When being a part of the LGBT community there are many stereotypes placed upon you. These stereotypes create misconceptions about how a person either feels or should and should not act. These are now place upon those of a certain sexuality or gender and must act upon these stereotypes to be accepted as who they are.
Who is the man in the relationship?
Who is the woman in the relationship?
Lesbians are butch.
Gay men are flamboyant.
Bisexuals are greedy.
Transgender people are confused.
And the list goes on...
A big reason why there are still these stereotypes is because they are not address as being false. It is believed that if you do not follow certain stereotypes you are not that identity. These stereotypes have been placed upon people by society. The biggest thing that I get is either, "I knew you weren't straight because you are a tomboy" or "Who is the man in the relationship? You must be because you are more masculine than your girlfriend." Many people in the LGBT community receive comments such as these. I receive those questions/remarks quite often and mainly reply that I am in a relationship with her because I like her and she likes me. We are gay couple, but it does not mean we mimic a straight relationship. I like when my relationship is treated like one of a straight couple, but it does not mean that everything is identical.
Many non-cisgendered (those who do not identify with their sex) people are faced with the pressures of gender roles and stereotypes. Many transgender people are subjected to being called not masculine enough or not feminine enough which can cause them to conform to society's standards. It is told by society that there are only two genders (female and male), when in reality there is a whole multitude of genders. Gender is more of a spectrum rather than just two separate gender. Someones sex should not be confused with someones gender.
Our society need to be educated on how there are more to it when it comes to someones gender. As well as learning that just because someone might fall under certain stereotypes does not mean that they are that identity.
Who is the woman in the relationship?
Lesbians are butch.
Gay men are flamboyant.
Bisexuals are greedy.
Transgender people are confused.
And the list goes on...
A big reason why there are still these stereotypes is because they are not address as being false. It is believed that if you do not follow certain stereotypes you are not that identity. These stereotypes have been placed upon people by society. The biggest thing that I get is either, "I knew you weren't straight because you are a tomboy" or "Who is the man in the relationship? You must be because you are more masculine than your girlfriend." Many people in the LGBT community receive comments such as these. I receive those questions/remarks quite often and mainly reply that I am in a relationship with her because I like her and she likes me. We are gay couple, but it does not mean we mimic a straight relationship. I like when my relationship is treated like one of a straight couple, but it does not mean that everything is identical.
Many non-cisgendered (those who do not identify with their sex) people are faced with the pressures of gender roles and stereotypes. Many transgender people are subjected to being called not masculine enough or not feminine enough which can cause them to conform to society's standards. It is told by society that there are only two genders (female and male), when in reality there is a whole multitude of genders. Gender is more of a spectrum rather than just two separate gender. Someones sex should not be confused with someones gender.
 |
| This Genderbread Person explains the difference between biological sex, gender identity, gender expression and attraction. |
Our society need to be educated on how there are more to it when it comes to someones gender. As well as learning that just because someone might fall under certain stereotypes does not mean that they are that identity.
I like your picture of the genderbread person. It shows in a very clear manner the difference between gender identity, ect. Great choice of picture, and I learned a lot from this post, about the stereotypes and misconceptions about those part of the LGBT community. Great post! Keep up the good work!
ReplyDeleteThank you very much. The reason why I chose that picture is because it takes a very complicated subject (gender) and breaks it up in little sections to explain the differences. It shows how it's a spectrum rather than black and white. Also, I wanted to teach people about how there are many stereotypes and misconception in the LGBT community.
DeleteAs someone who considers myself to be trans (i.e., I don't entirely identify as the gender I was assigned at birth, which was male) I definitely see the effect of stereotypes in regards to the trans community. When I tell people I'm genderfluid, I often feel as if I'm invalidated because my typically-male appearance. The reality is, although I do use he/him/his pronouns and wear "men's" clothes, I find that neither male or female have come to accurately describe how I feel about myself. I'm probably expected to dress in "women's" clothes, have an androgynous look, and undergo some type of surgery. Unfortunately, gender is much more complicated than the clothes you wear and the way you look, and I feel like cisgender men and women can learn from this as well.
ReplyDeleteThere is quite a lot of stereotypes for people such as yourself. Especially when it's a fluid gender since people will use pronouns based on how you are dressed rather than asking pronouns or referring to you in a gender inclusive way. People believe that your gender expression has to match up with your gender identity.
Delete