For some time sex has been defined as the biological difference between men and women, and gender as the manner in which culture defines and constrains these differences. Feminine/masculine, male/female, women/men, boy/girl - terms of sexual and gender division like these permeate the way we think and talk about ourselves and each other. On most occasions we find their use non-problematic and people employ them easily, at other times, however, particularly if we are interested in psychology, we may wonder whether this ease is illusory.; One may speculate whether being a woman necessarily implies being "feminine". One may question why young women are often referred to as girls, while men are seldom referred to as boys. Is dressing in a stereotypically feminine manner a reliable indication that a woman is heterosexual? What about cross dressing? Why do these topics hold so much fascination for the media?; "Gender, Sex and Sexuality" examines the effects that the inequalities experienced between men and women have had on the psychologies of both sexes, and the battle to remove them. It aims to introduce the reader to current research and theories, drawing on novels, theatre, soap operas, as well as research for case histories.

What does sexual orientation mean if the very categories of gender are in question? How do we measure equality when our society’s definitions of “male” and “female” leave out much of the population? There is no consensus on what a “real” man or woman is, where one’s sex begins and ends, or what purpose the categories of masculine and feminine traits serve. While significant strides have been made in recent years on behalf of women’s, gay and lesbian rights, there is still a large division between the law and day-to-day reality for LGBTQIA and female-identified individuals in American society. The practices, media outlets and institutions that privilege heterosexuality and traditional gender roles as “natural” need a closer examination. Gender & Sexuality For Beginners considers the uses and limitations of biology in defining gender. Questioning gender and sex as both categories and forms of compulsory identification, it critically examines the issues in the historical and contemporary construction, meaning and perpetuation of gender roles. Gender & Sexuality For Beginners interweaves neurobiology, psychology, feminist, queer and trans theory, as well as historical gay and lesbian activism to offer new perspectives on gender inequality, ultimately pointing to the clear inadequacy of gender categories and the ways in which the sex-gender system oppresses us all.

Rev. ed. of: The gender of sexuality / Pepper Schwartz, Virginia Rutter. Thousand Oaks: Pine Forge Press, c1998.

"In the past decade, people whose bodies, genders or sexualities differ from socially expected norms have become more visible and have been granted greater recognition within the law. Yet despite this, many service providers do not have a strong understanding of the social and legal issues that continue to have a significant impact on these diverse groups of people and their relationships and families. In order to address this knowledge gap, this book brings together research findings from often disparate disciplines into an accessible and useful form for practitioners, as well as for researchers, academics, students, and the general public. Part 1 defines key terms, and addresses the psychosocial and legal issues faced by trans or gender diverse, intersex, and/or non-heterosexual individuals. Part 2 looks at the psychosocial and legal aspects of couple relationships. Part 3 considers parenting and families. Part 4 discusses practical tips for professionals working with this client group, including specific content for lawyers and mediators. As a whole, this book both questions the presumed neutrality of the law, yet insists that it is possible for the law to play a key role in challenging cisgenderism and heterosexism."--Back cover.

Pushing the boundaries of traditional sex, gender, and sexuality theories, the second edition of this edited volume brings together classic and cutting-edge works that engage, challenge, and excite. The directed reading questions before each article provides students and faculty with aroadmap, as well as the foundations to lively in-class discussions. The front-and-center list of Key Terms will prove indispensable. This fantastic resource brings together sex, gender, and sexuality through the prism of race, ethnicity, religion, ability, age, and class.

"This text is intended for a one-semester introductory course."--Page 1.

This volume examines the evolving norms concerning sex, gender, and sexuality in the lives of children and adolescents addressing topics such as: the development of gender identity, sexual behavior among youth, LGBT youth, transgender youth, parental and peer influences upon the development of gender and gender identity and dating violence.

"International sex researcher, neuroscientist, and frequent contributor to The Globe and Mail (Toronto) Debra Soh [discusses what she sees as] gender myths in this ... examination of the many facets of gender identity"--

From one of the world's foremost intersex activists, a candid, provocative, and eye-opening memoir of gender identity, self-acceptance, and love. My name is Hida Viloria. I was raised as a girl but discovered at a young age that my body looked different. Having endured an often turbulent home life as a kid, there were many times when I felt scared and alone, especially given my attraction to girls. But unlike most people in the first world who are born intersex--meaning they have genitals, reproductive organs, hormones, and/or chromosomal patterns that do not fit standard definitions of male or female--I grew up in the body I was born with because my parents did not have my sex characteristics surgically altered at birth. It wasn't until I was twenty-six and encountered the term intersex in a San Francisco newspaper that I finally had a name for my difference. That's when I began to explore what it means to live in the space between genders--to be both and neither. I tried living as a feminine woman, an androgynous person, and even for a brief period of time as a man. Good friends would not recognize me, and gay men would hit on me. My gender fluidity was exciting, and in many ways freeing--but it could also be isolating. I had to know if there were other intersex people like me, but when I finally found an intersex community to connect with I was shocked, and then deeply upset, to learn that most of the people I met had been scarred, both physically and psychologically, by infant surgeries and hormone treatments meant to "correct" their bodies. Realizing that the invisibility of intersex people in society facilitated these practices, I made it my mission to bring an end to it--and became one of the first people to voluntarily come out as intersex at a national and then international level. Born Both is the story of my lifelong journey toward finding love and embracing my authentic identity in a world that insists on categorizing people into either/or, and of my decades-long fight for human rights and equality for intersex people everywhere.

This book extends the previous work of Dr O'Keefe's pansexual model of human behaviour, first explored in her successful publications 'Trans-X-U-All. The Naked Difference.' It dispels much of the mysticism around physical sex, artificially constructed gender and the diversity of sexuality. As well as considering gay, lesbian, transexual and transgendered identities, O'Keefe also looks at the intersex groups such as Hermaphrodites and people who identify as being withoug sex of gender.