Gender and Identity Markers

In the assigned readings by Kathy Wilson and Andrew Sullivan, the authors are trying to get the point across that looks and chemical makeup don’t necessarily identify a person’s gender. Gender is something that is established by how a person feels and also the hormone’s that are running through their bodies. Although this point is true and everyone knows who and/or what they are, not everyone on the outside will immediately recognize the gender of other certain individuals. Unfortunately, sometimes gender is questioned.

Wilson’s main argument in her essay is that even though she has extremely short hair, she is a woman and she feels comfortable and free in her own skin, no matter how she chooses to wear her hair or dress. Sullivan, on the other hand, is a man and although he is suffering from a disease that is causing his natural testosterone to diminish, he is still a man. His argument is that a person’s chemical makeup doesn’t necessarily establish gender.

In both of these essays, both Wilson and Sullivan share personal experiences and stories which make the essays easier to read, comprehend and retain. Sullivan, however, also shares a lot of scientific facts and statistics that seem to emphasize the points he was trying to make.

After reading both of the essays, I feel that Wilson and Sullivan would agree with each other’s points of view. Wilson knows she is a woman but at quick glance other people may think differently. Sullivan knows he is a man but his sickness is, in a way, beginning to take that away from him to a certain extent. In both cases, neither author has lost track of their gender identities based on situations that have happened to them throughout their lives.