Sociology Chapter 12

gender identity

A person's sense of being male or female

homophobia

An irrational hostility, hatred, or fear of homosexuals.

DOMA

Defense of Marriage Act, a 1996 US Law explicitly limiting the definition of "marriage" to a union between one man and one woman and allowing each individual state to recognize or deny same-sex marriages performed in other states

sexual orientation

a person's physical, emotional, mental and sexual attraction to a particular sex (male or female)

sexuality

a persons capacity for sexual feelings

gender role

a set of behaviors that tend to be associated with being male or female

sex

a term that denotes the presence of physical or physiological differences between males and females

gender

a term that refers to social of cultural distinctions of behaviors that are considered male or female

transgender

an adjective that describes individuals who identify with the behaviors and characteristics that are other than their biological sex

heterosexism

an ideology and a set of institutional practices that privilege heterosexuals and heterosexuality over other sexual orientations

queer theory

an interdisciplinary approach to sexuality studies that identifies Western society's rigid splitting of gender into male and female roles and questions its appropriateness

gender dysphoria

diagnostic category in DSM-5 for individuals who do not identify as the gender associated with their biological sex. Replaces "gender identity disorder"

social construction of reality

socially created definitions about the cultural appropriateness of sex linked behavior which shape how people see and experience sexuality

biological determinism

the belief that men and women behave differently due to inherent sex differences related to their biology

double standard

the concept that prohibits premarital sex for women but allows it for men

doing gender

the performance of tasks based upon the gender assigned to us by society and, in turn, ourselves

sexism

the prejudiced belief that one sex should be valued over another

transsexuals

transgender individuals who attempt to alter their bodies through medical interventions such as surgery and hormonal therapy