Response to Sara's Post

I enjoyed the readings from Anne Fausto-Sterling and Jennifer Reid Maxcy Myhre. The chapters in Sexing the Body gave me a different view on gender vs. sex. In the "Dueling Dualisms" Fausto-Sterling talks about the binary approach to gender in the western world. I like the cartoon in this chapter that depicts the history of sex it is a funny way to look at the role sex and gender has played in history. The beginning of this chapter starts out with the story of Maria Patino and how she was classified as not a women because she had testes and a Y chromosome. This I think is outrageous in the world of sports because you should be focused on your talent and well being and not if you have an extra chromosome. There are many different combinations you can get with regard to sex genes and so there should be more than just 2 ways of categorization. A quote in this chapter that really stood out to because or it's absurdity is by Pierre de Coubertin in 1912 it say "women's sports are all against the law of nature". This is a prime example of male chauvinistic thought. In "That Sexe with previliteth" she talks about hermaphrodites and how they have functioned in history. This chapter taught me a lot about the origin of the word hermaphrodites and how they have functioned in a world of complete binary when they fit both. The last reading from Listen Up was really amazing. I think the author has so much courage and I applaud her for what she does. I like that she enjoys making people uncomfortable while at the same time she wishes for a world where people didn't stare at her. I think her cutting her hair and not shaving her legs is a big help in her feminist endeavors. I agree that the time spent to get beautiful is a lot but I enjoy getting "beautified" and it helps my self esteem and many other women so i think it can be a positive thing. The readings all challenge this gender and sex question and what we do when people don't fit into either the male or female box. We must discover this by being open to the fact that their are a lot more that just two boxes.

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