The Gender & Sexuality Issue

Volume 9 Issue 3, October 2009

A person’s right to define their own gender is usurped as soon as they exit the womb, or sometimes before that point, when a doctor declares a baby a ‘boy’ or a ‘girl’. As we grow up we’re given gender “appropriate” toys, and treated in gender “appropriate” ways. This puts our definition of gender into the context of culture; it is something that is dictated to us, rather than decided on by us. This ultimately creates the illusion that gender is static, that it is set, and that it is objective. Anyone who exists outside these parameters, whether through the lens of androgyny, being transgendered, or identifying as queer is suddenly outside of the norm, beyond the binary. Existing in this realm, beyond ‘normalcy’, all too often results in reactions of fear, and distrust, and, in extreme cases, violence.

Because gender seems to rely so heavily on culture and context for definition, it is certainly a topic that merits discussion. Maybe if it is explored collectively—discussed openly and safely—our notions of gender and sexuality will evolve past the dichotomy of boy and girl, gay and straight.

All of the pieces in this issue go beyond the idea of a gender binary and beyond the dichotomy of sexuality. While it can be painful to be deemed abnormal, and while there can be negative repercussions stemming from this fear of the unknown, it can also be fun. Some of the pieces in this issue deal with the pain, either self inflicted or culturally inflicted, of existing outside the dichotomy of gender or outside a heteronormative standard. Others, though, deal with the joy of determining one’s gender, discovering sexuality, and being free.

I hope that this issue creates room for thought, room for empathy, and room for celebration; after all, gender and sexuality are more interesting and more joyful when they are opened up as dynamic concepts to be discussed and explored, rather than imposed and dictated.

Erin Epp
Editor-in-Chief