10/10/17 GENDERED INEQUALITY: DECONSTRUCTING BARRIERS TO ENABLE SENSITIVE SYSTEMIC “IF WE COULD CHANGE OURSELVES, PRACTICE WITH DIVERSE PEOPLE AND THE TENDENCIES IN THE WORLD RELATIONSHIPS WOULD ALSO CHANGE.” ANNE PROUTY - MAHATMA GANDHI OCTOBER 2017 AUSTRALIAN ASSOCIATION FOR FAMILY THERAPY ANNUAL CONFERENCE ADELAIDE, AUSTRALIA GLOBAL “GENDER” (Binary) Gender Inequities DEADLY CUTTING EDGE * MISERABLE TO PROMOTE SOCIAL JUSTICE * REAL ADVOCATE FOR CLIENTS SEX AND GENDER 2007 “YogyAkArtA Principles”: 28 Principles oF the THE WORLD HEALTH ORGANISATION HAS RECOGNISED ApplicAtion oF International HumAn Rights LAw in SEX AND GENDER GLOBALLY AS CORE SOCIAL RelAtion to SexuaL Orientation DETERMINANTS OF PHYSICAL AND MENTAL HEALTH and Gender Identity 64 AND WELL-BEING 44 • LGBTI are 11% of Australians as of 20146 • www.YogyAkArtAprinciples.org • GENDER Keynote/YogyAkArtA principles_en.pdF • 1.7% oF AustrAliAns Are estimated to be Intersex (AustraliAn HumAn Rights Commission) • 2% oF people globAlly estimAted to be non-binAry gender • 34% oF LGBTI AustrAliAns hide their identity when accessing services 1 10/10/17 ApproAches to IDENTITY SociAl Justice MultiPLe CulturaL Communities • WHO DEFINES WHOM? Human Diversity within Communities/Contexts • EACH PERSON’S EXPERIENCE? Human Diversity Across LifesPans • BY INTERACTING WITH EACH OTHER? • INTERACTING BY PROXY AND VIA COMMUNITIES? INTERSECTIONALITY INTERSECTIONALITY - IDENTITIES INTERSECTIONALITY - IDENTITIES SEX &/OR GENDER ID ETHNIC ID SEX &/OR GENDER ID ETHNIC ID SEXUAL ORIENTATION SPIRITUAL ID SEXUAL ORIENTATION SPIRITUAL ID RELATIONAL ORIENT CITIZEN ID RELATIONAL ORIENT CITIZEN ID RELATIONAL ROLES PHYSICAL ABILITY RELATIONAL ROLES PHYSICAL ABILITY INTERSECTIONALITY - IDENTITIES INTERSECTIONALITY - IDENTITIES TIME PLACE SEX &/OR GENDER ID ETHNIC ID SEX &/OR GENDER ID ETHNIC ID SEXUAL ORIENTATION SPIRITUAL ID SEXUAL ORIENTATION SPIRITUAL ID RELATIONAL ORIENT CITIZEN ID RELATIONAL ORIENT CITIZEN ID RELATIONAL ROLES PHYSICAL ABILITY RELATIONAL ROLES PHYSICAL ABILITY AGE 2 10/10/17 SEX or GENDER? “Just as the constant increase of entropy is the basic law of the universe, so it is the basic law of life to struggle against entropy. - VacLav Havel Non-Binary Sex SEX Survey oF MedicAl LiterAture by Blackless and Colleagues (2000) HistoricaLLy ReLied on PhenotyPe – Physical APPearance Estimated as high as: 2 % oF live births 7 PhysicAl Body PArts – outside and inside – many diFFerent reAsons Hormones & Hormone Receptors (cAn be From chromosomAl condition) ExAmple: Androgen Insensitivity Syndrome: Complete or Incomplete https://medlineplus.gov/ency/Article/001180.htm http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/924996-overview Hormones in-utero exposure and brAins – studies with smAll samples oF people who donAte brAins to science, reseArchers Are showing thAt cismale and trAnsmAle stain Alike, cisfemale and trAnsfemAle stain alike 35 MedicAlized NArrAtive oF BinAry Sex SEX and CHROMOSOMES Babies • Used A smAll cAliper to meAsure penis / clitoris – where is urethra? Male, Female, and Intersex • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phall-O-Meter MosAic / ChimAera – some cells XX, others XY ExAmples of Sex Chromosome VAriAnts – some cAuse infertility • Orchidometer (testes) X0 “Turners” XXX+ ”Triple X” XXY “Kleinfelters” XYY “Jacobs” • DiFFerentiAtion oF Testes / LabiA • VaginAl ForAmen Present? 3 10/10/17 Medicine and BinAry Bodies • Babies HumAns’ Sexes are Complex, Diverse, Unique • InterdisciplinAry TeAm Articles Arising • https://oii.org.Au (video hyperlink to Bonnie HArt, Author oF “Orchids, My Intersex Adventure” – ex. of Androgen Insensitivity Syndrome in a Family) • Preteens And Teens • Hormone blockers to pAuse puberty • Hormones to move puberty towArd sexuAl body development • Adults • Endocrine System Hormones, Bones, Epiglottis, VocAl Cords, GonAds, SecondAry Sex ChArActeristics; CulturAl gendered sociAl, vocAl, & movement • https://oii.org.Au/cAtegory/comment/personAl-stories/ • Not necessArily A LINEAR or binary gender (medicAl) journey Child Development & Gender50 WHAT IS GENDER???? • Gender Identity or AwAreness – by Age 3 GENETICS • IdeA oF Gender StAbility – if tAught – by 5 • IdeA oF Gender Consistency by 7 BODY MY • CONTEXT! IDENTITY •FamiliAl And Community ReinForcement CULTURAL •Peers - Options For Trying-on Identities as well as Bullying •Internet Community Options And Bullying Cisgender Privilege 29 • Sex Assigned At birth is linked to your experience of gender Myth oF BinAry Gender • Your gender identity is not pathologized and dx not required For medical support • Your identity documents hAve your preFerred gender And you do not need to shAre personAl or medicAl inFormAtion to get them chAnged • People use your preFerred pronouns (inFrequent misgendering) • People And identity documents use your preFerred nAme • Cosmetic surgery probAbly wAsn’t perFormed on you without your consent just so others would Feel more comFortAble Male Androgenous FemAle • No one Asks you About your genitAls, or whether you will tAke hormones or get Intergender surgeries • You mAy be Able to mArry And stAy mArried– in some countries • SaFety – based on gender AnywAy (intersectionAlity plAys-out here too) • Gender option AvAilAble on most pAperwork And Forms • Community, Money & MedicAl, ….. 