The future of Gender and Sexuality: Acceptance or conversion?
By: Sara Coleman
May 3, 2019
Gender. It’s the first label put on someone. The doctors can tell if it’s a boy or a girl. But is it really that simple? Is gender given to us or do we choose?
In America 2019, there has been a rise in the appreciation of all gender representations. Such as female, male, agender, bigender, transgender, gender queer and the list goes on. But there's one thing all of them have in common, a heart. So why does it matter how people identify? Beyond gender, when we start talking about sexuality, we are talking about who we are attracted to.
Sam Brinton wrote an article about his detrimental experiences with conversation therapy in January, 2018.
In an article written by Sam Brinton, just January of last year, he talks about his personal experience as a young bisexual male who was forced into conversion therapy by his parents. Conversion therapy is the pseudoscientific practice of attempting to change someone’s sexual orientation from homosexual or bisexual to heterosexual by psychological or spiritual interventions. However, these practices can be harmful to the individual.
Sam’s parents were missionaries at Southern Baptist. In these sessions, that were meant to “cure” his sexuality, he was told that his sexuality was an “abomination,” that he was the only gay person in the world, and that he was destined to be diagnosed with H.I.V. or AIDS. In addition, the therapist directed him to be bound to a table to have ice, heat, and electricity applied to him. He was forced to sit through clips of gay men holding hands, hugging, and having sex. He was told to associate these images with pain. These methods did not work on Sam; he only said it did for the sessions to stop.
In the article Brinton also highlights how conversion therapy is legal in 41 states in America. Also that 700,000 adults in the US have gone through conversion therapy at some point in life. 350,000 of them at an adolescent age.
Although this case took place in America it happens all around the world. And there are more stories and more methods. Sometimes it’s not just one’s sexuality it’s how they dress, how they look, and who they say they are. But despite what has been happening, the world is changing. 2019 was the first year that all states have been served by openly LGBT elected politicians and there is an openly bisexual state governor (Kate Brown).
To conclude my article I decided to ask instagram what they thought.
“Does someone’s gender define their role in society?”
Yes: 5
No: 15
I asked some respondents to explain their answer.
17 year old female who answered yes.
“Being realistic here , yes a person's gender defines their role in society rather you are a man , a woman , or identify as transgender etc . Whatever that something you play a part in is always gonna have a different weight it carries due to gender . For instance if a transgender women wanted to cut hair in a majority black community it would be much harder for her to fulfill that role than say a black man. The fact of the matter is that now because it is 2019 and new things happen occur everyday , our society wishes to be able to not use the gender of someone as a main factor in the role they play. But unfortunately due to centuries of ignorance and bias we are still stuck at a point in time where gender continues to define the role someone can play in society.”
21 year old male who answered no.
“There are many roles in society where men held certain positions whether if that’s to provide for a household or to succeed as a CEO in a company. Nowadays, females have broken that glass ceiling in jobs, sports, and other achievements in society. Before a female couldn’t even become an astronaut now they can along with males. Along with sports where females couldn’t play sports men where playing. Now with some sports females can participate along with the males. You also have sexual orientations that aren’t just limited to being heterosexual. You have a wife and a husband both making the same amount in a household. Sometimes the females make more than the male, than it being the other way around.”
After reading these responses it shows how history does play into gender roles but also how it has changed over time for the better.
Overall, gender is your perception and who you say you are. And as a person you can do anything no matter the skin you're in.