1. What are the gender categories?
We need to understand the gender classification of people before we begin to introduce the basics of sexual minorities. Human gender is divided into three categories: sex, identity, and gender.
The definition of physiological sex includes chromosomes and reproductive organs. For example, a sex chromosome is XX for women and XY for men. Women have uterus and ovaries, men have testes and penis.
Identity refers to the recognition of one's psychological layer. A person whose sex is male may identify himself as a female, and a person whose sex is female may also identify himself as a male.
Gender refers to those expectations and norms for specific genders of the culture in which the individual is located. For example, the traditional view is that women should be quiet and smart, and men should be brave and not cry easily.
2. What is sexual orientation?
Sexual orientation refers to a person who is permanently attracted to a person of a particular gender in his or her emotion, romance and sexuality. Sexual orientation can be divided into:
Heterosexual (attracted by the opposite sex and produces romantic emotions and sexual behavior)
Homosexuality (attracted by the same sex and produces romantic emotions and sexual behavior)
Bisexuality (attracted by both sexes and both can produce romantic emotions and sexual behavior)
In recent years, scholars have also proposed the concept of asexuality, that is, they cannot produce romantic emotions and sexual behaviors for both sexes.
How is sexual orientation formed? Some researchers believe that sexual orientation is innately determined. The formation of a person's sexual orientation is actually the process of his/her discovery of his/her true and essential orientation. Other scholars believe that sexual orientation is constructed by the cultural environment. Individuals gradually become their own sexual orientation in constant interaction with society.
L: lesbian. The word comes from the island Lesbos of ancient Greek poetess Sappho living in the 6th century BC. Her poem conveyed a strong feeling of homosexuality, and she slowly became synonymous with lesbians. The name of the island she lives in is referred to as a woman with the same sexual orientation as Sappho. Some scholars believe that the definition of lesbian is that the sex is female, while the identity also recognizes that she is a female, and the sexual orientation points to the same sex.
G:gay. Gay refer to men who are attracted to men and want to develop intimate relationships and sexual behavior. In some contexts, the word can also refer to homosexual groups, not just to gay men. In the current social environment, the most common understanding of sexual minorities is gay men, and this feature is inseparable from the patriarchal society.
B:bisexual. The term was originally derived from botany and refers to plants that have both male and female reproductive organs. In 1915, British scholar Ellis changed the usage of the word in his research, since then, bisexual contains the meaning of "the person who has both desires for both sexes". With the development of research, scholars gradually believe that bisexuality is an independent sexual orientation, and together with heterosexuality and homosexuality constitute a continuum of human sexual orientation.
T：transgender. This word first appeared in the late 1980s, which was created by the men who desire to live like a woman but could not find the exact words to express. Transgender replaces the term transsexual, because transsexual does not include people who don't want to change their body through hormones or surgery. The emergence of the term transgender highlights the deeper exploration of human existence. The current authoritative definition in the academic world is: transgender, referring to the gender of traditionally defined genders outside men and women, including intersex, transsexual, cross-dresser, man who had breast augmentation surgery, woman who had breast cutting, and all others who think they are the traditionally defined genders outside men and women.
Q：queer. The word originally meant "eccentric, unusual". Since the 1980s, queer has included all people who are incompatible with mainstream culture and dominant gender norms in terms of sexual orientation. All gay, bisexual, and other people who don’t want to be gender-fixed by a certain label can call themselves queer.
