Gender 101

DEI: Gender & Pronouns 101

​Two Most Important Things to Remember

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1. It is more than okay to mess up here! if we don't mess up, we don't grow and the whole point of this is to grow together as a chapter!

2. You do not have to understand someones identity to respect it.

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​So Why Should I Care, This Doesn’t Affect Me?

• ​In 2021 more and more people are openly identifying under the umbrella of transgender. (1.4 million American adults as of 2016)

• ​Some direct laws in Arkansas include laws on healthcare, sports, bathrooms, housing, work, gay panic defense, and no ban on conversion therapy for minors.

• ​This doesn't include other forms of discrimination such as high rates of murder, suicide, and imprisonment (200 reports of fatal violence since 2013, with the all time high being 44 last year. -HRC)

• ​Recent changes on reproductive rights will also greatly affect transgender people

​All of this to say, let's learn with intention!

​Definitions 101

• Transgender-An umbrella term for people whose gender identity and/or expression is different from cultural expectations based on the sex they were assigned at birth.

• Cisgender- ​A term used to describe a person whose gender identity aligns with those typically associated with the sex assigned to them at birth.

• ​Sex- Male, female or intersex, that a doctor or midwife uses to describe a child at birth based on their external anatomy.

• ​Gender Identity- One’s innermost concept of self as male, female, a blend of both or neither – how individuals perceive themselves and what they call themselves. One's gender identity can be the same or different from their sex assigned at birth.

• ​​​Gender Expression- External appearance of one's gender identity, usually expressed through behavior, clothing, body characteristics or voice, and which may or may not conform to socially defined behaviors and characteristics typically associated with being either masculine or feminine.

• ​Gender Dysphoria- Clinically significant distress caused when a person's assigned birth gender is not the same as the one with which they identify.

​Definitions Cont.

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• ​Disclosure- The act of sharing one's trans status or history

• ​Passing- refers to whether someone is perceived as female, male, or another gender. Everyone passes, regardless of whether the person identifies as transgender or non-transgender

• ​AFAB- Assigned female at birth

• ​AMAB- Assigned male at birth

• ​Intersex- Intersex people are born with a variety of differences in their sex traits and reproductive anatomy. There is a wide variety of difference among intersex variations, including differences in genitalia, chromosomes, gonads, internal sex organs, hormone production, hormone response, and/or secondary sex traits.

• ​Non-Binary- An adjective describing a person who does not identify exclusively as a man or a woman. Non-binary people may identify as being both a man and a woman, somewhere in between, or as falling completely outside these categories. While many also identify as transgender, not all non-binary people do. Non-binary can also be used as an umbrella term encompassing identities such as agender, bigender, genderqueer or gender-fluid.

​Whew, That was a lot!

Poll

Are gender and sexuality mutually exclusive?

• Yes, if you're transgender you also fall somewhere else in the LGBTQ+

• No, these identities can exist without the other

​No, Gender and Sexuality are Not Mutually Exclusive!

• ​An easy way to think about it is that sexuality is who you go to bed with and gender is who you go to bed as!

• ​There are an infinite amount of different sexualities and genders, but they all can exist without the other.

• ​Real life example: Our friend Ryan in TBS is Gay and Cisgender while I am Transgender and Bisexual.

​Gender, its a spectrum!

• ​Gender is on a spectrum with masculine on one side and feminine on the other

• ​Just because these are the two binary points on this spectrum doesn't mean that people can't identify anywhere between these two or even outside of these two!

Poll

Is Being Non-Binary a Third Gender?

• Yes, the three genders are Man, Woman, and Non-Binary

• No, there are an infinite amount of genders on the gender spectrum that can fall in between or outside of Man or Woman

​No, Non-Binary is not a third gender!

• ​Being Non-Binary does not mean you fall under an androgynous third gender.

• ​Non-Binary is an umbrella term for people who do not identify under one of the binary labels

• ​Some of these labels include, Gender-fluid, Agender, Bi-Gender, and Gender-Queer

• ​The differences may seem minute and pointless to some, but to others it is the slightness that makes the identity feel like home

• Non- Binary can look an infinite amount of ways

Poll

Being Transgender is a new idea, and is a fad of the modern era

• Yes, being transgender is a recent idea

• No, transgender people have existed long before in history  

​No, Transgender people have a rich history too!

• Transgender people have existed since the ​dawn of language

• ​The first gender conformation surgery took place in 1930, only two years after the discovery of antibiotics!

• ​Christine Jorgensen- WWII veteran who transitioned in the 1950's

Poll

Someone who is Transgender, is mentally ill. 

• True

• False

The Psychology of being Transgender

• ​Although gender dysphoria is classified under the newest addition of the DSM, being transgender is not a mental illness.

• ​Throughout history a transgender identify has been seen and treated as a mental illness, but today that notion is outdated.

• ​NEVER TREAT A TRANSGENDER PERSON AS IF THEY ARE MENTALLY ILL

Poll

Is it okay to ever use someones dead name?

(Dead Name- The name someone used before transition)

• Yes, it is public information and can be shared

• No, under no circumstances is it okay to ever use someones dead name

• It varies depending on the persons situation

​It Varies, but a Good Rule of Thumb is No!

• ​If the person is out to their peers or asks you to use a certain name and pronouns, it is your responsibility to do so to the best of your ability. IT IS BASIC RESPECT.

• ​General rule of thumb is as long as you haven't been explicitly asked to do so, use their correct name and pronouns!

• ​Before meeting parents and family, check in and make sure you're using a name and pronouns that are easiest for your friend. Sometimes families are unsupportive and a certain name and pronouns can make things more complicated for your friend!

• ​Even if the dead name is public information (such as on social media) does not mean it is your place to share that information.

Poll

Everyone in this room has pronouns

• True

• False

​Yes, Everyone has pronouns

• ​The three pronouns that we hear most everyday are He, She, and They.

• People can have multiple pronouns, for example, Brady and I both use He/They pronouns.

• ​When people use multiple pronouns, do you best to use both

• ​Typically the pronoun in front has a slight preference but both should be used

• ​Neo-Pronouns are something many of you will never experience but some examples include, Ze/Zir and Xe/Xem

• ​Try to include asking for pronouns every time you meet someone new!

​​What to do when you mess up someones pronouns

• ​​Best thing to do is correct and move on.

• Apologize later in private if you feel the need to do so.

• ​Number one rule is do not draw attention to it.

• ​Number two rule is do not make it about yourself.

​What Does it mean to be an Ally?

• ​To be an ally is to be someone who is aware of their privilege and uses it for the betterment of others through love, support, and action.

• ​Our ritual talks a lot about love and the love that we are to have for one another

• ​We don't get to choose when we are a brother which means we do not get to choose when we are an ally.

​What does it look like to be an Ally?

• Holding yourself accountable to create a welcoming environment wherever you are, this includes, asking and respecting pronouns, trying to take out gendered language in your everyday vocabulary, and challenging anti-transgender remarks.

• ​Avoiding backhanded compliments

• ​Only speaking on your expeiences and not speaking over transgender voices

• ​Doing your own research, if you wouldn't ask the question in front of Miss Connie, don't ask it to someone!

• ​Number one rule for early week and for life "Don't be a Jerk."

​Questions?