Can someone tell me why now we speak in terms of *gender* rather than sex? Is this like the *n-word*, negro, black, African-American; or fag, homosexual, gay form of linguistic progress in America? Or is it because American's, because of the religious right, are still afraid to talk about sex?
Hmmmm...... I don't think it really has to do with the religious right; more like certain buzz words in conversation that subconsciously connect to other things... what I mean is that the word 'sex' in any context makes one think of procreation, which is not at all what is meant when discussing one's sex..... another example is the word negro... that makes one think of the 50's and segregation and such, so that word is not accepted as the best term for black people... know what I mean? the word 'sex' has been phased out for 'gender' to keep the meaning of the idea true to the concepts of male or female.
Not so fast my friend! There is a gender continuum. A prominent Norwegian sexologist even chooses her gender based on how she feels on any given day. Some days she/he/it feels like a woman, sometimes like a man, sometimes like 50/50, sometimes mainly like a woman but kind of manly. Specificity is definitely not the goal in the *gender* world.
Well, i think that Norwegian example is beyond even a RARE example.... in fact, it is impressive you know that tidbit, because that is absolutely crazy...
Tragically, he/she/it is being persecuted by Norwegian authorities. A leader in the *gender* movement in America, coincidentally, is Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. I asked the question earlier and decided to investigate for myself. http://www.aftenposten.no/english/local/article796657.ece
"Gender" is a perfectly fine word to use and is a specific term that is appropriate for a specific usage. The word has been around for centuries and has nothing to do with the religious right.
One term is not more correct that the other, since they mean different things. A person's "sex" is determined by what they have down below, or based on their chromosomes. A person's "gender" is based on what they feel they are.
