Is gender identity inherent, or is it shaped by our environment?

Chloe Cook2 said:The thread’s been dead for two months now, I know. But I feel like I should say something, I guess.

Back in my teenage years—not that I want to sound old, I guess—I was convinced that every single gender difference, aside from the obvious biological stuff, was just socially imposed. I used to think that if we could somehow convince everyone around a newborn that they were actually a different gender, they’d grow up with that identity. Maybe. Just an old thought.

I guess you learn a few things as you get older. It isn't all black and white. There are biological differences, maybe driven by hormones, though there’s certainly a social element too. If you handed people an essay to grade and didn't tell them the author's gender, they’d probably give a higher score if they thought a man wrote it. Does that mean men are more competent? Not necessarily. It just means people tend to value their input more, regardless of the actual quality. Why that is, though... well, that's a different question entirely. It's probably not just about social conditioning.

The differences mentioned earlier... most of them seem legitimate, I guess. Men tend to lean more toward risk-taking, aggression, and physical exertion, while women often show more empathy. You could probably look at the experiences of transgender people on hormone therapy to see that. It seems many trans men report an increase in libido, quicker tempers, and finding it harder to cry—where they might have wept before, now they just get frustrated. They also deal with higher energy levels, needing more sleep, eating more, exercising more, building muscle faster, spontaneous erections, and constant sexual thoughts. On the flip side, trans women taking estrogen often report feeling softer or calmer, with a decreased sex drive. To me, it suggests these traits are largely driven by hormones rather than being some kind of social construct. Maybe.

Maybe because everything is so tangled up—and since most of these gaps seem to be driven by biology rather than just how we're raised—the whole concept of gender feels unnecessary. Even for trans or gay people, I guess.

If I’m transgender, then I guess it just means I was born one sex, but I feel like that's wrong. Being in that body feels unnatural, I suppose. Transitioning makes things align, so everything is fine. I don't really see it as having one sex and another gender... no. It's more like a person has one biological sex and a different identity—they see themselves as one thing, even if their physical reality says otherwise. Maybe.

I suppose sexual orientation isn't about having one identity separate from gender. It’s more like they coexist, much like it does for heterosexual people. It’s just that certain aspects might deviate from the majority norm. For instance, if most men happen to love sports, it doesn't mean a man who isn't interested in athletics has some sort of identity disorder. Similarly, just because most men are attracted to women, it doesn't follow that a man attracted to other men has an identity issue. Most traits associated with a specific gender are just individual facets. I guess you don't need to check every single box to belong to a category.

I suppose if someone is born male and is perfectly content with their body, they could be a ballet dancer, walk with more grace, enjoy things like soaps and lotions, or grab coffee with girlfriends to gossip about clothes and guys. It doesn't necessarily mean they have a female identity; they might still see themselves as a man, just... a less conventional one. I guess the same logic applies the other way, too. Someone born female might want a more masculine physique and live life as a man, even if they don't fit the standard mold. Nothing is ever truly black and white, I guess.

There’s a difference between how we perceive our own bodies and how well we fit into typical masculine or feminine stereotypes. I suppose the first part defines gender identity, while the second is just personality. Personally, regarding those traits, I feel like I sit somewhere in the middle. I have plenty of traditionally masculine traits, and plenty of feminine ones—maybe leaning slightly more toward the former. But that doesn't change my gender identity. I am male, regardless of those characteristics. Or regardless of which body I was born into, I guess.

And another thing... queer theory often distinguishes between transsexuality and transgenderism. One relates to sex, the other to gender. Honestly, I think if we truly embraced gender and transgender identity, then anyone with even one trait typically associated with the opposite sex could be considered transgender.

On the other hand, transsexuality seems to point toward a disconnect with one's own body. A need to change that body to match the opposite sex. In my view, once that transition happens, the person HAS changed their sex, and their identity and sex are finally aligned. So, I suppose that is a functional "cure" for transsexuality.

Because, quite often, if someone born male identifies as female—unless they were already built like a man from the start—after hormone therapy and the necessary surgeries, nobody would be able to tell they aren't a woman, unless they knew the person's history. Apparently, these procedures are so effective when done by top-tier surgeons that even a gynecologist might not see a difference between a cisgender vagina and one created through surgery.

The results for the penis aren't always as seamless, I suppose, but the hormonal impact is significant. Many people born male, even after hormone therapy, retain enough masculine physical traits that people can easily judge their birth sex. It seems to work differently for those born female. If you see a trans man in shorts, most people wouldn't be able to tell he wasn't born male. Even with prosthetics, or just being lucky with height and high-quality surgery, seeing them naked wouldn't necessarily seem "strange."

So, try telling me that person is still their original sex. All the physical traits and the internal chemistry shift to align with the new sex. I don't see what that has to do with the old sex, except maybe chromosomes, I guess.