Catherine Londos

SID: 450260708

Animating Gender: The Gender Binary and Intersectionality

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The multitude of concepts that shape our understanding of gendered oppression
and constraints act as significant focal points within feminist schools of thought. As
such, when examining certain situations, the concepts of the gender binary and
intersectionality become particularly useful when utilised as a lens to illuminate this
oppression.

The Gender Binary

In my view, the gender binary forms the very foundation from which feminist
discourses were built upon. Specifically, the binary is the idea that a dichotomous
male/female split it the only way we can identify or categorise gender. Within this,
specific masculine or feminine characteristics are ascribed to typify each gender so
that individuals can fit into a box based on what society perceives their gender to be
(Kean and Bolton, 2015). Some theorists have attempted to circumvent this limiting
view by discerning the difference between sex and gender sex being ones
biology, while gender is their socially constructed identity however, this fails to
account for alternate bodies and the way in which society has inherently influenced
our views on biology and anatomy (Butler, 1999, p xxii).

One particular example of the limitations surrounding a binaristic view of gender

has emerged from this years Rio Olympic games. South African athlete Caster
Semenya has been embroiled in gender politics at the games due to the fact that she is
intersex. Many are arguing that she should not be allowed to compete in the womens
division, as she naturally produces three times as much testosterone as a normal
female and has internal testes as opposed to a uterus and ovaries (Brook, 2016). Here

Catherine Londos
SID: 450260708
we see how societys adherence to a rigid binary system immediately excludes those
individuals who do not conform to either option. The inability for many to definitively
categorise Semenya as strictly male or strictly female illuminates a societal flaw in
assuming that human anatomy can dictate an individuals place in these categories
(Kitzinger, 1999). Furthermore, this elucidates that the male/female dichotomy cannot
cater to all individuals and their varied experience with gender identity, offering
merely a narrow and oppressive view of what male and female mean.

Intersectionality
As the name suggests, intersectionality attempts to explain the way that varied
and intersecting forces of oppression impact the individual and the way the
consequences [are] compounded for those subjected to it (Krenshaw, 2015). It is
used as a tool to examine the relationship between identity and power, by
illuminating the effect having multiple underprivileged identities including race,
gender and disability (Krenshaw, 2015). Thus, we use intersectionality not only as a
way to define this phenomenon but also as a lens through which we can examine how
identity effects oppression.

I was never under the assumption that intersectionality was a concept widely
prevalent in my own lived experience; mostly because I was unaware such a concept
existed. However, coming to understand what intersectionality is has given me an
entirely new perspective on the life of my sister Samantha, who is a paraplegic with a
slight developmental delay. A particular conversation with my mother revealed her
fear about Samantha going out on her own, as disabled women are immensely more
vulnerable to being sexually assaulted than any other demographic. Here we see the
usefulness of intersectionality as an analytical sensibility (Krenshaw, 2015);

Catherine Londos
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Samanthas overlapping status as a disabled woman acts to compound her
vulnerability and subjugate her further than an able-bodied woman or a disabled man
would be. This elucidates the way in which intersectional forces act to disempower
individuals, as multiple layers of oppression work against them to create a melting pot
of oppression.

Bibliography
Brook, Benedict. (2016) There should be no questions about Caster
Semenyas right to compete at the Olympics, say experts, News Limited
<http://www.news.com.au/sport/olympics/athletics/there-should-be-no-questionsabout-caster-semenyas-right-to-compete-at-the-olympics-say-experts/newsstory/b94c22e0b11e7f03af9c911c45a3329e>
Butler, Judith. (2010 [1990]), 'Preface (1999)' in Gender Trouble: Feminism
and the Subversion of Identity, Routledge, London: xv-xxviii.
Kean, Jessica and Bolton, Benjamin. (2015) 'Explainer: What
is Genderqueer?', The Conversation (26 Oct 2015)
Kitzinger, Celia. (1999) "Intersexuality: Deconstructing The Sex/Gender
Binary". Feminism & Psychology 9.4. 493-498.
Crenshaw, Kimberlie. (2015) Why Intersectionality Cant Wait The
Washington Post <https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/intheory/wp/2015/09/24/why-intersectionality-cant-wait/>