Opposite Sex

[ToYz]

I agree with Butler, the male and female biological category is blurred for both male and female share the 'X' chromosome and one is unable to draw the line as to where how many chromosomes make you male/female. One has to look to more social characteristics, i.e. 'gender performance'. From this, certain characteristics are considered to be male and some female. However, this only seemed to apply in the past where homosexuality was a discreet subject and now that homosexually has come to be more accepted by the public, the less conventional male/female are exposed. It seems that society today need to develop a name for individuals with unconventional gender characteristics or better yet, get rid of the terms for they cause problems. Then again, this problem had been left un-dealt with for too long to create new terms that work. Consequently, none of the terms work, even for the term that suit the majority, the fact still remains that they own characteristics of the so called other (male/female) and no single individual is the same as another.     

[jbird]

I too disagree totally with butler, she seems very bitter about everything and is venting her emotion through her writing. the simple fact is,  everyone is born with genitalia, be it male or female (except rare cases of none or both). a man with male genitalia may show signs of femininity and be gay or think of himself as a woman, but this does not make him female.

[j´adore]

that gender is also the part that allows people to express themselves freely

I have to disagree with this statement made by ‘07016311’ as gender also functions as a means to separate people into categories and thus creating differences and hierarchies and not free individuals like you have suggested. I personally do not view the term gender as positively as it has been mentioned and used here as I believe many people to have been influenced and even suffered from this categorization. For example, women are paid much less money doing the exact same jobs than a man and men in general are still viewed to be superior and receive more power.
Further, certain characteristics of each gender category are expected so that exactly this creates expectations which not every individual feels comfortable and right in which leads to the whole problem of individuals feeling marginalized as they don’t feel that they suit into existing categories. Of course, today, there are some more categories for sexual orientation than before and we strive for more tolerance, yet the function and common use of gender is still around, which is useful, but it does in reality also create separations and challenges. 

[07016311]

There will always be categories whether we like it or not, what I was saying was that there are categories for our own benefit, first of all for the sex of an individual, then gender for the way they wish to behave, there are no constraints saying that a female cannot behave as a male, and finally for sexuality, allowing people to express their feelings and emotions, whether they are attracted to males or females does not matter as people will always fit into a category. If there is not already a category formed then a new one will be constructed and others will follow and fit into this new category. Before gender reassignment surgery many moons ago, transexuality did not exist but yet today, we see a category has been made. It is not necessarily a negative thing to have categories, it means that we as human beings are able to process information about people more easily, and you cannot tell me that you do not do this, everybody does, its the way the brain works, it CATEGORISES information.

[Jolin]

I agree with Butler's idea that it can not simply divide a persons sex. In the current society, biology gender is not the only factor to decide a person's sex (man or woman). For instance, a person was born female biologically, however, she was raised and educated in a male's way. Then she behaved as a male and she believed that she is a male. Can we still easily say that she is woman? Therefore, the sex can not be simply divided from a person. Except the biology gender, we still need to think about their psychological gender.

[j´adore]

@ 07016311 True point, our brain does use categories to think faster and I also agree with the statement that more categories exist today than before, that’s definitely the case. Yet I also wanted to show the negative implications of gender where not too long ago only the classical characteristics of gender categories were accepted and everything else was considered “abnormal”/ people were marginalized because they desired to act “differently” like the opposite sex for eg. and that differences still exist today, like I said before, with women being paid less than a man for the same job for example. Therefore we should appreciate the change to more tolerance and more categories in today’s society but not forget how many people had to struggle for their personal freedom/category/orientation and aim for more equality so individuals are not separated and paid differently because of their gender or orientation.

[aj89]

I believe that it is just a brute fact that we are either male or female yes. When Butler says that women who are unable to get pregnant are not women, I disagree. I believe this is a scientific anomaly. It is an exception not the rule. I believe the same with chromosome abnormalities.

[Timeless]

I do not believe that everyone will ever agree on everything concerning sex and gender. The majority rules when it comes to sex - genetalia, hormones and chromosomes all determine a persons sex. Yes there are anomolies but they are the minority.

As for gender, society has become more accepting of the 'different' and like previously mentioned there is the freedom to express ourselves. One aspect that I find very interesting is that everyone has focused on the male/female, gay/lesbian and haemaphrodites. No one has thought about other cultures. I believe that there are at least 9 different types of gender in Thailand. . . There is also the third gender that haemaphrodites are classed in to.

