Chapter 12: Gender, Sex, and Sexuality

gender dysphoria

a condition listed in the DSM 5 in which people whose gender at birth is contrary to the one they identify with. This condition replaces gender identity disorder.

sexuality

a person's capacity for sexual feelings

gender

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

homophobia

an extreme or irrational aversion to homsexuals.

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.

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.

sex

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

DOMA

Defense of Marriage Act, a 1906 US law explicitly limiting the definition of marriage to a union between one man and one woman and allowing each individual stae to recognize or deny same sex marriages performed in other states.

gender identity

a person's deeply held internal perception of his or her gender.

sexual orientation

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

social construction of sexuality

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

gender role

society's concept of how men and women should behave.

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 sexual intercourse for women but allows it for men

transsexuals

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