Sexual Stereotypes
Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity
Gender is complex
Diversity is natural
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Defining Sexual Stereotypes
Defining Sexual Stereotypes
Sexual stereotyping is the preconceived idea consisting of how an individual should behave. It is a fixed generalized idea of how men and women should be. The sexual stereotyping of men and women has a significant impact on society. There are several detrimental attitudes that impact all. There is extreme judgment towards the LGBT+ community which is known as homophobia. Gender expression is how an individual presents themselves to the world.
Terms to understand
Non binary gender: gender identities that lie outside of the man-woman dichotomy. Whether an individual defines themselves with multiple genders. neither man or woman, fluid identity, transgender (gender identity contradicting from sex assigned at birth), gender, and more. All and all, neither biological sex nor gender identity determines a person’s sexual orientation.
Sexual orientation: gender or genders an individual is sexually or romantically attracted too.
Heterosexual: an individual is attracted to the opposite gender
Homosexual or gay: an individual is attracted to the same gender
Bisexual: an individual is attracted to two or more genders
Pan-sexual: an individual is attracted to any gender
Asexual: an individual may not experience sexual attraction to anyone
Pronouns:
He/Him/His
She/Her/Hers
They/Them/Theirs (Gender Neutral)
Keep in mind:
A daily struggle comes in for an individual when they are referred to by the wrong pronoun. The effects of being referred to as the wrong pronoun consist of loss of self esteem, harassment, deep sense of shame, and discrimination which is something no individual deserves to experience. It is important to understand that terminology is continually evolving and the words that people apply to describe their sexual orientation is ever changing.
“You don’t want them to see you so you change the pronouns in your love poems to “him” instead of “her””
“You don’t want them to see you so you change the pronouns in your love poems to “him” instead of “her””
The Harmful Effects
The Harmful Effects
The judgment of stereotypical sexual roles all begin between the roles in families. Throughout school the roles between men and women are solidified by peers and colleagues. There can also be an unspoken bias amidst education programs and teachers involving how one’s sexual behavior should appear. Sexist prejudices within society today paint men as dominant, uncommunicative, strong, and women are portrayed as incompetent, overly emotional. Due to these assertions, men develop a sense of vanity to accomplish the label of male dominance, while women create a victimized approach to their life to remain in society's box for them as being weak and powerless.
Conforming to society's beliefs on how men and women should act causes individuals to lose a part of themselves in the struggle to maintain the comfort in the boxes that have been created. Gender is seen as a stable construct which leads to an assumption that people who are gender role non-conforming such as masculine women and feminine men are automatically gay or lesbian. There is fluidity within gender and no human should be limited in any way shape or form to be themselves. With generalization and categorization the human brain rarely strays from the ideas we have cemented making it difficult to accept concepts that are out of the “norm” forcing individuals to feel like a guest in their own house.
Individuals judged by their preferred gender identity feel different from other people around them, bullying can occur both verbally and physically, and there is pressure to define or deny feelings according to one's gender identity. Individuals feel unsupported with their chosen gender identity by friends and family which may result to isolation and rejection. The stigma connected to gender stems from negative reactions from the outside world. Working to listen and support the idea that gender is complex and fluidity is natural is so important.With the freedom to feel capable to express one's true gender identity is crucial for one's emotional and mental health.
“Dear straight people I’m tired of proving that my love is authentic”
“Dear straight people I’m tired of proving that my love is authentic”
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