It all goes to down to the basics though. Society is more accepting of heterosexual relationships because it has been the longest standing accepted form of living and heterosexuality allows for the reproduction of the human race, allowing the continual survival of society.

[emily]

Although Butler gives good examples of how men and women can't merely be defined by things such as impregnation or chromosomes, I still believe that there is a clear distinction between the two sexes due to the difference in genitalia. Even though some people feel they are not supposed to be the sex they were born as, they are still clear as to what sex they are biologically. Therefore I agree with Federica that it is just a brute, biological fact that each of us is either male or female.

[07009616]

I agree with Butler's argument that the reason how men and women are distinguished from one another is the way in which they perform their gender. Had a boy/man, for example, been brought up by his parents, to believing that males are supposed to act and perform femininely, and this whole time he has been completely separated from females, the boy would grow up thinking that males are in fact supposed to act, perform and even dress femininely.

Of course, the moment we were born, we were distinguished by doctors and nurses whether we are male or female, judging by our genitals. But if we had not been told, and been brought up thinking we were supposed to act and perform in a completely different way, then we would not find it abnormal at all.

[smiles]

Although biology has a lot to do with distinguishing a persons sex, we need to remember those individuals who feel like they are born into the wrong body. Such circumstances really interest me. If Butlers argument was true then why cant these people stay in one gendered body but assume the position of another gender through their performance. Ultimately these people feel the necessity to have a sex change in order to feel complete. I am aware that my argument excludes the process of cross dressing but believe that drag is a performance that people enjoy being able to pick up and put down and differs dramatically from the individuals mentioned earlier.

[soph218]

 Butler eradicates the biological concept of ‘sex’. I would still argue that natural and biological formation of what makes us man and women are still vital to our roles and identities within society, Due to the bodies balance of chemicals, which to my knowledge differ between man and women. I don’t believe our gender roles and behaviour our entirely down to cultural and social constructions like Judith Butler argues. However ‘Gender Trouble’ has questioned my perspective on how the concept of ‘sex’ leaves little room for the individual to question and challenge the categories of gender roles and choices of sexuality. It is easy for someone happy in their biological sex to just accept it, however for all those that are not it is not as easy to except it and there is also little room in society to challenge it as we are often passive subjects when it comes to science and happy to just accept what we are told as fact.

[ilikethequeen]

I also, as many above, disagree with Butler's idea that we cannot have two definite sexes. Yes, Butler's research shows that there are anomolies in the rule, i.e. where 10% of the population do not have the exact chromose pairs and where woman are unable to get pregnant, so in this respect it is good to question where these people lie in respect to those who do fit the criteria for 'male' or 'female'. However, the point of our sexual organs (whether they 'work' or not) and the way are bodies have evolved and developed, so women have wide hips to aid giving birth, is to ensure that the species survives.

At times, I find Butler's argument rather blurred when she talks of 'sex' and 'gender' being seperate (since gender "is 'unnatural', so that there is no necessary relationship between one's body and one's gender" Salih, 2002, p.46) and yet she goes on to link them again through suggesting that they "are 'phantasmatic' cultural constructions which contour and define the body" (Salih, 2002, p.49). So she begins by removing 'gender' from the body and then 'sex'.

[sweetgirl]

I would like to add that 'heterosexuality' is a matter of imitation and parody (Butler,1008). What I believe is that gender is not fixed and is not certain in some cases. In terms of the gay and lesbian sexuality I believe that reproduction is a normative ideal and fictional. I believe that of course we are born as either male or a female and it is indeed certain that each of us are confirmed either male or a female, but then again there are also some individuals who don't have penis but still are considered as men, so does that suggest that we are either male or female at birth? therefore gender allocation is chosen biologically for us all even when the baby is in the mothers womb.

[satsuma]

I think the biological distinction is not a brute because it is important for reproduction.
People are used to the social norm of men being male/ masculine and women being female/ feminine.
And I think the categorization is a reference for people to locate their gender and keeps the society order.

People can express themselves freely in nowadays society, the norm become/ is loose.
Butler suggest that gender is performative, rely only on the extent that it is performed (Tyler, 1996) which is reflecting the society. So, I agree with her. 

To the question raised by ilikethequeen in the second paragraph of Reply #27, my understanding is:
sex is biologically determined; gender is cultural suggested and a result of imitation.
That means “masculine” and “feminine” are mental qualities that an individual chooses to employ.
Sex is the reference to gender, there is correlation in between.