Saturday, July 9, 2011.
Sorting Gender: The End
Segregating genders/sexual orientation/gender identification into clearly defined groups does not work, just like trying to discover specific separating details that keep men and women apart. There are and will always be exceptions to any rules you make. Society and scientists too often solve this set of messy classifications through denial, hiding, ignoring, and sometimes even killing the exceptions to reach a conclusion.
Sorting gender the other way around by trying to find similarities will always work because then there are no exceptions.   more »

Friday, July 8, 2011.
Sorting Gender 4: Relations
Throughout our youth we search for companionship, and a bit later in life many of us search for a partner. That companionship, the person we want to bond with: who is that? What makes us meet?   more »

Thursday, July 7, 2011.
Sorting Gender 3: Expression
When we first meet someone, what registers initially is that person’s gender, no matter the setting or circumstance. So, the foundation of who we are—“our true selves”—is based on gender, whether we like it or not. And deep down this assessment is about perception, of ourselves and others. But we can’t always trust our basic senses. So what can we know?   more »

Wednesday, July 6, 2011.
Sorting Gender 2: Perception
When we talk about self-perception, we seem to need to determine a very specific place that it comes from, something concrete that generates it. Some scientists say that gender and gender identity are determined by a spot in the brain, and that that small blob of jelly is anatomically different for men and women. If that’s so, and if we consider what I’ve talked about so far linking gender so closely with identity, is that jelly blob all that we are?   more »

Tuesday, July 5, 2011.
Sorting Gender 1: Identity
After I scrapped labels that suggest who groups of people are, I found myself quite empty handed. It suddenly appeared to me that all we are in society and in relation to others is based on labels, and if I scrap all this there’s nothing left … like, do we even exist? So, from where do I start to sort gender if there are no references?   more »

Monday, July 4, 2011.
Sorting Gender / Introduction
Generally, when we discuss gender and gender identity we talk about differences and discrimination, but not about what gender and gender identity really are. We explore the topic of sex in almost limitless mediums and at great length, and we debate that women and men do (or do not) receive equal rights. But what about what “gender” really means? This chapter aims to dig in and sort out the gender issue the emotional way.   more »

Saturday, April 2, 2011.
Sorting Labels: The End
To sum up this “Sorting Labels” chapter, I would like to point out the term “gender identity.” We haven’t really discussed that at all in this chapter. Today, in general, gender identity is regarded as something we want to be, the way we present and express ourselves. Our identity is something we take for granted, that’s who we are. We never really discuss the matter. But…   more »

Friday, April 1, 2011.
Sorting Labels 4: Intersex Labels
If you think the queer label stirs things up, wait until you learn about intersex and intersexual people: people whom society actually recognizes as being both genders but talks very little about! Some children are born more or less mixed gendered, neither entirely boy nor girl, and in some cases this is discovered only later in life. How will this affect our understanding?   more »

Thursday, March 31, 2011.
Sorting Labels 3: Queer Labels
Furthermore, the LGBT movement has come up with the label “queer,” and what its meaning is beats me. There are definitions, lots of them, but I can’t find any logic behind any of them. I, of course, could be missing some understanding here, but if I’m going to sort this label with the others as a stand-alone “Q” I just can’t figure it out, even though I have tried really hard.   more »

Wednesday, March 30, 2011.
Sorting Labels 2: Trans… Labels
If we continue investigating these lifestyle banners more toward the margins of society, we enter the territory of something called “trans-,” a label established by the LGB“T” movement not long ago. It’s the “transgender community” that claims the right to the “T.” When and even whether these very diverse organizations work together or against each other is hard to say.   more »

Tuesday, March 29, 2011.
Sorting Labels 1: Homosexual Labels
In Western culture today, sexuality and sexual orientation have become the launching point for discussions on gender. Gender is also discussed among women’s rights activists, but then often more in terms of discrimination. Lately something called the transgender community has emerged, making gender issues even more difficult to sort and understand.   more »

Monday, March 28, 2011.
Sorting Labels / Introduction
Both consciously and unconsciously we group people into categories, labeling them according to their looks and behavior. For many reasons we seem to need to organize people this way.
Whether our labels are appropriate or not, do the labels themselves really matter?   more »

Thursday, January 20, 2011.
Introduction:
The Across Borders seminars are about life, people—you and me—“the true persons we are.” They provide a forum for ideas on improving one’s quality of life at home, at work, and in society.   more »