Understanding Gender Identity Sexual Orientation and Cultural Influences- Advocating for Gender Variant Clients in Professional Practice

Understanding Gender Identity Sexual Orientation and Cultural Influences- Advocating for Gender Variant Clients in Professional Practice

Sexual orientation involves who one is attracted to romantically or sexually (Moleiro & Pinto, 2015). Currently, terms like gay and lesbian are commonly used to refer to individuals who have an attraction towards members of the same sex, and bisexuals are those who have an attraction to individuals of both sexes. On the other hand, the term gender identity describes one’s persistent sense of belonging to a particular gender, that is, an individual’s self-concept of their own gender regardless of the sex assigned at birth (Moleiro & Pinto, 2015). It can also be referred to as one’s basic sense of being female, male, or of indeterminate sex. It is important to professionally tell the difference between these two as this will help offer appropriate support for the individuals based on their needs. For instance, mental health professionals can provide needed support by helping individuals with their expressions and identities and encouraging them to affirmatively explore their identities (Richards et al., 2016). This will also help in finding the best way to help individuals, for instance, by using surgery to align one’s sex with one’s gender (Davis, Dewey & Murphy, 2016).

In every society, cultures have established standards for people to match their sex role prescriptions and also feel psychologically well attuned. This means that when one is biologically identified as belonging to a certain gender, male or female, but characteristically behaves in a manner that indicates that they are of the other gender, then this is considered harmful and deviant. Culture tends to shape behaviors that are considered acceptable for both women and men. These could be in the form of gender roles, which mark the divisions of labor appropriate for every gender, assigning specific roles such as child-rearing and house chores to the female gender and financial roles to the male gender. Cisgenders are commonly influenced by cultures, particularly in regard to gender roles. Transgender people are also impacted by different cultures. For instance, those who are males but identify as female will be seen doing things that are considered feminine, such as wearing makeup and having long hair, whereas females identifying as males would indulge in bodybuilding and having a hairstyle that is considered traditionally male (Richards et al., 2016). Some tend to destabilize the conventional gender markers and dress androgynously, where they combine both male and female clothing.

One of the major challenges faced by individuals who are non-binary or transgender is the binary way of assigning genders. In healthcare, for example, physicians may base their recommendations on the ideology that sex is a binary biological concept that correlates with sexuality and gender identity (Davis, Dewey & Murphy, 2016). This is likely to impact the kind of care that they will receive, causing most to shy away from seeking care due to fear of discrimination or being judged negatively. It will also determine the recommendation offered in regard to whether surgery should be done to assign a male or female gender to the client. In most official documents, sex details and names of non-binary or transgender people might fail to match their gender expression or identity. Such challenges are also experienced in binary-gendered bathrooms. This promotes prejudice and stigma. Within societies, such individuals are often faced with challenges on how to fit in gendered roles.

It is important for institutions such as educational and healthcare facilities to promote training on gender literacy to promote awareness and respect for the gender expression and identity of transgender and non-binary individuals. In schools, both teachers and parents need to be trained in gender literacy to provide enough support for their children who might be transgender or non-binary. Policy changes are also needed, such as institutional non-discrimination policies, which should be expanded to include gender expression and identity (Liszewski et al., 2019). This can be done by ensuring inclusivity where gender-neutral restrooms are available. Mental health support should also be given to gender-variant clients to help them cope with issues of gender dysphoria, stigma, and discrimination.

References

Davis, G., Dewey, J. M., & Murphy, E. L. (2016). Giving Sex: Deconstructing Intersex and Trans Medicalization Practices. Gender & Society, 30(3), 490–514. https://doi.org/10.1177/0891243215602102

Liszewski, W., Peebles, J. K., Yeung, H., & Arron, S. (2018). Persons of nonbinary gender—awareness, visibility, and health disparities. The New England journal of medicine, 379(25), 2391. doi: 10.1056/NEJMp1812005

Moleiro, C., & Pinto, N. (2015). Sexual orientation and gender identity: review of concepts, controversies and their relation to psychopathology classification systems. Frontiers in Psychology, 6, 1511. doi: https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2015.01511

Richards, C., Bouman, W. P., Seal, L., Barker, M. J., Nieder, T. O., & T’Sjoen, G. (2016). Non-binary or genderqueer genders. International Review of Psychiatry (Abingdon, England), 28(1), 95–102. https://doi-org.ezp.waldenulibrary.org/10.3109/09540261.2015.1106446

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Explain the difference between gender identity and sexual orientation and why it is important to understand this difference professionally.
– Explain cultural influences on gender and sexuality. Consider both cisgender and transgender experiences.

– Explain specific challenges an individual who is transgender or gender non-binary may experience related to their sexuality.
– Explain how you would advocate within your professional role for gender-variant clients.

Support your Assignment with specific references to all resources used in its preparation. You are to provide a reference list for all resources, including those in the resources for this course.