Reflection #2

DeAnna cyza

     Identity and Intercultural Communication

       When reading chapter 5,  I couldn't help but think to myself, why is the idea of masculinity and femininity such a big deal? From the day we are born even, as the book suggests, gender norms are pushed on infants. In class we discussed the fact that in some countries, women come to visit the newborns, and celebrate the birth of sons, and not the females. Why is it that Chinese strongly favor male heirs over female?

      Without both sexes, life on planet earth for humans would cease. Women play a vital role of childbearing, something unique to them, yet they are looked down upon as the weaker sex. Women are expected to "be womanly." First off, I believe that whoever stereotyped women as "weak" was insanely wrong. It's wrong to completely judge someone by their gender roles, as it does not define their personality. There most definitely are some weak women, as well as an equal amount of men who could also be considered weak. But just because of the anatomy of a women, does that mean we should suffer as we have? Being denied the right to vote until 1919, being viewed as property in the middle ages, and to this day, making only .70 cents to a man's dollar.

Another takeaway point from the reading I thought stood out, was about India I had never heard that India has traditionally held beliefs in a "third gender" the eunuchs. The men were highly revered for having hormones to alter their thought because of crude bodily mutilation. I think that the way the text described Pakistan requiring transgender people to carry an I.D. card for transgender status is very wrong. That is a very tradition-set culture and deviation from the norm causes uproar. By doing this, they are really making things in the lives of transgender individuals are because every time they are asked for identification, someone viewing the special status card willri pass judgement and stereotype them for it.
     
         I'm all for legalizing a third option for transgender individuals for our own country, even though by own personal beliefs are conservative and Catholic, it is not for me to judge. Christianity preaches acceptance and love, even in the 10 commandment "Love thy neighbor."  To truly make a harmonious society, everyone needs to relax, and realize that the gender status of every person in the world will not harm anyone whatsoever. We are a nation that prides ourselves on our many freedoms, and until LGBQT individuals have the same rights to be accepted as who they are, we are denying civil rights to them.