The Idea That Lesbians Are Not Considered Women As Presented By Hale - Essay Example

The Idea That Lesbians Are Not Considered Women As Presented By Hale Hale, in the essay “lesbians are not women” presented a number of arguments why lesbians are not women. Citing Monique Witting’s study, he presents a number of reasons why lesbians are not women (Hale 47). Various claims as highlighted in the essay try to prove that lesbians in reality are not women. One of these reasons is that lesbians are not real women, as to be real, argues hale, one has to have the characteristics of a woman (Hale 47). He argues that many people agree that heterosexuals are in fact not real women. To be a woman, one has to have the female gender, and thus, referring to lesbians as being non-women means that they are bad people and this implies that they are incompatible with being a woman (Hale 47). The second argument that Hale raises in support of his argument that lesbians are not women is the interconnection between sex, heterosexuality as political regime as well as the concepts of being woman and man (Hale 47). The paradigm of the very definition of being a woman, argues Hale, is the difference between the two sexes, which are either male or female, but nothing in the middle. Lesbians qualify neither as men, nor as women. One has to be either a woman or a man, and this qualifies them for marriage (Hale 48). However, women do not qualify for such an institution, and thus, lesbians are not women. Further, if the concept of heterosexuality is removed from the picture, it would be wrong to say that women make love top fellow women. This cannot happen in such relationships, as such, the heterosexual concept comes about in support of lesbian relationships (Hale 48). Hale draws a number of conclusions from the arguments rose. That the category of sex presupposes of there being an existence of a discourse in which sex is binary, then, man and woman are exhaustive, yet, man and woman are opposite but complementing. Additionally, he holds that in the discourse of heterosexuality, the categorization of sex subsumes, conforming to the reality. He also believes that being a woman, it means having a binary relation with a man. This is the main reason why Fansto (125) held that men and women are different from each other. However, this is not true in a lesbian case, as there is no binary relationship between a man and a woman in a lesbian relationship (Hale 48). The fact that there is no particular relationship between a lesbian and a man, then, making the conclusion that no lesbian is a woman is true. Some of the other arguments hold that marriage defines being a woman. Opponents of these arguments, in response, pose the question, whether catholic nuns in such cases are not women. In essence, the author, articulating sex and gender could be either right or wrong (Hale 48). Gender, being a highly complex aspect of morally accountable cultural practices, successfully classifies men and women in accordance to their cultural construct (Hale 48). There are only two genders in the world; one can either be male or female, and nothing more. One cannot transfer from one gender to another, except in ceremonial times. Other researchers protest such changes, as (Fansto 126) holds that we should let people grow the way they were born. Therefore, one of the women in the relationship acting as a man in a relationship does not simply make them male. Thus, nobody choses or decides on the particular gender they fall into. These are arguments used by Hale in arguing that lesbians are not women; if they truly are women, then they should conform to the doctrines of being woman. The Concept of the Thirteen Characteristics Not only did Hale argue that the reasons why lesbians are not woman, he also defined the characterizing features of a woman. According to him, the characterizing features of a woman fall into different clusters of groups. Sex characteristics cluster This cluster holds the largest number of people, who define gender with reference to sexuality. The following are the defining characteristics of a woman as postulated by Hale. 1. Absence of a penis Despite the fact that the presence of a vagina significantly defines a woman, the absence of a penis is the paramount feature. At birth, the doctor does the typical assignment of gender to a child by simply looking between the legs of the infant and examining the genital features. In case he sees tissues that seemingly appear to develop into a penis within the normal range, he announces that it is a buy. However, absence of tissues announces it is a girl. Penises hold a bigger weight than vaginas in the definition of a person’s gender (Hale 52). 2. Presence of breasts From the absence of a penis when the body is unclothed, the most heavily weighted characteristic defining a woman is the presence of protruding breasts. According to previous studies, the presence or absence of breasts plays a big role in the production and maintenance of gender identity in transsexuals and non-transsexual females who undergo mastectomy for breast cancer treatment (Hale 53). In most cases, women who have had their breasts removed in the treatment for breast cancer significantly undermine their perceptions of themselves being women. In the very much sense, women attribute too much weight and importance to their breasts as their defining characteristic of woman. Even Fansto (125) strongly stands against the genital transplant of infants in order to change their gender. 3. Presence of reproductive organs Reproductive organs such as uterus, ovaries, and fallopian tubes allow pregnancy to take place once a woman involves ion sexual intercourse with a fertile man. These features characterize a woman, as she can conceive a child and give birth (Hale 53). 4. Presence of estrogen and progesterone Another of the defining features of a woman is presence of estrogen and progesterone, which balances with the androgen for females of one age group and whose characteristics are highly related (Hale 53). 5. Presence of XX and the absence of Y chromosome 6. Having gender identity as a woman This characteristic seeks to answer the question; do you feel yourself to be a woman? This characteristic however does not rely on the dominant culture just as others do. Traditional gender roles cluster 7. Having an occupation traditionally referred to as female in the society qualifies an individual the title of a woman. 8. Engaging in leisure activities is considered a female activity of women, and thus qualifies one as a woman. Activities such as hobbies, club membership, and looser social affiliations among others Hale (54), define the characterizing features of a woman. 9. At one point in a person’s life, engaging in a sexual ort affection relationship with a man, who is recognized as heterosexual, makes one a woman. Such a man has a life history of consistency in the placement as a man and his self-identity does not identify him as gay (Hale 54). Cluster- Gender attribution by measures other than those falling in the first cluster, which includes genitals, breasts, reproductive organs, hormones, and chromosomes 10. Achieving and maintaining a physical gender self-presentation of those whom a person associates with is also another qualification of a person becoming a woman. The various elements defining a woman in this case include, attire, jewellery, cosmetics, hairstyle, distribution, density, and texture of facial and body hair, among others, all of which physically define a woman (Hale 54). 11. Behaving in such a manner that work together to produce the gender assignment of the term, women, with regard to the people one associates with making gender assignment. These behavioural cues defining a woman include movements, posture, facial expressions, and manners, among others (Hale 54). 12. By giving textual cues that work together identifies one as a "woman", points out Hale (55). "Natural attitude" toward gender cluster 13. Having a history consistent with the gender assignment "woman", which must provide an unbroken line of descent from female infancy through girlhood to womanhood? (Hale 55). Hale’s family Resemblance defining the category of a woman According to Hale, a male and a female person who are sexually active define a family. In essence, the two people involved in a family should be of different gender (Hale 54). Further, he argues that a woman has genitals that lead to pregnancy in case a woman gets into sexual intercourse with fertile male. This is one of the reasons why in most families, there are children. Therefore, the absence of a penis and different chromosomes from the male partner defines a family, which is a union of two people of different gender. There are traditional roles assigned to a woman by the society, as Hale argues (54). In a family, the woman conforms to these roles automatically, favoring a union between a man and a woman as a family, with the presence of a child. Women, whether married or not, show mannerisms and behaviorisms that show that they are women in their own regard. Therefore, according to Hale’s cluster, a family is a union between a male and a female person. Works Cited Fansto, Anne, S. Should there be only two sexes? Hale, Jacob. Are Lesbians Women? 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