After reading this week’s reading, I been thinking about woman of color are will never have the same opportunity that white women have. Most people in today’s society think that feminism is a way that women stand against men. The real meaning of feminism is people fighting for the rights of women and fighting for equality between women and men. Sex and Gender 101 goes into detail about the difference of Sex and Gender which is really helpful because people tend to group them together.

Before reading Sex and Gender 101, I didn’t know that gender could be broken down into 3 part which are Gender assignment, gender expression, and gender identity. Gender assignment is when a sex is assigned at birth. Gender identity is what the person themselves identity as. Gender expression is how the person expresses them. I truly believed everyone should at least be aware of the different types of genders. Society needs to improve their mindset about there only been two gender.

Before even reading these two readings, I had a sort of an idea about sex, gender, and feminism. It wasn’t as deep as these readings. While thinking about what to write for the discussion question, I didn’t even know the minimum knowledge I now know from the reading. It made me think about many things that I let pass by me when I was younger. I never thought that it had a deeper meaning to it. I feel a little more education on this matter. I used to believe that all feminism where the same thing, but this reading taught me that there is more to feminism knowledge than everybody knows. For example, she stated, ” masses of people think that feminism is always and only about women seeking to be equal to men.” this statement was the one that made me think about my knowledge and that I need to start thinking deeply about the meaning. Some women fight every day for what they believe in and want to make things right between women and what we deserve. When incidents like feminism and sexism happened to me, I used to think that it was okay for them to be joking or playing around. I come from a family that doesn’t let it bother them. As im getting older, im seeing how men treat the women in my family. This reading helped me figure out the meaning of feminism and know I will have the courage to start speaking to my family about this matter and what needs to be done.

The reading of Feminist politics by bell hooks was interesting it gave you a view point of the “oppressed” which is the new buzz word that everyone throws around . I enjoyed the part where it stated that white woman basically hijacked a movement started by Black woman. Not the first time i have seen this but it was interesting to see someone actually saying it . An example of that now would be “black lives matter” which has now spawned everything from “blue lives matter”, “white lives matter” and the newly constructed “zombie lives matter”. I disagreed with the feminism is for everyone statement because i don’t feel that it is knowing its origins and witnessing the circus it has transformed into. The sense of female unification, triumph and inspiration has since been gone. It is not as provocative and powerful as it once was, whether purposefully or not it has been diminished down to a a funny pun on a coffee mug. I feel that is what happens with most movements. It starts off strong and fierce until what you stand for starts to be applied to everything that everything it doesn’t it quickly looses its meaning and its edge. Do you think that the woman that campaign and scream for feminism now would dare march with the woman who started it ?. I don’t think that they would. As far as my thought s go regarding the sex and gender 101, Why is it necessary for me to know what sex you are or what you identify yourself with instead of what kind of person you are first? I don’t agree with having to use or refer to someone by a list of pronouns that are getting longer by the day because you that what makes you comfortable . What band are you listening to ?, what video games do you like? those are the hard hitting questions i care about . I don’t care what your tastes are that’s your personal choice which really should be none of my business at all. What happened to privacy? Everyone is quick to yell out what gender they align themselves with faster then introducing themselves and telling me there name. How about we start with what’s your name?. and then we shall go from there, simple i just fixed it .

In the readings, Sex & Gender 101 by Kyl Meyers and Feminist Politics: Where We Stand by bell hooks, I found a lot of information that is new to me. Recently I have read a lot and learned as much as possible about gender, but as with any new conversation, there is always more to hear and new perspectives to gain. In Sex & Gender 101 I was happy to have these terms really broken down. I have learned that there is a difference between biological sex and gender. Which, sadly, has been groundbreaking recently. I never learned any of that growing up, there was never talk of the nuances of a human’s gender and sexuality. Although I have become aware of it, some of the stats given in the reading are new to me and very enlightening. How Kyl Meyers presented the three biological sexes: male, female, and intersex, then goes on to explain how within all of these are vast differences and uniqueness. Especially the intersex traits, this is rarely talked about and it is as much a sex as female or male. He states, “being intersex is as common as red hair.” Then moving into the gender assignment, gender identity, and sexual orientation in a way that ties them all together while making it very clear how truly separate they are and can be. My favorite takeaway is how well he paints a picture of how fluid people are and how unbelievably unrealistic the mainstream thinking really is.

