FFS: am I male or female? Could I be trans?

[IamThereforeIdontIdentify]

Just a bit annoyed.
I just filled in an online form for uni, used for research purposes (so not compulsory to fill it in, but I didn't mind in general) and it asked how I "identify my gender". Male or female options.

I am fine saying that I'm a woman. But, how do you define female gender? I don't "identify" my gender at all: I'm a woman. I don't perform anything, which "identifying" seems to involve. Mostly I wear jeans, trainers, a t-shirt and a jumper or sweatshirt, sometimes a cardigan. Does the cardigan make me female? If i wear a grey sweatshirt with no slogan, no image and no frufru on, is it a male sweatshirt? Or a female one? Or non-binary?! Could I be male that day without realising? If I wear an actual man's sweatshirt, am I male then? I have shoulder-length hair, but that's not because I'm female, that's because it suits me like that, but I sometimes wear it in a bun. Thing is, my penised friend who calls himself a man and with shoulder-length hair does the same. So, am I male or female?! Is he female?!

And then sometimes, admittedly very, very rarely, I wear a dress. So I guess those days I'm female, right?

So, what is my gender? am I gender queer, trans? Something else?

What the fck is wrong with entering your sex?! It's so much simpler!

I didn't answer the question and continued with the survey, so possibly invalidated my participation.

Its all about who shots loudest. People as a rule will not kick up a fuss about their desire to say the sex they are. On the other side, with gender identities...

If possible in these cases i note that i dont have a gender my SEX is female

Ive literally just posted two mins ago on another thread that I think someone should produce a guide for us all to be able to easily see where we are on the scale and know instantly what “identity” we should have.

Theinconstantgardener I did look for somewhere to note that, but there wasn't anywhere (multiple choice thingy).

I got quite irate about it. Does it then count as "literal violence" as my existence has been ignored/erased?

Maybe I need to speak to the police..but I guess they won't listen to me as I don't have Dr as a title...

This 'can we guess your gender' quiz might be able to answer it for you.

Made me smile...

People who are on the pro-gender side like to do a switch-a-roo when it comes to this question.

On the one hand, they will say "Gender identity is just what you say you are, nothing special about it". That is, they will argue that all of us identify is female because we would state we are female when asked. Of course, for most of us, the reason why we "identify ourselves" as female is because we are in fact female (sex).

Of course the problem with this seemingly simple definition is that it is not at all important, nor does it suitably center gender. So then, on the other hand, when pressed about why asking about "gender identity" rather than sex is the important factor to consider, a completely different and mostly non-overlapping definition that explicitly excludes sex being a factor is used. The whole "gendered souls" / "identify with female gender stereotypes/role/presentation" thing.

So honestly I don't know what to choose when asked how I identify. Yes I will tell you I am a woman because I am physically a woman. But I do not identify with my gender role. And it annoys me that I know some people will take my checking female as meaning I do.

I sometimes think this specific definitional issue is where the whole NB/genderqueer nonsense is coming in. Most people who haven't thought about it at all will assume people just mean definition 1 - that is, they are really asking about sex. However, other people who are trying to understand the demands of trans activists and be nice (so mostly young women) will say, well, I guess I shouldn't check female unless I "feel like I have a female soul". And so since they like most people don't feel like they have a gendered soul, they feel they must therefore not be either male or female.

Voila, to be suitably inclusive and nice, young women have a moral imperative - nay, a duty - to identify as NB/GQ. After all, they clearly aren't as "properly wommanny" as the transgender women they know. I mean not only do they not shave their legs sometimes, but they don't even feel like they have female souls! To continue to identify oneself as female in this environment would be pretty close to bigotry, and certainly invalidating to those who are more brave and stunning than oneself.

goblins

FWR that is the best way I've seen it described. Totally agree. Luckily I'm a mature student this time round, but were I younger and pre-children, I'd have been one of those "nice" young women too.

goblins

I identify as British. HTH.

No one ever asks me if I identify as purple with green spots. Which I do.

Prefer not to say is my default response.

Where possible I tick other, then state that my sex is female and my gender is a patriarchal concept designed to control women.

I go for the ‘prefer not to say’ option if possible.

Goblins well that gender quiz was both amusing and confusing...
It is on 'Ditch the Label'website produced by one Liam Hackett... wokebro buddy of Dr Haddock and Dr Christian. LH has been spotted on twitter doing his bit to bully feminists into agreeing that TWAW so I am surprised that his organisation apparently doesn't believe in gender stereotypes. How otherwise would men know they had a female soul except through these oh so helpful markers/stereotypes, i.e. I like makeup so I must be a woman, I am gentle and caring so I must be a woman, etc

I have forms to fill out for a return to uni course too. There's only male or female as possible answers. I'm tempted to just leave blank.

I did a M&S customer survey today too and it asked if I was male, female or prefer not to say. It also didn't ask how I "identify" my gender. I can deal with that better.

I was completing a referral form for a young carer today. This form is for children, and asks for their gender, not their sex.

So I phoned the organisation and asked them if they meant “sex”, not gender and they said yes. So I edited the form to read “sex”. What a shame we can’t do this with every form that asks this stupid question.

SeaWitchly I had no idea!! Yes, indeed then - both amusing and confusing!

It is better to not bother asking sex at sll, than to ask what gender you identify with. You may as well ask what bands someone is into or what subculture they identify with.

Are they doing this for medical forms too

Bran absolutely! And the more they focus on gender the more irrelevant they make it, whilst insisting it's an identifying feature.

As an update, today I have black snow boots on, jeans, a plain grey t-shirt and a yellow sweatshirt. Now, is yellow a female colour? I'm really not sure if I'm male or female today. Another non-binary day? Maybe the type of bra I wear defines it?! Today it's a sea green colour. Not lacy. I'm still lost. Is sea green male or female?

@IamThereforeIdontIdentify my grandad wore a yellow sweater regularly and always looked very dashing in it, so yellow is possibly male.

Maybe underwear helps decide (not bras for obvious reasons of surgery for both sexes it just not having boobs to start with). Although some women prefer boxers, you're not going to get a full set of tackle in a pair of Brazilian briefs are you?

@TwistedChristmas ..well, I'd not like to see it, but something tells me that may very well be part of the fetish....

Good to know about the yellow.

I have a cardigan on today, but it's knee-length. I think that means I'm female today. Oh and my bra, which is blue, so rather male, has lace! I'm a bonafide female today!

Maybe the next time I'm asked what gender I identify with I'll write exactly what i'm wearing and ask them to decide!