My Gender Perspective as a Homosexual

The Impact of Gender Roles on Society

The society was founded on experiences that established the accepted mode of operation and the actions that were deemed acceptable. Gender is one of the social concerns that I have learned to deal with in my life. Gender is a set of socially accepted behaviors, duties, and physical and emotional characteristics that are assigned to people in a culture based on their sex. Sex has a significant role in determining gender, and the two concepts are frequently entangled in socioeconomic activities in society. According to Smith and Smith (2017:8), gender is a basis for social activities, and everyone complies with the set gender rules whether consciously or subconsciously. Females and males have an assigned role in the society and are expected to have a specific set of physical features. For example, men are supposed to be tough and muscular with a level of independence and authority in a social setting. Meanwhile, females are expected to be conformists and have a nice shapely body. Moreover, females are supposed to be compassionate and dependent on the society (Brownell and Besnier, 2013).

The Challenges of Non-Conformity to Gender Norms

However, the implications of failure to conform to the set gender rules cannot be overstated in a community that is increasingly becoming social. The world is no longer a large community with minimal interaction among the present population thanks to the digital advancement that has seen the introduction of the internet and social media. Society standards conform to two main gender categories based on the sex of an individual (Smith and Smith 2017). Therefore, people with a different sexuality often find it difficult to fit in. These include homosexuals, bisexuals, lesbians, and heterosexuals. Moreover, physical features associated with the two main sexes which are male and female can be confusing when applied to gender roles in situations where a female exhibits physical characteristic associated with males or vice versa.

The Personal Exploration of Gender Categorization

Because gender is a social construct which is necessary for the daily activities within a community, more so by functioning to bridge the association between people of different categories, I developed a keen interest in my daily routine to note how gender categorization affects my social relations (Fields et al. 2015). I did the observation on myself by participating in the normal routine activities that I undertake daily. However, it took a lot of restraint to avoid bias in the findings because I was consciously aware of my observation and sometimes I actively tampered with the findings. Still, I modified most of the findings to get the best possible picture of the gender activities I engaged in. Furthermore, I observed for a special situation whereby my practice of an ’abnormal’ gender requirement from the society expectations and the reaction it elicited from the available audience.

The Experience of Being a Gay Individual

I am a 22-year-old medium build black American. Most of my teenage life I struggled with my sexual identity until the age of 19 when I realized that I am gay. I have since embraced the gay culture, and my lifestyle changed drastically once I joined college. It took a lot of convincing to make my parents understand my decision to be gay. My mother is a Protestant, and just like Herzog (2016) asserts, she actively worked against my sexual identity. In college, I started to wear tight-fitting clothes and changed my hairstyle to an afro, but I remained active in sports as a basketball player. I still purchase clothes from the men category and have a boyfriend from my school. When I meet new friends in my life, they often become surprised when I tell them I am gay saying I don’t act or dress like one. However, when I ask how a gay person is supposed to act or dress, the answer is usually varied with the only common answer being the preference of intimacy with members of the same sex. Some said gay people are usually slender and lack the musculature present in most men.

The Social Stigma and Challenges of Being Openly Gay

Being a homosexual, a lot of my friends are embarrassed to hang out with me because my sexuality is abnormal in my community setting. The social stigma extends as far as my family where some family members consider me as a failure. Often, my uncles would ask me how I plan to have children considering I am in a relationship with another man. Gender stereotypes suggest that the man is supposed to be the leader and provider in a family an assertion which extends to relationships (Kray et al. 2016). As a result, it is often complicated on who exactly is the ’head’ in my relationship with my boyfriend.

Challenges and Misconceptions Faced as a Gay Individual

Recently I was involved in a fight with one of my peers while on the field training for a basketball game. I tackled him, and he fell to the ground. However, because the tackle was a strong one, he was injured in the process and due to anger from the pain; he said that he did not know ladies could be severe. I was deeply offended and asked him what he meant while roughly lifting him off the ground. He further said that because I was my boyfriends ’woman’ he expected me to be weak.

Adapting to Societal Expectations and Avoiding Discrimination

As a result of my observation of daily events I encounter, I have decided to act as normal as possible about gender expectations by the society. I try to avoid acting weak or showing emotions which would justify my peers to further criticise me for my sexuality. Moreover, I avoid displaying affection in public places when in the company of my boyfriend which might receive massive criticism.

References

Brownell, S., & Besnier, N. 2013. Gender and sexuality. The Handbook of Sociocultural Anthropology, 239-58.

Fields, E. L., Bogart, L. M., Smith, K. C., Malebranche, D. J., Ellen, J., & Schuster, M. A. 2015. “I always felt I had to prove my manhood”: Homosexuality, masculinity, gender role strain, and HIV risk among young Black men who have sex with men. American journal of public health, 105(1), 122-131.

Herzog, A. A. 2016. Jane Ellen Nickell: We Shall Not Be Moved: Methodist Debate Race, Gender and Homosexuality

Kray, L. J., Howland, L., Russell, A. G., & Jackman, L. M. 2017. The effects of implicit gender role theories on gender system justification: Fixed beliefs strengthen masculinity to preserve the status quo. Journal of personality and social psychology, 112(1), 98.

Smith, J. S., & Smith, K. E. 2017. What it Means to Do Gender Differently: Understanding Identity, Perceptions and Accomplishments in a Gendered World. Humboldt Journal of Social Relations, 1(38), 8.