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Well it isn't just gender roles. It's also largely a racial, class, and religious role. All too often we come across the crowds that follow in the same cliche or however it is spelled. You know those crowds. The ones that wear the same clothes and follow the same sociological identity that some outsider bases them on. "oh hey, there is the goths" and "Those black kids" and what not.

But gender role was always something that was more pushed by the parents more than anything. often for the sake of fitting into the mainstream society without feeling the pressure from everyone else such as the religious groups or other parents that don't agree with how you may raise your own children. I personally see myself as a male even though I am a bit of a transvestite. But the reason I don't put myself out there is the sake of having to.. "deal" with society. Because lets face it... Why should I have to when it is something that I don't feel I need to do? Let a revolutionary feels it is time for a change to make a stand in my opinion. Let him be the next Harvey Milk or Martin Luther King of his people.

But I digress. People still feel pressure via other means as well, such as work force. One of the reasons I do not put myself out there is my job. I work for a church as well as many christian organizations and other... male-based buisnesses. ESPN and the stagehand unions are pretty big on males being males because they want groups that can do the job without... and this is sexually offensive to many women. But they don't want to worry about women on the job site that are going to be worrying about there image and clothes and things of that nature. And I some-what agree with that policy because I have been to many job sites and had women kicked off because of that exact thing. Stopping there work to fix there hair and put on some perfume. So it's a largely male-role.

Though the female role is bending quite well in my opinion. The female work force has become so out there that they can choose just about any role they want. Though as I said previouisly, it is still slightly difficult to get good work when you are a female. Because it is often harder to find a real respect. As discriminatory as that sounds. Not to say that I agree with that policy. But it is just that if you were to have two people with equal everything and the only difference was male and female, they would choose the male unless it was affirmative action. Just due to how statistics can be. Things like that.

well I think I am temporarily going to stop rambling for a bit. I think I got the gist of what I needed to say out there. Not very well I'm sure. But out there all the same.

Well. My girlfriend is pretty genderqueer, and she always said it annoyed her that she was supposed to "pick" a gender. Like, when filling out forms, or even to join a website. Female or Male. It's one of her sore spots *pets it*

I think it would be a good graduate program study for a thesis. haha. It probably has already been done, but not as widely publicized as people would think, so it's of course always open for a second showing.

Gender has never really meant anything to me as a child, I played with the boys and the girls, and I've always been attracted to different genders/sexes/gender orientations/etc.

1. I think that the emphasis on gender roles is tragic. There are legit reasons for it, according to evolutionary and anthropological analysis...but on the human, practical level it disregards individual's life-satisfaction; their self-esteem and general well-being can be greatly affected by feeling the need to repress their emotions (and the need does exist, in real life conflict-resolution scenarios, often a form of compromising your own identity to 'fit in' enough to avoid facing adversity). As a matter of personal opinion, repression is a form of lying to yourself about what's important, who you are, and what you -really- want; and, well, if you won't allow yourself to acknowledge a part of yourself (and everything that entails) then you leave that part of yourself unsatisfied; repression forces upon you a burden both hollow feeling and heavy (bloated with shame).

2. With regards to the practicality of recognizing the biological differences in society, there are phsyical differences that demand recognition for the health and safety of everyone. The expansion of knowledge is vital for our understanding of the world, ourselves, everything, and etc. Don't underestimate the importance of research, which includes gathering statistical data. I don't begrudge them for wanting to know my gender; however, I wish they would add more options to acknowledge the existence of alternate perceptions.

3. As I understand it, as most things in life go, there are few cut & dry/black & white categories in this world. Most things involve a whole spectrum with many expected behaviors and outcomes associated with different positions there-on. Sexuality and gender-identity are flexible/adaptable. It was explained to me (at an LGBTQ panel discussion) that people are born onto some part of that spectrum, not on any exact point, but with a range upon which real life events influence a more specific predilection.

It's a flaw in human mentality that we have to put things into strict boxes, with strict black & white/cut & dry classifications. You're in or you're out, there's no in-between (which naturally precludes 'us vs. them' realistic conflict scenarios). It's all a trick of the mind which we need to circumvent to make more honest evaluatations of ourselves, without undue hardship worrying over the harsh constraints imposed by a very judgemental society.


Or, well, that's my stance on it. I guess. sweatdrop