Q Week 5 Discussion: Gender and sexuality Resources Read/review the following resources for this activity: Link (website): Doing Gender, Determining Gender: Transgender People, Gender Panics, and the Maintenance of the Sex/Gender/Sexuality System Link (website): Facebook Diversity (Read this Facebook post and all the comments.) Introduction We have all seen the question on hundreds of forms. “Male or Female?” We are realizing more and more that a question that is simple and obvious for most of us is much more agonizingly complex for some. Recognizing that truth and learning how to think about gender fluidity is a significant challenge. Connected, but not identical, to the issue of gender is that of sexuality. While gender refers to how one self-identifies, sexuality also includes the idea of sexual and romantic attraction. The often-seen anagram LGBT, which stand for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transsexual were initially used by many in the homosexual community to identify themselves, and have become commonplace. However, many have since added other identifiers (e.g., LGBTQAI, adding queer, asexual, intersex) to be inclusive of even more diversity. Some have objected saying that such anagrams confuse gender identity (e.g., transsexual, queer) with sexual attraction (e.g., gay, lesbian, asexual). While feminism is its own topic, it certainly is not divorced from issues of gender and sexuality. As you will read this week, the various “waves” of feminism have both opened and closed doors for discussing these topics and many more. In universities around the world, feminist studies, gender studies, and sexuality studies have become more popular as both courses and majors in humanities departments. This week, you will have a very brief overview of these topics and why they are important. Initial Post Instructions The definitions of and discussions about gender and sexuality seem to be increasingly fluid. After reading the resources noted in this activity, examine and explain your own understanding of what sexuality and gender mean, as well as your own thoughts about how our culture may be attempting to redefine gender.