Gender and Sexual Alignments: Equality, Inclusion and Belonging

Staff Writer

Overview

The aim of this writing is to examine the various gender identities and sexual alignments from the perspectives of equality, inclusion and belonging. How is the socio-political, religious and economic spaces view other non-traditional gender identities in gender equality discourses? Do the current environment guarantee all genders and sexual alignments the emotional, personal, and social feelings that promote and encourage sense of inclusion and belonging?

To answer the above questions, the following outline will be followed:

What is gender identity?

The word gender has its root in the Latin word, genus. Both the word ‘gender’ and ‘genus’ mean ‘kind,’ ‘sort,’ or ‘type.’ The word gender comes from the middle English ‘gendre’ which was borrowed from the Anglo-Norman and Middle French ‘gendre.’

The Latin ‘genus’ is linked with procreation, that is the idea of increasing and multiplication of humankind. It is also linked with familial groups, which expresses the idea of many categories or classes. So, the word gender, does not really restrict its meaning to only male and female. It encompasses a variety of social, cultural, and biological distinctions which captivates the mind of the young as well as the old.  

It is within reason to describe traditional gender identity (male/female) and sexual alignment (heterosexual) as conventional footprint traits. But gender identity and sexual alignment have evolved and people’s freedom to choose and experience the sexual attraction and romantic alignment in a non-traditional way create new layers on top of male and female genders and yield other forms of gender identities and sexual alignments.

Today’s gender identities and sexual alignments are like fingerprints; everyone can identify their gender according to the way they form romantic relationships, understand their bodies, and enabled by the positive social, cultural, and political milieu.

Types of gender identities

Showing human heads and faces in cartoon, and indicating the different categories of gender and sexual identities
Cartoon style depiction of human heads, hair styles and faces resting on two seemingly equal arrow in acute angle formation. It reveals that there is one humankind but different gender and sexual identities.  

Some of the commonly mentioned gender identities include:

Cisgender

A cisgender is someone whose gender identity aligns with their sex assigned at birth. The term 'cis' comes from the Latin meaning "on the side of." This is now adopted to separate this group from transgender identity.

Showing male and female gender identities with a man's head resting on two unequal arrows forming an acute angle and a woman's head resting on two unequal arrows forming an acute angle both on opposite directions.
The acute angle formations of the male and female seem unequal. Traditionally, male and female genders complement each other. 

Transgender

A transgender is someone whose gender identity differs from the sex they were assigned at birth.

Showing a cartoon of a human head with a laughing and crying face used by the author to depict transgender identity.
The acute angle formation above with a laughing and crying human head portrays multiple ways to express one's identity independent from the man and woman traits. 

Non-binary

This is a general term that groups together gender identities outside the traditional male and female binary. People who identify themselves as non-binary may experience a gender identity that is not exclusively male or female.

Non-binary is not synonymous with intersex and cannot be construed as a correlation with sexual alignment. Some of the non-binary identities include:

Genderfluid - This refers to a non-fixed gender identity that fluctuates over time depending on the situation. This change can occur because of gender identity or gender expression.

Agender - Agender describes an individual with no gender identity. The prefix 'a-' to 'gender' shows lack of gender and an agender person may neither identify as male nor female.

Genderqueer - This describes a shifting or changing non-binary gender identity. People who identify as genderqueer do not completely fit into the binary categories of man and woman.

Androgynous - This describes individuals with both masculine and feminine characteristics. Androgynous can apply to various contexts:

  • Biological sex - regarding humans, androgynous describes the conditions were both male and female characteristics present in an individual, such as hermaphrodites or intersex people.
  • Gender identity and expression - Individuals can identify as non-binary or transgender to distinguish themselves from aligning with the traditional male or female norms.

Bigender - This is a type of self-identifier. It is a gender identity where the person expresses two distinct genders, which can be a combination of binary identities like 'man' and 'woman.' Some bigender people may feel both genders at the same time; others may alternate between them.

Showing a human head in big afro wig resting on a crossed acute angle arrows.
This shows the flexibility there is for non-binary people and long strides of confidence.

Third Gender

This is a concept that recognizes persons whose gender identity do not completely fit into the binary categories of male and female. It thrives in societies that accept three or more genders, such as:

  • Native Hawaiians and Tahitians recognize mahu (as a form of gender threshold), that is a middle stage between manhood and womanhood.
  • The Dine Native Americans recognize four genders:
    • feminine woman
    • masculine woman
    • feminine man
    • masculine man.

