I exist right around here on the spectrum.”)
Promote inclusion within the LGBTQIA+ community (Example: “You don’t have to be gay to belong to the LGBTQIA+ community. You can also be bisexual, questioning, or many other things! There is a whole spectrum of identities that is considered LGBTQIA+!”)
Provide precision when describing identities, because sometimes words simply aren’t enough (Example: “Eh, I’m pretty asexual.” “...What does that mean?” “Here, I’ll draw where I fall on the spectrum.” *quick doodle session* “OH! I see!”)
Remind us that the LGBTQIA+ community is more vast and diverse than we might have ever known (Example: “Look at all these identities that fall within this gender color wheel! I haven’t even heard of some! That’s so cool, I want to learn more!”)
Spectrums aren’t just restricted to visual models; they can also be conceptual. Maybe something is too vast or infinite to put on a paper. Then don’t! You can still say and understand that a certain identity exists on a spectrum. This simply means it can occur in varying degrees and/or come in a range of possibilities.
When it comes down to it, spectrums are simply tools and concepts available to help people describe and visualize their identities. Whether or not a person chooses to utilize spectrums is totally up to them!
PS. It is also positively okay to scribble question marks all over your spectrum - I know I did!
On the next page is a re-creation of one of my first spectrum models. (Warning: It’s not perfect and perpetuates the binary. I was young, but it’s cool to see how much a person can learn in just a few years!)
Ashley’s 21-year-old identity spectrums:
Now that we’ve learned so much about spectrums, you may want to take a minute to apply the information in a short exercise. In the space below consider drawing your identity spectrum as you understand it today. Remember you can make your spectrum linear, circular, spherical, or any form you like! You can also fill your spectrum with dots, shading, arrows, footnotes, question marks, doodles and more!
If you’re feeling extra reflective, keep this page in mind, come back next year, and draw your spectrum in the space below again! It might be cool to see how much you and your spectrum can change over time.
28. There are some limitations in portraying this concept in this way. It is not perfect, and we’ll learn about some other styles of spectrums later that can depict the experience of sexual attraction more accurately.
31. Graysexual: Someone who experiences low amounts of attractions, only experiences attraction under certain circumstances, or is unsure if they experience attraction. See here for more!
32. Aceflux: Someone who experiences varying degrees of attraction. See here for more!
33. See the cheat for more on the term “binary.”
34. Don’t know what these labels mean? Learn more about them in the “Gender” section, starting here! Also, even after many desperate attempts, I cannot find/contact the person who originally conceptualized the gender color wheel. If you have any leads, please let me know at [email protected] so I can give them credit.
35. See here for more on these attractions!
36. See here for more on how someone might represent their identity in the form of a bar graph!
37. Find more Charlie here: http://bit.ly/2c3dVFR
38. A novosexual person is someone who’s attractions change based on the gender(s) that they are experiencing. See here for more on this!
39. I’m always a fan of a good footnote though ;)
Part 2:
Gender
CHAPTER 1:
Intro to sex and gender
Congratulations! You made it to the Gender section. Now, if you thought the cheat sheet or the spectrums section was complicated, then buckle up, because you’re in for an exciting ride! Gender, in my opinion, is the most challenging concept this book will attempt to explore.
What is sex?
Because gender is so difficult to define, let’s start by determining what it isn’t: sex. So, what is sex? Let me begin by saying our culture is laden with innumerable misconceptions regarding sex. Society’s definition usually goes something along the lines of,
“Either of the two main categories (male and female) into which humans and many other living things are divided on the basis of their reproductive functions.” (Oxford Dictionary, 2016)
This is a common definition of sex that I’d feel safe in assuming most people are very familiar with. Something about sex I don’t think many people are familiar with however, is that it’s a social construct.40 It’s a method of classification invented by humans.
Now don’t get me wrong - our body’s physicality is not a construct. A person may, for example, have facial hair, XY chromosomes, and tons of testosterone flowing through their veins. The way our bodies are is simply undeniable. However, labeling a person like this “male”, based on their physical characteristics is a human design. After all, body parts are not inherently male or female…they are just body parts.
Sex is also a system that is strongly influenced by society’s binary views of gender. This is evident by the fact that society utilizes two binary sex categories that each have strong associations with the two binary genders. These two sex categories include male (associated with man) and female (associated with woman). The classification a person receives is largely based on the following:
Chromosomes
