What beliefs does your culture hold about gender? Most societies have ideas about gender, but they aren’t all the same. What makes someone masculine in one culture might seem feminine in another (think, for example, of Scottish kilts versus skirts). Ideas of gender also change over time.
A culture might also have more categories than just “masculine” or “feminine.” For example, some Native American cultures traditionally have at least three gender roles or more. These additional genders are often talked about under the umbrella term “Two Spirit,” a phrase developed in 1990 at the third annual Native American/First Nations gay and lesbian conference in Winnepeg. You can read about the development of the term on page 64 of the Encyclopedia of gender and society. The Montana Two Spirit Society does outreach, education, and community engagement in our state. The Indian Health Service also has a Health Resources page with more information on Two Spirit identities.
What is Two Spirit? A video with the Director of the Montana Two Spirit Society, David Herrera.
Cultures often develop rules, roles, and traditions surrounding their concepts of gender. These traditions can be validating and help a person navigate their role in their society, but can also be stifling or unhelpful. A person might identify strongly as a woman and a mother, for example, but be frustrated if she is expected to do an unequal share of childcare and household tasks because of her womanhood. Books like The second shift: Working families and the revolution at home discuss these aspects of gender and labor expectations in detail.
Sometimes, a person doesn’t feel like the gender they were assigned when they were born. They may feel that expectations and traits typically associated with their assigned gender don’t resonate with them. They may feel that traits associated with another gender suit them better, or they may be detached from the whole idea of gender. Though this is not always the case, such individuals may also feel that their bodies don’t match up with how they feel. They may be uncomfortable with the way they are shaped, how they sound, the clothes they wear, or the way people perceive them or label them. In America, these individuals are sometimes called “transgender.” Other cultures may have names for similar ideas. The Western Montana LGBT+ Center has developed a list of resources for transgender Montanans and other curious folks.
Some people may experience gender-related discomfort because of the way they are treated or the way their body looks. The American Psychiatric Association calls this dysphoria. Dysphoria can be extremely painful, but there is relief available. Methods of relieving physical dysphoria include simple, cheaper options like binding the chest flat or tucking genitals. There are also medical options to relieve dysphoria. The most common of these is taking hormones that better match how you feel to become more masculine or feminine. Hormones are often covered under Medicaid, and the Western Montana LGBT+ Center’s Resource Guide has a list of trans-friendly providers. If you’re unsure of providers in your area, give Blue Mountain a call and ask. More expensive options for relieving dysphoria include laser hair removal, facial feminizing surgery, chest reconstruction or augmentation surgeries, and “bottom surgery,” which can correct the appearance of genitalia to better align with a person’s sense of self. These services are also sometimes covered under insurance.
Whether a person is transgender or not, it’s healthy to think about the ways you relate to your gender. What things do you do because of your gender? Do some of them make you happy? Do others bother you?
A culture might also have more categories than just “masculine” or “feminine.” For example, some Native American cultures traditionally have at least three gender roles or more. These additional genders are often talked about under the umbrella term “Two Spirit,” a phrase developed in 1990 at the third annual Native American/First Nations gay and lesbian conference in Winnepeg. You can read about the development of the term on page 64 of the Encyclopedia of gender and society. The Montana Two Spirit Society does outreach, education, and community engagement in our state. The Indian Health Service also has a Health Resources page with more information on Two Spirit identities.
What is Two Spirit? A video with the Director of the Montana Two Spirit Society, David Herrera.
Cultures often develop rules, roles, and traditions surrounding their concepts of gender. These traditions can be validating and help a person navigate their role in their society, but can also be stifling or unhelpful. A person might identify strongly as a woman and a mother, for example, but be frustrated if she is expected to do an unequal share of childcare and household tasks because of her womanhood. Books like The second shift: Working families and the revolution at home discuss these aspects of gender and labor expectations in detail.
Sometimes, a person doesn’t feel like the gender they were assigned when they were born. They may feel that expectations and traits typically associated with their assigned gender don’t resonate with them. They may feel that traits associated with another gender suit them better, or they may be detached from the whole idea of gender. Though this is not always the case, such individuals may also feel that their bodies don’t match up with how they feel. They may be uncomfortable with the way they are shaped, how they sound, the clothes they wear, or the way people perceive them or label them. In America, these individuals are sometimes called “transgender.” Other cultures may have names for similar ideas. The Western Montana LGBT+ Center has developed a list of resources for transgender Montanans and other curious folks.
Some people may experience gender-related discomfort because of the way they are treated or the way their body looks. The American Psychiatric Association calls this dysphoria. Dysphoria can be extremely painful, but there is relief available. Methods of relieving physical dysphoria include simple, cheaper options like binding the chest flat or tucking genitals. There are also medical options to relieve dysphoria. The most common of these is taking hormones that better match how you feel to become more masculine or feminine. Hormones are often covered under Medicaid, and the Western Montana LGBT+ Center’s Resource Guide has a list of trans-friendly providers. If you’re unsure of providers in your area, give Blue Mountain a call and ask. More expensive options for relieving dysphoria include laser hair removal, facial feminizing surgery, chest reconstruction or augmentation surgeries, and “bottom surgery,” which can correct the appearance of genitalia to better align with a person’s sense of self. These services are also sometimes covered under insurance.
Whether a person is transgender or not, it’s healthy to think about the ways you relate to your gender. What things do you do because of your gender? Do some of them make you happy? Do others bother you?