Gender identities for entertainment and Self-expressions

Gender definitions are couched in entertainment to either present human comedy through glitz and style, such as drag or cross-dressing, or instigate a business case for gender industry.

Cross-dressing, for example is when a man wears articles of clothing traditionally associated with female counterparts and vice versa. Drag is a form of performance art to entertain and cause laughter through an exaggerated expressions of masculinity and femininity. These forms of gender expressions could satirically be used to demonstrate stereotypes or parodying or lampooning some societal anomalies.

Cross-dressers - These are individuals who wear some clothing traditionally associated with a different gender either to disguise, comfort, entertain or for self-expression. It can be a way to express different aspects of an individual's identity or challenge the social norms about clothing and gender.

Drag - This is a form of performance art to entertain with exaggerated expressions of masculinity, femininity, or other gender identities.

  • Drag King is usually a female performer who adorns themselves in men's clothing to create a masculine persona and exhibits various masculine traits.
  • Drag Queen is usually a male performer who wears elaborate and attractive costumes, wigs, makeup imitating feminine persona.

Sexual Alignment

This refers to an instinctive personal pattern of romantic, emotional, and sexual attraction and disposition to another individual.

Types of Sexual alignments

There are quite some main sexual alignment categories:

  • Heterosexuality - This describes an attraction to the opposite sex or gender.
  • Homosexuality - This describes an attraction to same sex or gender.
  • Bisexuality - This describes the attraction to both sexes or more than one gender.
  • Asexuality - This describes a condition where an individual expresses no sexual attraction to others.
  • Pansexuality - This describes the romantic, sexual, or emotional attraction toward people of all genders, not minding their gender identity or sexual orientation. Sometimes, pansexual people describe themselves as gender-blind, that is, gender or sex is not a determinant about who they are attracted to.
  • Polysexuality - This describes a situation where someone feels attracted to many, but not all genders.

Everyone biologically acquires either the male or female gender identity as an inherent trait from birth, but the changes and chances in biological development, personal and conscious feelings, emotional and physical attractions, legal and social norms lend credence to other layers of gender identities. This autonomy is exclusively different from the traditional male and female characteristics.

Over the centuries, male and female gender identities have been carefully crafted into the mainstream discourses and latterly, the two genders are competing for equal employment, pay, marriage, military service, political or religious positions. The marginal recognitions of other gender identities and individuals with sexual alignments different from the traditional heterosexuality are reasons for the increase of different minority social groups agitating for equality and inclusion.

Yes, to equality: No to equality!

On paper, through legislations, conventions, and declarations, there seems to be an understanding that gender equality is normative. Article 1 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) states that: “All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.”

The above article says yes to equality in dignity and rights. This makes the traditional male and female gender identifiers to be equal with a non-binary and transgender identifiers. In like manner, a homosexual, bisexual and asexual are considered equal in dignity and rights with a heterosexual, pansexual and polysexual.

Different nations have adopted the UDHR and developed their national laws on human rights and dignity. Despite these laws, there are still discriminations in gender, not limited to only male and female gender identities, but specifically to non-binary and transgender people. For example, how many female heads of states has the world known? How many transgenders, non-binary or gay individuals have climbed to the top of becoming a head of states? How many women in Islam can lead mixed gender congregations in prayers? How many women are priests in the Catholic Church? How many countries have bathroom laws that affect access to public toilets based on gender or transgender identity? Many times, there are microaggressions in the actions of some people that are prejudicial to transgender or gay people.

Inclusion and Belonging

These two terms seem related in meaning but they differ in some ways. Inclusion is the ability to include everyone, regardless of who they are or their background and make them feel welcome and participate in the affairs of the community or organization. Inclusion is about creating an enabling environment where everyone is understood, appreciated and valued.

On the other hand, belonging is feeling secure and supported within a group, community or organization. Belonging is about feeling like you truly belong to the group or community. It is about attaching or connecting with the group or community.

The idea of equality, inclusion and belonging when it comes to gender and sexual alignment is creating the enabling environment for people of diverse backgrounds and gender identities to participate in workplace, social events, education, leadership and worship. This participation when it becomes active, can lead to society building, recognition of diverse talents, and allyship. Therefore, the idea and implementation of viable gender equality can create supportive and welcoming environment for everyone. 

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