Gender Determinism Julia Serano Summary
Julia Serano talks about the idea of gender determinism and gender artifacualism. She explains how both method is wrong and she provides a better view that she believes helps eliminate double standards, sexism and marginalization. She first focuses on “gender determinism” which is how an individual gender is determined through biology. Serano states that gender determinists typically believe that women are programmed to be feminine and men to be masculine. And society determines gender according to hormonal differences which lead to differences in brain development. Gender determinism is the belief that females and males are born with predetermined “sex specific behaviors and desires” and that women are naturally attracted to men and vice
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As gender determinists rejects any possibilities of social norms shaping our gender and sexuality, that’s how gender artifactualists rejects any possibilities of biology playing a role in determining our gender and sexuality. Serano also disagrees with this idea because it fails to give a reasonable explanation as to why people chooses to be a different gender or sexuality. She says both ideas are wrong because it’s still saying genders are determined because of biology or because of social norms which still leads people to conclude there are effective ways or bad ways to be gendered and sexual. Which also causes the lack of diversity in gender and sexuality.
Therefore, Serano believes it’s important to embrace a more holistic view of gender and sex, which is one that examines the roles of shared biology and shared culture alongside an individual biological variation and individual experiences, all coming together in a complex way to shape our genders and sexualities. Serano rejects the idea that gender is a performance, or just a social construction, or just a biologically determined truth. Instead she argues that gender and sexuality are a complex trait, in which biology, social norms, and individual choice comes together to create an individual gender and
As gender determinists rejects any possibilities of social norms shaping our gender and sexuality, that’s how gender artifactualists rejects any possibilities of biology playing a role in determining our gender and sexuality. Serano also disagrees with this idea because it fails to give a reasonable explanation as to why people chooses to be a different gender or sexuality. She says both ideas are wrong because it’s still saying genders are determined because of biology or because of social norms which still leads people to conclude there are effective ways or bad ways to be gendered and sexual. Which also causes the lack of diversity in gender and sexuality.
Therefore, Serano believes it’s important to embrace a more holistic view of gender and sex, which is one that examines the roles of shared biology and shared culture alongside an individual biological variation and individual experiences, all coming together in a complex way to shape our genders and sexualities. Serano rejects the idea that gender is a performance, or just a social construction, or just a biologically determined truth. Instead she argues that gender and sexuality are a complex trait, in which biology, social norms, and individual choice comes together to create an individual gender and