My reaction to people who are outside the norm -- gay, lesbian, transgender, whatever... is to just accept it and move on. I really don't give a damn whether you're a man, woman, or a trigendered pyrofox(well, calling yourself a trigender pyrofox would probably get a laugh from me. I'm pretty open-minded but crap like that is where I draw the line). Your identification doesn't tell me anything about you as a person, except maybe that you're off-limits for dating or that you've got a different emotional mindset from me.

And, like ViHart, I tend to cynically assume that people are using their identities as an attention-getting tool. Caitlyn Jenner leaves a bad taste on my mouth because I feel she cashed out on her identity, even if her real motivations are completely different. I guess I'm just wired to assume that everyone thinks the same way I do.

Occasionally I'll run a self-analysis and compile thoughts on my own sexuality and gender identity, so maybe it's time to write a summary.

If this were a big stage comedy sketch, I'd write some lead up to this punchline: "Thank God I'm not gay!". I could simultaneously offend two communities, the Christians and the gays, and especially belittle the Christian gays. Oh I forgot, mainstream comedy sucks. Let's start over.

I've given it some thought, and I honestly think that even if I had any "genetic predisposition" to homosexual attraction, it's been so overwritten with social/cultural programming of male heterosexuality and masculinity that it's likely irreconcilable. In other words: I'm a dude, and other dudes just don't seem attractive to me. But wait: there is worldwide cultural incentive to stay (majority?)* heterosexual. That's fucked up. And that's a perpetuating cycle; cultural programming becoming culture becoming...

I had a very masculine gay friend who once told me that he didn't understand why the stereotypical gay mannerisms were "the way that they are". I would argue that most gay males exhibit more "feminine" behaviors than their heterosexual counterparts, and vice versa for women. Eventually, I've realized that there exists an entire spectrum of gender identity and sexuality, and although some patterns dominate, there are interesting outlying data points of people.

It's neat how different people are from person to person. And I'm pretty boring in where I lie on this particular spectrum.

*I think small amounts of homosexuality are acceptable in mainstream American culture.

P.S. I still love all Hubskiers.

I found this video to be very interesting, and it made me think of something that I've been wanting to have a discussion about.

Intellectually, I'm 100% supportive of any gender/sexuality/whatever that people identify with, and I think everyone should be allowed to be the person they feel they are. Particularly when it comes to homosexuality, I'm accepting of it both intellectually and emotionally, I pretty much feel completely fine if I see two dudes kissing, or whatever.

However, at my previous job, I was confronted with something that I simply haven't been exposed to before: A former man, who had transitioned into a woman. This particular woman basically looked like a man in a dress, but the thing that made it strange for me was that she also acted and spoke exactly like a man. Basically the least feminine person imaginable. This made me very aware of how ingrained gender roles really are, as I have never seen anyone that was born a (physical) woman ever act quite this masculine.

I'm repulsed by the concept of gender roles, and I've always thought that men and women should act however they want, but I guess the culture I've grown up in has had a more profound effect on me than I thought. It turns out that I do expect women to act a certain way. I don't mean the caricature of a woman staying in the kitchen and nurturing children, but there is a certain spectrum of behaviour which feels natural to me, and once a certain threshold of masculinity has been passed, it starts to feel odd to me.

My conclusion on this is that I don't believe this woman would've behaved in this way if she'd been perceived as a female her entire life. Women are socialized in a different way than men. This makes me even more certain that a great deal of the behaviours associated with women and men have little to do with genetics, and more to do with culture (or maybe it says nothing on the subject, as I guess this woman is genetically a man?).

I've grown up with homosexuality being depicted around me my entire life, so my mind has simply gotten used to it, but this is something else. Like I said, I'm fully supportive of this intellectually, but I can't help feeling a bit strange around her. I'm not saying I think it's wrong, but I would like to have an honest discussion about people's experiences with this sort of thing.

This is exactly how I feel. I just don't understand how gender can play such a big role in peoples lives, even so much so that some feel the need to change it. I don't feel like gender defines people and I hate male/female generalizations (and generalizations in general, hehe). Same reason I dislike feminist movements, I'd rather see more humanism and egalitarianism (but more of an equal opportunity instead of forced politically correct equal distribution e.g. in academic/professional fields or in media/advertising).