Spectrum

Now Playing: Spectrum by Florence + the Machine (say my name as every colour illuminates, we are shining and we will never be afraid again) 

So I was asked about my opinions on transgender issues so I thought I might discuss the different spectrums of human sexuality.

The important thing to note is that human sexuality isn't black and white - it's just varying shades of grey. There isn't just MALE and FEMALE, STRAIGHT and GAY...there are a thousand things in between.

When does gender identity and sexuality emerge?

Obviously, you're born with your biological sex - male or female. By age five, most people have sussed out whether they are cisgender or transgender, even if they don't fully understand it and hide it to conform to the whole 'girls wear pink and boys wear blue' propaganda of our society. Sexuality can emerge at any point during or before puberty, because it is a form of expression and not always linked to hormones and physical changes. The common misconception that sexual awakening only starts in adolescence fuels the fear and contempt towards teenage sexual activities, because society doesn't realize that by late adolescence most people are more or less fully sexual beings, because development starts earlier than we like to think - before the physical changes like periods or facial hair that forces us to face the facts.

The difference between sex and gender:

The terms sex and gender are often used interchangeably, but they are actually two very different things. Sex refers to biological sex assignment - like when you're born and the doctor looks between your legs and says IT'S A BOY or IT'S A GIRL! It's the x and y chromosone thing. Sex is purely biological and some argue it has less to do with gender than we think.

Gender is an identity - how you personally identify. Male or female...it's got less to do with biological function and more to do with emotion and sexuality. You can be born biologically male but identify as female and vice versa.

GENDER IDENTIFICATION: CISGENDER to TRANSGENDER:

Cisgender refers to when your gender identity correlates with your biological sex - as in I am cisgender because I am biologically female and my gender identity is also female. Transgender refers to when your gender identity does not correlate with your biological sex - if I were transgender I would be biologically female but my gender identity would be male. These are the two extremes of the spectrum - of course everyone can identify with both masculinity and femininity regardless of their biological sex. Which is why this is a spectrum.

Transgender people are 'cis-bodied', in that they maintain their natural biological sex. Transsexual people undergo hormone therapy and sex reassignment surgery so that their biological sex correlates with their gender identity.

THE SPECTRUM OF HUMAN SEXUALITY: 

Asexuality - asexuality is the absence of sexual attraction to any sex or gender identity. This is a sexual orientation, not a romantic orientation.

Heterosexuality - heterosexuality is the sexual attraction to the opposite sex AND the opposite gender identity (this is normally a cisgender thing)

Bisexuality - bisexuality is the sexual attraction to both sexes, or to both gender identities, or to one sex with either gender identity (this is can be a cisgender AND a transgender thing)

Pansexuality - pansexuality is the sexual attraction to both sexes and all gender identities. Pansexuality differs from bisexuality in that pansexuality is also known as gender-blind, in that gender identity and biological sex play no part in sexual attraction (this is where transgender comes in)

Homosexuality - homosexuality is the sexual attraction to the same sex (this is also normally a cisgender thing)

And in between all these labels somewhere you fit in. Human sexuality and gender identity is highly personal - nobody strictly adheres to any one label. You'll change and grow and learn and evolve. At the moment I'm a rather boring cisgender heterosexual teenager - but who knows? As much as sexuality is innate, it's fluid and hard to describe and there's lots of room for development.

As to where I stand on transgender issues, it's how I stand for every sexual orientation and gender identity - everyone has the right to free sexual expression - safely, legally, without discrimination and with informed mutual consent.