4 10/10/17 Common ExAmples of MicroAggressions Cisgender Assumptions Including Those Used by PArtners (see IPV section) • PersonAl questions, including “why?” • Not everyone who’s gender does not mAtch their Assigned sex (whether it’s • “real” mAn/womAn does x,y,z binAry or not) wishes to become either mAle or female 45 • “BiologicAl mAn/womAn” instead of using person’s preferred • Of those who wish medical corrective interventions not everyone wishes to gender term do them in the order oFten directed by medicAl institutions (hormones then surgery or All surgery options or stereotyped outcomes) 45 • Misgendering or misnAming • “You’re not doing it [gender] right” • Pathologizing thoughts, feelings, etc. – in order to obtAin access/resource • MORE?? Long History oF Gender as Non-Binary Identities Gender Pronouns in English NationAl GeogrAphic 2017: http://www.nationalgeogr aphic.com/magazine/2017/ HE SHE ONE ZE THEY 01/how-science-helps-us- HIM HER ONE ZIR THEM understAnd-gender- HIS HERS ONE’S ZIR THEIR identity/ HIS HERS ONE’S ZIRS THEIRS http://www.nationalgeogr HIMSELF HERSELF ONESELF ZIRSELF THEMSELF aphic.com/magazine/2017/ 01/gender-issue-reAder- comments-faq/#/gender- revolution-ngm- covers.png MulticulturAlism Applied to Gender Gender Diversity within Gender VAriAnt Communities and TrAnsgender Communities • Cultures oF gender, gender identity, gender journey • Influences on my belieFs • Influence my Attitudes About people And their needs • Gender Fluid - DynAmic, Moving Among , Simultaneously More thAn One • Influence deFinition oF helpFul, support, resilience • Some non-binAry people identiFy As TrAnsgender or Gender VAriAnt (TGV), • Experience with gendered communities And diversity of people while others do not • Experience with AdvocAcy (prActical And legAl rights) 5 10/10/17 ModeLs of SexuaL Orientation ReLationaL Intersections • Many models Are bAsed on whether the desired person is similAr or diFFerent From one’s own gender identity (thAt’s not helpFul) •Sexual OrientAtion • StAtic? DynAmic? • InFluenced by sociAl context’s options? • Should include AsexuAl •RelAtionAl OrientAtion • Often helps iF includes An intersection with sex drive, with A deFinition thAt cAn vAry over time/situAtions • Note: I am taLking about human aduLt-aduLt & consensuaL onLy Sexual OrientAtion httP://www.soc.ucsb.edu/sexinfo/articLe/overview-sexuaL-orientations RelAtionAl OrientAtion An enduring Pattern of romantic RELATIONAL ORIENTATION59 or sexuaL attraction (or a combination of these two) to monogamy, nonmonogamy, or to a degree of both 9,18 6 10/10/17 Types oF Amorous RelAtionships • SexuAl Freedom/ No Commitment • Friends with BeneFits • MonogAmy • SeriAl MonogAmy • Partnerships - Committed – Legally Recognized • Non-monogAmous (ConsensuAl & NonconsensuAl) • Open, Swinging, GeogrAphicAl • PlurAl Commitments & MArriAges • PolygAmy (polygyny, polyAndry) • Poly-Network GlobAl PrevAlence oF PlurAl FAmilies Context ChAllenges & Resiliency StrAtegies • More than 850 societies within Africa, AsiA, OceAniA, Middle EAst, And AmericAs • Legal – Trusts, Wills, FinAnciAl Accounts, Adoption, Custody PApers, • North AmericA: SeverAl Indigenous Nations Divorce/Dissolutions, OFFiciAl PApers & Gender Identity prActiced polygamy prior to EuropeAn • ImmigrAtion – Who is acknowledged as whom invAsion (KOSTER 2012). • SpousAl EvidentiAry • Tibet - polyAndry – until China invAded in • Visibility/ Invisibility MAnAgement – Adults And Children (parents) 1950 – kept brother-husbAnds’ FAmily lAnd • MedicAl & MentAl HeAlth Access – gender AFFirmAtive cAre in their FAmily • Police Protection & Respect • Now two religious groups Are responsible • IllegAlity cAn make vulnerAble to cults & other closed systems – these Are for most of growth in the U.S. (100,000 + the dynAmics thAt lead to serious vulnerAbility And hArm plurAl FAmilies estimAted) Violence: Hate Crimes • U.S. NAtionAl CoAlition oF Anti-Violence Programs reported that Transgender Women experience 72% oF anti-LGBT Violence homicide victims, And 89% of these Are people of color 1 • 20% of hAte crimes in U.S. Are AgAinst people who identified as LGBTQ with highest rates among transgender people, and transgender women in particular 23 • AustrAliAn HumAn Rights Commission 2014: 47% of