Introduction
The proposed readings are built around the theme of gender identity, considering it from different perspectives. The chosen quote is taken from Ainsworthâs (2015) article: âI think thereâs much greater diversity within male or female, and there is certainly an area of overlap where some people canât easily define themselves within the binary structureâ. It is one of the most thought-provoking statements because it contains the key idea of gender studies about the inappropriateness of binary gender in specific cases. In modern media, there is a lot of support for intersex people and their place in American society. At the same time, many right-wing media deny such a dichotomy claiming that modern values are destructive to the US (Caddle, 2022; LBC, 2018). Thus, the reason for choosing this quote is that it generates heated debate and therefore deserves special attention.
Discussion
The article âCooking with Muxes, Mexico’s third genderâ describes the everyday life of people who were born biologically male and then dressed and behaved as female. From Muxesâ stories, what fascinates me the most is how a seemingly traditional culture accepts homosexual people in their community. What’s remarkable is that gender identity in the JuchitĂĄn district is pretty different compared to mainstream understanding (Cobelo, 2016). In this community, muxes are the third gender that is not identified within the categories “homosexual” and “transgender”. At the same time, in the JuchitĂĄn community, there are no biological women dressed as males, which also emphasizes the peculiar nature of this closed society (Cobelo, 2016). The speaker’s scale of acceptance evokes thoughts and desires to explore the differentiation of gender identities in some other closed cultures. In my perspective, such a discussion may bring gender studies discourse to a new level.
Another important idea was expressed by La Toya, a 32 years old mux from JuchitĂĄn. She said, “What is sure is that nobody can teach you to be gay. You can’t assimilate into something naturalâ (Cobelo, 2016, para 9). She expresses the widespread opinion of LGBT activists who claim that gender identity is acquired from birth. Indeed, it often happens when children from an early age feel anxious about their biological gender, trying to find relief in changing appearance (Greenfield, 2014). In practice, research on whether biological or social factors determine homosexuality is highly controversial. The discussion turns into complex conversations about the structure of the brain, the features of homosexual behavior in animals, the structure of the embryo, and the composition of genes. However, a sincere comment from a resident of a traditional society says a lot about the perception of this issue by ordinary people.
Conclusion
The texts are useful for constructing a worldview about the identity of LGBT people in my future life. When a heterosexual person learns some facts about the everyday life of the LGBT community, it becomes easier to accept and support LGBT people. Not in vain at present, festival cinema and literature constantly raise the topic of accepting homosexuality. I am sure this is the right move that will lead to greater social justice. Speaking of concepts, the notion of muxes from the JuchitĂĄn tradition has created a new perspective for looking at gender binary issues. Although this phenomenon is characteristic of a certain narrow culture, the representation of these people in the local society shows patterns that apply to modern society.
References
Ainsworth, C. (2015). Sex redefined.Nature, 518(7539), 288-291. Web.
Caddle, P. (2022). âThis is madness!â: Nobel laureate suggests trans ideologues âmissedâ basic biology class.Breitbart. Web.
Cobelo, L. (2016). Cooking with Muxes, Mexico’s third gender.Vice. Web.
Greenfield, C. (2014). Should we ‘fix’ intersex children?The Atlantic. Web.
LBC. (2018). Jordan Peterson on why he refuses to use special pronouns for transgender people – LBC [Video]. YouTube. Web.