The Common Gender Binary - 1928 Words

Betsy Lucal (1999) and Anne Fausto-Sterling (2000) brought up the discussion of those who physical appearance does not coincide with the common gender binary. In a society that is obsessed with maintaining the gender binary, anything less than what is considered normal is dangerous and cannot be allowed. Because of these set ideas within our society it is difficult for those who do not quite fit within the binary to feel fully comfortable and must constantly find a way to validate themselves among others in order to possibly be accepted. Fausto-Sterling (2000) touched upon this discussing that it was unfamiliar territory for many physicians, so they felt as if they were making the correct choice in choosing one gender over the other. Not†¦show more content†¦This puts these individuals at risk for problems such as depression, which can leads to self-harm and suicide as well. A well-recognized example of this is the John/Joan case that became John Money’s claim to fam e among the medical community. This child lost his penis in a circumcision gone wrong, and not telling the child otherwise, he was raised to be a girl. He never felt like a girl and was not told about the accident until much later in life. Instead of raising a child as the gender they believed they were, they hoped nature over nurture would take over and that it would be fixed. He later took his life after battling with a lifetime of depression. This is an example of what can happen when one steps out of the gender binary and doctors believe it is their job to maintain a common binary. It only harms the individual in question. Such obstacles that individuals who do not fit into the binary are faced with are often being mistaken for the opposite gender and hostility from those who cannot understand beyond a two sex concept. Betsy Lucal (1999) discussed her own experiences of this, as she did not fit into the gender binary. She discusses being a woman, yet not quite fitting into the c ommon physical appearances as one. Betsy painted her nails to give herself a feminine trait, or would go to the bathroom with another female friend to validate her presence in a woman’s