I agree with Rachel when she says that she finds it important to understand the difference between sex and gender as they are relevant in not only our every day life, but even more importantly, our identity and self-perception. However, after completing today’s readings, and becoming increasingly confused by each selection, I believe it is entirely impossible to find coherent, applicable, accurate, and universally agreed upon definitions of sex, gender, and other sub-words intended to articulate their meanings.
I was especially lost during Levy’s talk of labels like “femme,” “bois,” and “butch top.” Despite my numerous re-readings of the introduction of each of these words, I still could not keep their definitions straight. Further, it seemed that when used, these words were relatively arbitrary and therefore, relied on social perceptions and personal notions in their use. Lissa Doty, an interviewee of Levy, suggests she identifies as a “boi” because she never wanted to grow up. Doty goes on to say “to me, butch is like adult,” (Levy, 122). Without realizing, Doty recognizes that these definitions are largely arbitrary. To her, butch has one definition, however to someone else, it could mean something entirely different.
The problem with arbitrary definitions such as these is that when used publically, the intended meaning may be misunderstood. However, if it is understood that these definitions inherently include some element of individual perception, fluidity of gender and sex definitions is potentially a very positive step for feminist movements. As Anne Fausto-Sterling suggests in Sexing The Body, “a body’s sex is simply too complex. There is no either/or. Rather, there are shades of difference,” (Fausto-Sterling, 3). Fausto-Sterling suggests that there is no way to create a perfectly accurate and all-encompassing definition of “male” and “female” as labeling sex fundamentally depends on our own personal beliefs and social perceptions about gender. Further, Fausto-Sterling suggests an idea I myself had not considered, these social perceptions of what “male” and “female” also affect what scientists, given the job of identifying sex, perceive to be biologically male or female. Therefore, the definitions of the biological aspect, referred to as sex, and the social portion, referred to as gender, of individuals are inherently linked and bias.
Fausto-Sterling’s point is very important as despite endless efforts to remove personal perceptions or social considerations from our definition of sex, we cannot do it, and therefore, consciously or not, individually distort the meaning of male and female. Therefore, ideas of male and female must occur on a spectrum or range rather than as two points located at completely opposite poles since they rely on such a range of factors and perspectives.
As Levy suggests, “being a boi means different things to different people-it’s a fluid identity, and that’s the whole point,” (Levy, 125). The fluidity of definitions of gender and sexuality is not only important when defining others, but also for many people in defining themselves and creating their own identity. An individual posting on LiveJournal, a website of personal diaries open to the public view, says it as follows:
So my story reads that I’m a butch (or whatever) living in Minnesota. Mostly I claim the trans label, but it’s not my intention to transition to male from wherever I’m at now. I’m surprisingly comfortable in this gray much…it makes life easier when I live it instead of trying to box it up like take-out,” (126, Levy).
This excerpt exemplifies the point that taking a preformed, universally accepted, and specifically defined label, and attempting to fit yourself inside it is much more difficult and confining than finding a versatile and adaptable spot along a spectrum. The pointed definitions of sex and gender serve to constrict individuals whom they define and mislead individuals who use them. People trying to fit a specific and static definition of gender and sex often force themselves to be something they are not, thereby inhibiting their true understanding of self-identity. Further, in becoming something they are not, people trying to fit a pointed definition reinforce the naïve and insufficient meanings of these words when this specificity does not, in reality, truly exist among people.
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