I felt similarly about Chapter 1 of Bell Hooks Feminist Politics: Where We Stand in that she really broke down feminism into categories that helped me understand where confusion has come in. I am really happy to read about the original pledge of feminism, “simply put, feminism is a movement to end sexism, sexist exploitation, and oppression”, as this makes sense to me. I always found it confusing how many different takes on feminism there were and how much attention there was on having what men had, it seemed to miss the point. So, hearing the history behind the progress of the movements really helped clarify things. I especially loved how she shined a light on the inequalities that came from the direction that movements took. Specifically white women that started to gain from the idea of equality that was being offered to them from men and how they then pushed other women even further down so they could continue to benefit.

I believe “Sex and Gender 101” by Kyl Myers and bell hooks’ “Feminist Politics: Where We Stand” were such interesting and thought provoking reads. With Myers’ article, I was able to learn about a specific topic I was ignorant about, being intersex and the different types one can be intersex. Before reading this article, if someone had asked me what an intersex person is I would only be able to tell you that I thought they were people with both male and female genitalia and that you would always be able to tell because of their reproductive organs. How incredibly wrong I was! Someone who is intersex can have parts of both male and female reproductive systems, but they can also be people with red hair, cystic fibroids, someone with female sex hormones and chromosomes but male genitalia or a person with male sex hormones but with female or incompletely formed genitalia. It was surprising to see the different reasons and ways somebody could be considered intersex and it’s even more surprising to know that many people are intersex and don’t even know it because they don’t have any visible physical traits. Even though it was a simple, short article it was packed with information and it’s something everyone should read and have knowledge about. While reading the first chapter of bell hooks book “Feminism Is For Everybody”, I finally got to understand what feminism is actually meant to be and realized I, like some people she mentioned, understood what feminism was and what they stood for because of the inaccurate information acquired through the mass media. As I read, I got more upset because as a woman I’m feeling and understanding the struggles women, especially black women, have dealt with for years and how little to no change there is for them; no one really listens. I feel like it’s time for me to speak up, advocate for black and POC women and get those to understand feminism the way it was intended. It’s a powerful read and I admire bell hooks, as an author and as a woman.

Our assignment this week included reading two excerpts regarding sex, gender, and feminism. I found both of them very interesting and helpful in explaining these complicated topics. The first one is an article by Kyl Meyers titled “Sex & Gender 101.” It outlines very clearly what is biological sex, gender, sexual orientation and the difference between them. To put it in a few words, biological sex is defined by human anatomy, including chromosome type and organs. I was surprised to learn that there are four different variations of Intersex persons’ anatomy and that some intersex variations can be almost impossible to recognize by just looking at a person. Unlike sex, gender is a social construct that changes over time and cultures. People are assigned certain behavior and appearance based on their gender, but Meyers also stresses the fact that gender assignment, gender identity, and gender expression don’t necessarily have to match. For example, you can establish a more masculine gender expression, but this won’t mean you identify the same way. The same goes for sexual orientation, which refers to who the person is attracted to. It is fluid and can change throughout life. All of these factors intertwine and contribute to a person’s identity in countless different ways. Because of how the article is written in such a simple, accessible manner, I even thought of translating it to my home language and giving it to my parents to read.

The second reading was the first chapter from the book “Feminism is For Everybody” by Bell Hooks. It introduces a modern definition of feminism, the goal of which is to end sexism and sexist oppression, rather than to make women equal to men. What I didn’t know before reading the chapter is that there were two groups of feminist thinkers — revolutionary and reformist. The latter refers to establishing gender equality, which was the main objective of early feminist movements, and it affected how the public viewed feminism in general. The vision of what same rights in the workforce as men was easier to realize and thus it became mainstream and favored by most women. However, it did not solve the problems of women of all colors and classes. That’s why Hooks promotes revolutionary feminism, which called for completely restructuring the society. Given that the book was published in 2000, I think the author’s vision is set to slowly succeed in modern days, considering how fast-paced everything is. We’re seeing shifts in people’s awareness about gender with increasing progression, indicating that society is becoming more accepting and casual about it. If this trend continues with generations, I can see the borders of gender being bent and somewhat erased (in a good way), thus making sexism oudated.

