Connell: "Making Gendered People"

Lorber calculated that "modern Western societies distinguish five sexes (based on genitalia), three sexual orientations, five gender displays, six types of relationships, and ten self-identifications". This statement alone is a very interesting and important contribution to the study of gender. We often think of both gender and sex as dichotomous and sexual orientation as either heterosexual or homosexual. This statement shows, even on the basis of strict biological terms, that the normative viewpoint of sex and gender is inherently skewed. Even people who push for gender equality often make a basic assumption that there are two distinct genders. It's common to hear that women need to fight for equality in a patriarchal society. But what about the other sexes and genders? The assumption that gender and sex are dichotomous is contradictory in the campaign for equality.

I like the idea of "identity" being plural. Identity is such a complex idea and I believe that thinking about it as a union of several different identities is not only helpful but necessary. I think that gender identity does play a central role in our total identity simply because gender is a social category that rules so many of our actions and interactions. Gender identity is an important, maybe necessary part of being part of society, whether it means that you are relatively normative and accepted or assigned a deviant role.