either women and women. This is as depicted by Lie while learning the urge to classify people that are well defined. These categories are crucial for the reason that there is heightened complexity that is entailed in the daily endeavors of individuals that are aligned alongside the gender binary. primarily she and he are the normally applied words in the communication discourse. There is, however, no proper awareness of the two pronouns since they are widely used to define the kind of people we interact with. Over time, as the social progress and people enlightened, the need to classify the people that re not recognized as either male is female is arising. In the event that an individual emanates as a transsexual or a transgender person, society has a feeling that they should be categorized into a particular group. Typically, there is no gender that lies in between the male and female and is recognized or identified by the society. You must be defined by one section of the binary and the other way around for a woman if you are a man transforming into a woman. In essence, stratified social categories are very static; hence, it would be a difficult and daunting process to identify and define people who transcend the definitions of gender. Modification of the prevailing system of stratification appears as the only mode that can assist individuals in being placed in certain categories based on their physical characteristics. Unfortunately, these type of people is exposed to societal violence from people in the society that strongly believe in the gender binary. Transsexuals and transgender are always exposed to the highest level of hate and ager since they are not part of the socially acceptable and defined genders. The avoidance of hate crimes and danger by the transgender and transsexuals is difficult compared to those who ultimately conform to binary. A good example is Montgomery Stacey, who was a baby but has transformed and is being identified as a woman. According to an essay by Stacey namely Twenty Passing, she elaborates how violence is threatening her life constantly basically because her gender is not well defined

At some point, she explains how her usual stop in a convenience store turned out to be the worst experience. Immediately after procuring her essential things, she turns and notices that men are standing along the sidewalk. She knew promptly the risk that could unfold if she could walk past them primarily due to her gender that was not clear. Initially, one man from the crowds had shouted at her refereeing to her as a woman, but after they saw her in the light. Despite the fact that her physical appearance causes anger among the men, she goes about her daily life activities. This is a clear depiction. Therefore, most people classify individuals as either males or females with no idea that there could be disparities in the physical appearance of some people. In the scenario that the individuals cannot be classified as either men or women, some people tend to react in violence and ager due to the unconformity that is unsettling for most of them.it is obvious that for the people who have not experienced such kind of violence are scared of venturing out in public. The most hurting and painful aspects of daily life are hate crimes and the violence directed to individuals who are not identified in the gender binary. How other individuals attempt to put Montgomery and Lie into different categories concerning their physical appearance is a clear depiction of how society has been socialized to classify people into certain categories. This is thus the product of how gender binary is deeply ingrained in society. The careers individuals attain, the doors that they choose in the bathrooms and washrooms, and the relationships that they get into are heavily dependable on binary. Life is complicated, especially when society cannot clearly define your gender, and, unfortunately, it always triggers unnecessary violence. It is important, therefore, that society starts to embrace individuals that do not conform with the binary gender. The society should thus embrace the establishment of other categories that re not familiar. There should also be an awareness of gender that is not close to being static.

It is clear that in modern society, individuals are strictly conservative concerning transgender and transsexual. The rights of these groups are, therefore, not embraced and recognized. In general, a wide variety of cultural conservatives, religious organizations, and politically affiliated groups recommend that transgender is angst the family concept, the idea of marriages, and thus threatens the socially acceptable norms. Essentially, sexuality is a term that is employed in the description of the sexual attribute. Primarily in humans’ sexuality involves beliefs, values, knowledge, and the attitudes of the individuals. The existing identities include the identity of being heterosexual. In this case, individuals are tending to be attracted to their opposite-sex counterparts. Alternatively, in homosexuality, individuals are invited to the members of the same sex. The manifestation of sexual identity began in the 20th century.

A good example is the name gay that is occasionally used about homosexuality that emanated from the perspective of medicine and healthcare. On the other hand, lesbianism is a term that is employed when referring to women that are attracted to each other sexually. Some women could be having more masculine than feminine features are thus referred to as lesbians. Some of these features could be the way in which a woman dresses, talks, the kind of games and sports they participate in among others. Transgender is a type of identity sexually by which the individuals have a preexisting disconnection from the standard biological and physical gender identities and sex. individuals that are transgender cannot be identified as either males or females due to their physical appurtenance. They are, therefore, deemed as abnormal and outcast in the society. They are subjected to a lot of hate and violence and thus they do not lead peaceful lives.

Abdoul G. Dabre Discussion 1

       I am a 22 year old boy in the major of computer science at BMCC (Borough of Manhattan Community College ). This is my last semester and I will be graduating with an Associate Degree in Computer Science. I am originally from a country in the west side of Africa called Burkina Faso. I love to play soccer and listen to music during my free time. My family members call me Galiou but my friends call me Abdoul. As in the video titled “Young Soul” posted by Brianne Waychoff, I was born in a religious family. Based on an experience I will share a story that changed my view on other genders.

      Five years ago, I arrived in New York City. I was so excited about this new journey in my life because I wanted to live the American dream, go to college and become a businessman. After years spent fare away from them, I was finally able to be united with my family and be happy. Unfortunately, I had to take a GED program because I didn’t graduate high school back home and I was over the age required for an American high school to accept me. A few weeks later, I started my GED program  on  west thirty four street at a school named ” Pathway to Graduation”. On my first day I sat beside someone who will change my prospective and my view on other gender.

In certain religion such as mine, being “gay” , having piercings and tattoos are forbidden and some even consider it as evil. Therefore coming from a religious family , I was blindly avoiding those gender without even trying to know them. On my first day while I was seating in my math class waiting for the professor to show up, a beautiful man in ladies clothes and a bag on the left arm enter the room, approach my table and sat.  He greeted me and I ignored him by staying quiet. I didn’t want to do anything with him. Shortly, the professor arrived and started the course. Around ten minutes later he asked me if I had a second pen by any chance and I gave him a weird short response. At the end of the class, on my way out, I suddenly heard a voice calling me ” sir, sir” in the back of me. I knew  it was him because it was the same voice that asked me for a pen. I’ve choosen to ignore him again thinking he wanted to ask me for something else. He then ran, tapped me on my shoulder handed me my wallet and said ” you forget it at your place”. I stood with no words for a several seconds and thank him. He gave me his hand and said ” I’m Dave”.  I gave him mine and said ” I’m Abdoul” then we handshake and wished each other a good evening. I was shocked. Not shocked because he gave me my wallet but shocked because after I ignore so many times he decided to treat me with respect. I wanted to know him more because most people wouldn’t done the something.The next day I apologized to him then we talked for hours. Since then we became friends. I learn a lot from him. He’s smart, made me better in math, and has beautiful heart.

People describe men by their physics and treat “gay people” of weak but have we seen how beautiful and strong gay people hearts are. Parents sometimes don’t want their children to hang with different genders for fear that their child may become something that they believe it’s not right but I am straight and I never meet one who trie to convince me of being part of the LGBT. As mentioned in the video “Young Soul”,” God is Love, and will love for all of us to be kind”. God don’t judge us by our appearance but our heart.