This week’s reading “Sex & Gender 101” brought to my attention that there is more to only being born with just a gender and sex. What I thought prior to reading this article were the basic such as being gay or straight but my lack of knowledge on the matter is such a shame to say the least. Kyl Myers goes into depth about the foundational terms and concepts that family and friends should know to understand the parent philosophy to raising Zoomer. What I gather from the article was that sex and gender are not the same thing, there are categories such as biological sex, gender, and sexual orientation. For example, there are more than just men having XY sex chromosome and a female just having XX sex chromosome, such as: 46, XX Intersex; 46, XY Intersex; True Gonadal Intersex; and Complex or Undetermined Intersex that can be identify during birth, puberty or even throughout a person’s life. Gender is more of a social and cultural role based on their biological sex, this does not mean that gender assignment and gender identity always match. Sexual orientation is a person sexual preference just as Heterosexual, Bisexual, Homosexual, and Pansexual. This article is important because as a child grows, they should decide what they identify with and would only gain confidence because they see their being accepted. From experience while I was in high school, I had a lot of friends who were Homosexual but were too afraid to say it because they were afraid to due to the mean comments. As a society we must do better so the future children do not have to be afraid of the side eyes or rude comments. 

In Feminist Politics: Where we stand’ by Bell Hook she talks about the misconception people have on feminism. Bell Hook addresses the problems women face with sexism and oppression, she defines feminism as: “a movement to end sexism, sexist exploitation, and oppression..” Hooks go into detail to state that it is not just an anti- male movement but to educate society by giving the true definition of feminism. Feminist focus on equality for both men and female and important concept she states is that the world would be a full of peace if society understood the root of the problem is sexism by understanding this both male and female can co-exist. Overall, the reading helped me to understand more in depth the definition of feminism.  

As I reflect on the reading of this week, I cannot help to thing about the women of color who were suppress and did not have the same opportunities as these white women who were able to stand up without getting lynched. I cannot help but realize that feminism was not for everyone. I am grateful for the white women who had the courage to stand up for women rights. Thanks to them we were allowed to work and have a bank account.  

Sex and Gender 101 really explained the diverse types of routes that gender takes as a whole.  Kyl Myers really broke down each meaning of gender and sex. I have heard of raising Zoomer, If I am not mistaken there is a documentary that goes into more depth of raising your child without putting them into a gender box, which I thought was amazing. It is not only male and female. At the end of that little documentary, they let Zoomer pick which gender they wanted to be. That gender and sex is how a person feels that they are. Gender and sex are an expression of many things. I love this is where our future is headed just letting people feel and be who they truly are. 

I learned from the first reading that feminism has always been seen as “evil” and many use hurtful stereotypes to lessen the impact of the movement. Also, many get confused about what feminism actually is. I think that people fear what they don’t understand. They see feminism as women turning their backs on men. They believe that one day we’ll all just wake up and realize just how powerful we are. That’s why most men see feminism as a threat, because it means that they can’t treat women so poorly and get away with it. But it isn’t bad for women to want respect. Everyone should be treated the way they want to be treated. 

In the second reading, I learned about how harmful gender stereotypes placed on children can be. I know this from first-hand experience. Growing up as a girl in a Jamaican household, a lot was expected of me. Like learning how to cook and clean. While that is a basic necessity that all people should learn, My family mostly believed that’s what women should do. My grandma especially wanted us to learn these things for our future husbands. So they raised us in the kitchen and taught us how to keep the house clean because “it’s our job”. I was always told as a kid that I needed to learn how to cook or else my husband was going to beat me in the future. That’s a horrifying thing to tell a child. It was a tactic to scare me and my sister into the kitchen. And I think that’s the reason why I am the way that I am. After being told that I figured all men hit women who didn’t know how to cook, so I decided that when I grow up I would live all by myself so I wouldn’t fear an abusive sexist husband. I think the only bad thing is that I didn’t really learn how to cook because I was trying to be a “rebel”. So now I have to teach myself. From that experience, I learned that it’s good to know how to cook and clean, but not because you want to please a man. When I have children of my own, I want to teach them the importance of learning how to do those things for themselves, whether or not they meet someone. 

