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