IV. Linguistic Relativity and Key Terms of Political Correctness
4.1 Gender Identity and Sexual Orientation
Discussing gender identity and sexual orientation is not an easy topic, as also other issues found in this chapter, the names and definitions inside the broad spectrum of gender identity are changing at a fast rate and not all the communities around the world see eye-to-eye on them. For this reason, in this chapter different associations, committees and communities will find space that will have the room necessary to discuss the difficulties people face when struggling with their identity affirmation in their community. Most of the talks will be left to the communities interested, the ones that decided to speak up for themselves and for other people with the same issues. This section is mostly a revision of the literature on these matters.
As the Ontario Human Rights Commission asserts, the words people use to describe themselves and others are particularly important. The right terms can affirm identities and challenge discriminatory attitudes. The wrong ones can disempower, demean and reinforce exclusion69. In general, if a person feels in doubt, the most respectful approach is to ask their interlocutors how they self-identify.
Starting from the assumption that for centuries the society has seen gender identity not as a spectrum, but as a binary, the Human Rights Campaign explains beforehand the definition of gender binary, which is a system in which gender is constructed into two strict categories of male or female. Gender identity is expected to align with the sex assigned at birth and gender expressions
45
and roles fit traditional expectations.67 As a result, the term non-binary was created, which refers to a person who does not identify exclusively as a man or a woman, it could identify as both, neither or something else outside these categories. Not every non-binary person identifies as transgender, even if most adhere to this definition. In the non-binary category can also be identified agender, bigender, genderfluid and genderqueer people.68
Gender identity is each person's internal and individual experience of gender. It is a person's sense of being a woman, a man, both, neither, nor anywhere along the gender spectrum. A person's gender identity may be the same as or different from their birth-assigned sex.69 This differ from sex, the anatomical classification of people as male, female or intersex, usually assigned at birth.70 Related to these matters, gender expression is how a person publicly expresses or presents their gender, including behavior and appearance. A person’s chosen name and pronoun are also common ways of expressing gender.
Others perceive a person’s gender through these attributes.
According to HRC67, cisgender refers to people whose gender identity aligns with the ones associated with the sex assigned to them at birth. When this is not the case, generally the person involved takes on a process that will eventually lead to the acknowledgement, acceptance and appreciation towards their gender identity or their sexual orientation, which will lead to the sharing of their discoveries with others, this is called coming out.
What should always be avoided is outing someone, which means exposing someone’s gender identity or sexual orientation to others without their permission. Outing someone can have serious consequences on employment, economic stability, personal safety or religious or family situations67.
67 Huma n Rights Ca mpa ign Founda tion. Glossa ry of Terms.
https://www.hrc.org/resources/glossa ry-of-terms Accessed: 07/09/2022
68 Ibidem.
69 Onta rio Huma n Rights Commission. Policy on preventing discrimina tion beca use of gender identity a nd gender expression. April 14, 2014. Onta rio.
https://www3.ohrc.on.ca /sites/defa ult/files/Policy%20on%20preventing%20discrimina tion%20 beca use%20of%20gender%20identity%20and%20gender%20expression.pdf Accessed:
08/09/2022.
70 Ibidem.
46
In this picture, who has diverse gender identities and expressions that differ from the stereotypical gender norms is usually referred as gender non-conforming, gender variant or gender queer, individuals who do not follow gender stereotypes based on the sex they were assigned at birth and may or may not identify as trans. Lived gender identity is the gender a person feels internally and expresses publicly in their daily life.
Trans or transgender is an umbrella term which, as abovementioned, refers to people with diverse gender identities and expressions. It includes but is not limited to people who identify as transgender, trans woman (male-to-female MTF), trans man (female-to-male FTM), transsexual, cross-dressers, or gender nonconforming, gender variant or gender queer.71 In this context the subgroups will not be investigated in order to evite confusing the reader and give a broader, general picture of the issues. The classifications above are not to be confused with one’s sexual orientation, these are not related to one another. Indeed, the sexual orientation is referred as an inherent or immutable enduring emotional, romantic or sexual attraction to other people.67
When investigating sexual orientation, Human Rights Campaign talks about questioning, a word used to depict people who are in the process of exploring their gender identity or their sexual orientation.72
A word should be spent on sexual orientation, which vary from asexuality to pansexual and many more in the middle, which is an inherent or immutable enduring emotional, romantic or sexual attraction to other people.73
In the spectrum of sexual orientation can be found, as abovementioned, asexual people, characterized by a complete or partial lack of sexual attraction or interest in sexual activity with others. Also in this case, asexuality is seen as a spectrum, in which can be found people who experience conditional, little or no sexual attraction towards other people.74
71 Huma n Rights Ca mpa ign Founda tion. Glossa ry of Terms.
https://www.hrc.org/resources/glossa ry-of-terms Accessed: 07/09/2022
72 Ibidem.
73 Ibidem.
74 Ibidem.
47
Beside cisgender people, there are same-gender loving people, who express attraction to and love of people of the same gender75, these people could be also referred as gay and lesbian people. Moreover, in the spectrum of sexual orientation, appear also bisexual people, who are emotionally, romantically or sexually attracted to more than one sex, gender or gender identity, even if this can also occur in different periods, ways and at different degrees. This term can be used sometimes interchangeably with pansexual, which describes someone who has the potential for emotional, romantic or sexual attraction to people of any gender.
Of course, not only people actively involved in LGBTQ+ community take part in the process of raising awareness on the human rights of these people, indeed, are considered also the allies, people actively supportive of LGBTQ+
people, encompassing not only straight and cisgender allies, but also those within the community who support each other71. This is in contrast with homophobia, the fear and hatred of or discomfort towards people who are attracted to members of the same sex, or biphobia, the same concept towards people who love and are sexually attracted to more than one gender76. The same feeling is reported concerning transphobia, according to that people show prejudice or hatred in speech or actions towards transgender or gender-nonconforming people, centering these negative feelings on gender identity77.
An annotation should be made on gender dysphoria and euphoria, who opposed and interconnected terms. Gender dysphoria refers to the medical term for the psychological and physical distress that happens when one’s sex assigned at birth does not align with their gender, while gender euphoria denotes the satisfaction felt when one’s gender is affirmed78. As a consequence, exists a gender-affirming care, medical care that affirms or recognizes the gender identity of the person receiving medical care, for minors this can include puberty
75 Ibidem.
76 Ibidem.
77 Bra nigin, Anne. A guide to the words we use in our gender covera ge, 2022. The Wa shington Post. https://www.wa shingtonpost.com/lifestyle/2022/04/01/gender-identity-glossa ry/
Accessed: 09/09/2022.
78 Ibidem.
48
or hormone blockers, while for adults this could mean hormone therapy and various surgical procedures, such as speech therapy, breast and/or genital reconstruction and facial plastic surgery79.