As the world continues to evolve and society continues to change with it; the topics of sex, gender, and feminisim has continued to progress and expand our way of thinking about these topics and how we view them. Through two specific texts by two different authors; I want to further explain in depth what the readings mean, what they are trying to convey, and the important points we should all take away from both texts. In the article “Sex & Gender 101” written by Kyl Myers focuses on the basics when it comes to the topics of sex and gender. Myers focuses on the foundational terms which make up some form of who we are. Myers touches base on the foundational terms such as; biological sex, gender, and sexual orientation. One important concept Myers explains in the article is the idea that a person’s biological sex, gender, identity, gender expression, and sexual orientation are not mutually exclusive. The statement within itself is powerful and further explains how just because a male or a female may identify as cisgender does not automatically mean that individual is a heterosexual. When we put terms like gender and sexual orientation together amongst other foundational terms based around sex and gender, then we constantly put people in the same groups without truly getting to know who they are and what they view themselves as. For example, myself, I am a female who identifies as cisgender however, my sexual orientation is bi-sexual. Throughout high school, people in my school constantly assumed because I was a cisgender female I only liked boys and when I did express to them my sexual orientation they laughed it off, didn’t believe me, and made statements like “you’re too pretty to like girls.” This type of experience, labeling, and stereotyping essentially made me not want to express myself anymore to anyone ever again. Therefore, the information that Myers is describing throughout this article makes room for readers to further educate themselves and start a conversation about sex and gender overall that has never been had before or is not spoken about enough. Another important concept from the text is the fact that in countries like America, young boys and girls are taught their gender roles and how distinctive they are from each other. Boys are taught at a young age to be rough, aggressive, rugged, to be the “man” and the “boss” as they grow up. Girls are taught at a young age the ways of being a housewife; learning how to cook, clean, be quiet, submissive, and overall weak. As society continues to evolve and the definition of foundational terms like gender and sex are expanding into different meanings it is vital to change the way children are being brought up in the world. Myers is pointing out that with educating yourself more on the depth of sexual orientation and gender you can make a change by becoming aware of the stereotypical problems and stigmas when it comes to sex and gender. Lastly, another important message from the text is the idea that if we don’t change the way we view sex and gender then we will constantly have set gender roles and sterotypes for both men and women. If we continuously put men in a box and women in a box without having room for more different types of gender identities then we will never have a positive shift in the construction of gender, sex, and its overall culture in society. 

In the article, “Feminist Politics: Where we stand” by bell hooks focuses on the topic of feminism and the sterotypical concepts behind it. Hooks goes into detail about her goal to end sexist oppression and continue to educate others on the true definition of feminism by describing it as a movement that is not all about being anti-male, but focuses on the equality of both male and females. An important concept Hooks speaks on is the message that all sexist thinking and actions are the problem whether it is by a male, female, child, or adult. By understanding the idea of sexism overall so we can truly understand the idea of feminism. This is an important message to not only understand but educate to others in our lives because it can help spread awareness to feminism and make a change in the world for not only women but men as well. If we end sexism in our society then we would make a way for feminism to grow and truly impact the world in a positive way. Another important concept Hooks mentions is just how important feminism is to our society. Feminism won’t end all our world problems and create a perfect world full of peace and equality howvever, it can and will still impact the world in a way where men and women can co-exist without stereotypes; while creating a welcoming and beloved community. Hooks mentions the intention that feminism can touch and change our lives if we can truly grasp what feminism and the movement of feminsim is. Lastly, Hooks brings up the message that without clear definitions on feminism we won’t be able to move forward with the feminism movement throughout society. It is key for us to not only get the definition of feminism right but to instill this definition in others so they can continue to share the message and keep the movement alive until there is solid change in society.