Sex, Sexuality and Gender
CHETNA STRC
Ahmedabad
Raising Consciousness
Creating Awareness
Objectives of this Workshop
• To understand basic information about sex,
various sexualities and Gender.
• Vulnerability to HIV/AIDS by Gender &
Sexuality.
• To make participants aware of their own
attitudes and values with respect to different
sexualities- homosexuality, bisexuality and
trans sexualism
• To improve knowledge and skills dealing with
them.
2
What is your DREAM??????
What do you want to be ????????
3
Exercise
DISCUSSION
How did you find this exercise???
4
SEX
Sex ~ is what you are born with. Sex is a
biological construct.
5
Gender
Economic, social and cultural attributes
and opportunities associated with being
male/ masculine or female/ feminine in
a particular social setting at a particular
point in time.
6
Feminity & Masculinity
Femininity:
Qualities and characteristics
appropriate for women/girls
considered
Masculinity:
Qualities and characteristics
appropriate for men/boys
considered
7
Activity
Social Construct of Gender
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Manifestation of Gender Differences
Gender Roles:
what women and men do/ expected to do
Gender Relations:
relation of power between men and
women, women and women and men and men.
Gender Identity:
how people perceive their own genderwhether they think of themselves as a man, a
woman, both or as a different gender
9
Gender & Vulnerability to HIV/AIDS
Can be:
1. Physiological – twice for female
2. Less access to and Control over resources
Access is the ability to use a resource.
Control is the ability to define and make
decisions about the use of a resource. (WHO2001)
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Gender & Vulnerability to HIV/AIDS
Contd:
3. Gender Norms Related to Sexuality- shapes attitude
towards sex- dominant man
4. Difficulties in Promoting Consistent Safer Sex
Measures
1. Decision by man on,
Abstinence, Be Faithful
D………………….
,Condom
Use,
When to have sex
2. Women as receivers
3. Lack of Female controlled measures
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Gender & Vulnerability to HIV/AIDS
Contd.:
5. Gender Based Violence
40 % ever married woman faced Physical,
Sexual, Emotional violence (NFHS-3)
Trafficking
Women- the Care giver
Legal Aspects
Poverty and Migration
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Sexuality
13
Person
•
•
•
•
12-13
Age of Exploring Sexual Pleasures
16-18
Age Of Homosexual/ Heterosexual Exploring With Sexual
Experiences
Heterosexual
Bisexual
Homosexual
Heteros Heterosexu Behavioral Bisexua Gay Koti
exual
al Feminine Bisexual
l
men
men
Hijara
14
Exploring sexuality:
Homosexual / Heterosexual
Experiences
BIRTH
MALE OR
FEMALE
12 TO
18
YEARS
HETROSEXUALBISEXUAL
SELF
INDENTIFICATION
OF OUR GENDER
AND SEXUAL
IDENTITY
HOMOSEXUAL
15
SEXUALITY
.
Sexuality ~ is how you perceive sex and your
preferences
(A comprehensive term which includes social
roles, personality, gender and sexual identity,
biology, sexual behavior, relationships, thoughts
and feelings of an individual and the
expressions of which are influenced by social,
ethical, economic, spiritual, cultural and moral
concerns)
16
Four Components of Sexuality
• Biological sex – physical and genetic sexual
make-up
• Sexual orientation – sexual attraction to
members of a particular sex
• Gender identity – psychological sense of
being male or female
• Gender expression and Social sex role –
adherence to the cultural expectations for
feminine or masculine behavior
17
SEXUAL ORIENTATION
One’s erotic, romantic, and affectional attraction
to people of the same sex, to the opposite sex, or
to both sexes.
Heterosexuality:
Erotic,
romantic,
and
affectional attraction to people of the opposite
sex.
Bisexuality: Erotic, romantic, and affectional
attraction to people of both sexes.
Homosexuality:
Erotic, romantic, and
affectional attraction to people of the same sex.
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BISEXUAL
• Bisexual is someone who has romantic
and/or sexual relations with other people of
more than one sex
• A bisexual may be more attracted to one sex
than the other, attracted equally to both, or
find people's sex unimportant. The strength
of their attractions to men and women may
vary over time.
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KOTI
• One who has feminized male identity
• Biologically Male
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DOUBLE DECKERS
• One who is attracted towards male in both
ways insertive & receptive.
• One may be feminine or may be not or
change according to situation.
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PANTHIS
• One who is insertive
relationship.
• He is always masculine.
in
same
sex
22
HIJRA
• Akhwai- One who is non castrated in
feminine attire
• Nirvan- One who is castrated in feminine
attire
• Maa pit ka hijra (INTERSEXED)- Naturally
born with characteristic of both male &
female or underdeveloped characteristics.
23
TRANSSEXUAL
• Individual whose gender identity is that of
the opposite gender
• Male-to-female transsexuals
• Female-to-male transsexuals
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Traditional Binary Gender Model
 Biological Sex:
Hormones, genitalia
secondary sex
characteristics
Male
Female
 Gender Expression Masculine
Dress, posture,
roles, identity
 Sexual Orientation Attracted
to Women
Feminine
Attracted
to Men
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Revolutionary Gender Model
 Biological Sex:
Hormones, genitalia
secondary sex
characteristics
Male Intersexed
 Gender Expression
Feminine
Dress, posture,
roles, identity
Masculine Androgynous
 Sexual Orientation
Attracted to:
women
men
Female
both neither other
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SEXUAL IDENTITY
Identity: How one thinks of oneself, as
opposed to what others observe or think
about one.
Sexual Identity: An inner sense of oneself as
a sexual being, including how one identifies
in terms of gender identity and sexual
orientation.
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Frequently Asked Questions
• Is homosexuality Illness?
• Can homosexuality be “cured” by appropriate
therapy?
• Do gay men want to be women and lesbian want to
be men?
• Can homosexual people be identified by their
mannerism or appearance?
• Are all homosexual people ‘promiscuous’ and
incapable of maintaining long term relationship?
• Does a male child later becomes homosexual as a
man had sexually abused that child?
28
Continue….
• A hijra has both male and female genitalia or
ambiguous genitalia?
• Whether lesbian have turned to other women
due to bad experiences with men?
• Whether in most gay or lesbian couples, one
partner always plays the man and the other
plays the woman?
29
WHY HOMOPHOBIA?
People tend to hate or fear what they don't
understand
30
Factors of Sexuality causing vulnerability to
HIV/AIDS
•Culture of Silence
•Pre marital sex and multi partner sex is increasing
(NFHS-3)
•Resistance for Sexual health education for
adolescents
31
Open Forum for discussions
• Any Questions ??????
32
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