Glossary Ambisexuality undifferentiated sexual orientation towards both the opposite sex and the same sex (see bisexuality) Androgynous individual in whom coexist, in a male or female body, appearance or behaviour belonging to both sexes Asexed individual without sexual identity Asexuality absence of a defined or specific sexual orientation Biological determinism theory according to which the biological sex determines the gender in a static, fixed and non-modifiable way from birth, presupposing the coincidence and the relation of biunivocal causality between sex and gender Biphobia hatred, refusal or irrational aversion towards bisexuality by heterosex- uals and homosexuals Bisexuality used in two senses: (a) co-presence of male and female identity, at the biological and/or psycho-social level; (b) sexual orientation towards both sexes Cisgender individual who lives in agreement between sex (biological sexual identity) and gender (psycho-social identity) Cross-gender crossing of genders in the identification and/or behaviour or choice to cross the male/female boundaries Deconstructionism theory that demolishes any possibility to found a system of thought showing the contradictions of the assumptions Disorders of sexual differentiation disorders or anomalies in the sexual devel- opment of the masculinisation or femininisation, creating states of sexual The glossary has been compiled with reference to the most recurrent words in gender literature having implications in the philosophical and juridical debate. Many are new and are not even to be found in dictionaries. L. Palazzani, Gender in Philosophy and Law, SpringerBriefs in Law, 105 DOI: 10.1007/978-94-007-4991-7, Ó The Author(s) 2012 106 Glossary indeterminacy or incongruity among the elements of the biological sex (genetic, gonadic, hormonal, phenotypic) Environmental determinism theory according to which the gender (psycho- social identity) is constructed by the external environment Essentialism philosophical theory which affirms the ontological priority of the universal essence over individual essence Femininity features or psychological dispositions to act in a feminine way at a social and cultural level (also femaleness and womanhood, which denotes being female and woman) Gender psycho-social identity which is constituted in becoming masculine/ feminine Gender bender individual that identifies himself/herself (its) with his/her (its) biological sex but considers it incomplete and transgresses the behaviour foreseen by his/her (its) gender with androgynous attitudes Gender defender individual that defends the natural correspondence between the sex at birth and the identity and role of psycho-social gender Gender dysphoria psycho-social distress, temporary or persistent, that an indi- vidual experiences owing to the discordance between sex (external biological sex) and gender (inwardly perceived sexual identity) Gender identity interior and private perception of oneself as masculine/feminine Gender normativity assumption of male or female sexual binarism as norm Gender outlaw individual that acts according to a gender that is different from the sex, not conforming to social expectations Gender performance action and carrying out of behaviour that expresses and represents gender identity and role Gender performativity acting that is rooted and wears itself out in action, regardless of being, recognising the variable multiplicity of performativity Gender role (or gender expression) external and public expression in thoughts, words, actions of one’s own Gender identity, social assumption of one’s own gender role Gender socialization process of learning of gender roles in society according to social expectations Gender variance variability and variation of the gender with reference to external behaviour, regardless of the considerations of interior distress (as opposed to ‘gender dysphoria’) Genderology study of gender theories and problems Glossary 107 Genderqueer individuals that combine male and female elements in both body and behaviour Hermaphrodite individual in which both male and female sexual organs and features are present together (from mythology, Hermaphrodite, the son of Hermes and Aphrodite, had the features of both sexes after being merged into a nymph) Heteronormativity theorisation of heterosexuality as an obligatory norm to conform behaviour to, presupposing normality and superiority with respect to homosexuality Heterophobia hatred, refusal and irrational aversion toward what is different; it can denote aversion toward those of an opposite sex or aversion towards heterosexuals Heterosexism discrimination towards non heterosexuals by those who are heterosexual Heterosexual privilege series of individual and institutional benefits reserved for heterosexuals Homoparenthood being homosexual parents Homophilia acceptance towards homosexuality Homophobia hatred, refusal and irrational aversion towards homosexuals Interactionism theory that thematises gender with reference both to the physical body and in relation to the interior psychic structure influenced by the external environment Intersexual condition of sexual ambiguities (genetic, gonadic, hormonal, mor- phological) due to the contemporary presence of features of both sexes LGBTI acronym of lesbians, gay, bisexuals, transgender/transsexual/transves- tites, intersex persons Masculinity psychological features of acting like a male at a social and cultural level (also maleness and manhood, which denotes being male and being man) Monosexuality sexual attraction towards one sex only (opposite or similar) Multiple genders (or plural genders) individual with different psycho-social gender identities Non gendered people individuals who refuse to be defined according to a specific gender Obligatory or compulsory heterosexuality set of institutional, cultural and social provisions which, formally and informally, reward persons in so much as they are or appear heterosexual and punish those who are not heterosexual 108 Glossary Pansexualism multidirectional omni-sexual attraction to individuals of the same and/or opposite sex Polyamory living together or intimate relationship of the same sex and/or opposite sex, overcoming the dual exclusiveness of the bond Polyandry intimate relationship of one woman with several men Polygamy intimate relationship of one individual with several individuals of the same species of opposite sex Polygyny intimate relationship of one man with several women Polysexuality attraction to individuals with more than one sex Queer (queerness queering), individual with neither male nor female identity (neither/nor), male and female (either/or; both/and) or between male and female (in between) Sex to be physically male or female (at genetic, gonadic, hormonal, morpholog- ical level) Sexed adjective meaning the sex in so much as incarnated in a specific male or female corporeity Sexism discrimination of the sexes Sexual adjective meaning ‘of sex’, relative to sex both as male/female distinction and as sexual preference Sexual binarism theory that identifies sexuality in the opposite male or female duality and puts heterosexuality as hierarchically superior with respect to homosexuality Sexual dimorphism theory that postulates the morphological difference between individuals belonging to the same species but to different sex Sexual orientation sexual attraction or direction of sexuality regardless of sex and gender, preference with respect to the object of sexual desire Sexual polymorphism theory that considers sexuality can be expressed in numerous, diversified and indistinct ways Sexuality sum of desires, preferences, behaviour, gestures and attitudes aimed at the relationship with another person, in an affective and/or erotic sense (it must be distinguished from the sex act and the practice or exercise of sexuality) Social constructionism theory maintaining that gender identity is not derived from the sex, but is a product of historical and social construction Straight adjective referred to individuals attracted by the opposite sex, synony- mous of heterosexual Third gender condition of identity ‘beyond’ the male or female sexual duality Glossary 109 Transgender individual that expresses, transitorily or steadily, a gender identity that is not in line with the sex at birth and combines both male and female features and behaviour, wavering from one gender to the other with a partial modification of the body if needs be (trans-woman, individual that is born male and lives like a woman; trans-man individual that is born female and lives like a man) Transphobia hatred, refusal or aversion towards transsexual and transgender persons Transpositionism theory of the indifference of sexual orientation Transsexual individual that lives the non correspondence between biological sex and psycho-social gender and intervenes to permanently modify their body for a complete sex reassignment (male-to-female, who passes from male to female or the femininisation of the male female-to-male; who passes from female to male or masculinisation of the female) Transvestitism, cross-dressing phenomenon referred to individuals that have the habit of intentionally wearing publicly or privately, clothes that are usually and traditionally associated with the opposite sex Unisexuality condition of individuals with sexual organs and features of only one sex Unqueer (or antiqueer) individual that identifies their sex with the corresponding gender at birth Selected Bibliography on ‘Sex/gender’ Debate AA.VV (1998) The polity reader in gender