“Sex & Gender 101” by Kyl Myers starts off by clarifying on principle terms such as what biological sex is, gender and sexual orientation. The biology behind sex refers to the anatomy and physiology, which includes our outer genitalia, sex organs, sex chromosomes and sex hormones. Furthermore, Myers specifies that biological sex is in regard to how a person’s outer genitalia looks, which in turn can me changed via medication. When speaking on biological sex, the labels are female, male and intersex. Females have xx sex chromosomes, males have xy sex chromosomes and intersex persons have variations of sex chromosomes. One of the variations of sex chromosomes for intersex people is 46, xx in which the person has female internal reproductive organs as well as sex chromosomes but externally has genitals that look male. True Gonadal Intersex, another variation, is when a person has testicular and ovarian tissue either in the gonad, or the individual may have one ovary and one testicle. Universally, no matter where you are biological sex is understood. This is due to the expected development that takes place during puberty, so when a female who has xx chromosomes develops breasts, wider hips and body hair, it is no surprise.

            Gender is a term that refers to the roles that are placed for males and females, both social and cultural. There are three ways that break down gender: gender assignment, gender identity and gender expression. Gender assignment refers to when a person is labelled as either a feminine gender or a masculine one, all depending on their outer genitalia. This occurs in utero normally, even for intersex persons. This assigning of genders, children are then taught accordingly. Boys to be aggressive, rough and tough, and girls to be likeable, polite and submissive. These are stereotypical roles that affect people from pursuing their dreams in developing countries, in which a woman pursuing an education is not seen as valuable.

Gender identity is how an individual think about themselves in relation to gender. One important fact that gender identity and gender assignment may not match, and thus may be go by transgender, genderqueer, non-binary or non-conforming.If a person feels they do match, they are considered cisgender.Gendered pronouns allow others to know how to refer to someone, such as “they” or “she.” Lastly, gender expression is how a person chooses to present their gender identity. The way a person dresses or walks is how we can give people cues as to how we view ourselves and thus, how we wish to be viewed by the world. For those who are afraid of how people will view them, their gender expression and gender identity may not align. 

            Sexual orientation is alluding to who a person feels attracted to. There is a plethora of sexualities such as heterosexual(attracted to the opposite gender), homosexual(gay/lesbian), bisexual(attracted to both genders), andpansexual (attracted to the attributes of a person). Although there are set definitions for each term, sexuality is not set in stone. It is fluid and can fluctuate as a person grows. Ultimately, I have learned that these fundamental terms are not mutually exclusive, and sexuality as well as gender expression can change over time. They are not rigid because humans are constantly evolving and it is a beautiful thing!

 “Feminist Politics: Where We Stand” by Bell Hooks talks about what Hooks proposes feminism is. In Bell Hooks words, feminism is a movement that seeks to end sexism, sexist manipulation and despotism regardless of who is the perpetuator. One important move that she made was identifying the real root of the issue as sexism. Although the feminist that is shown by the media is portrayed as eager for equal work and pay to men, that is not the true meaning of what feminism is, in fact that is what the reformist feminist wants. Reformist feminists negatively impacted society as a whole because they deterred from the real movement to rebuild a sexist-free place. They also kept women of African American descent who were active at the precipice of the movement, from being featured or from gaining attention from the media. This maintained equality an achievement that was evidently not going to be attained by women who were not white. It is important to understand that feminism is simply the desire to build a nation that is free of sexism, oppression and manipulation, where all people can live their lives in peace.