Related questions:
v What is gender treachery according to “Hopkins”?
INTRODUCTION
“...don’t let us down, GIRL!” This expression was used to challenge boys to do their masculine best, as it signifies a failure of masculinity as well as a gendered standard of behaviour and identity. Hence, they did not see themselves as male persons; instead they wanted to be “men”. This represents the root of the fight against Gender Treachery in civil society, and hence the business of this write-up.
WHAT IS GENDER
Gender (unlike sex) represents the social, political, religious, psychological, biological and economic platforms that structurally determine issues of sex and personal identity within the confines of civil society. The dual social construction based on Gender is the patriarchal and the matriarchal system.
GENDER TREACHERY -ACCORDING TO HOPKINS
According to “Patrick .D. Hopkins”, Gender treachery simply refers to, “those acts that violate the rules of gender identity and performance”. Thus, a gender traitor is someone who rejects or appears to reject the criteria by which the genders are differentiated. In simpler words, anyone whom fails to match the societal standards of being either a man or a woman is thus perceived as a “gender traitor”.
THE CONCEPT OF “PERSONAL IDENTITY” IN SOCIETY
Personal identity in society has been heavily gendered. This is because civil society has been structured in such a fixed manner that, for a “man” to qualify as a man, he must possess a certain number of demonstrable characteristics that make it clear that he is not a woman. Likewise, a woman must possess characteristics demonstrating she is not a man. These characteristics are culturally relative and dynamic. However, some are analysed thus;
i. Economic independence
ii. Physical and material competition
iii. Hetero sexual prowess
iv. Certain ways of walking and talking
v. Behavioural autonomy
GENDER TREACHEROUS ACTIVITIES
There are many various threats to gendered identity. Due to the fact that personal identity is heavily determined by gender stratifications, any threat to gender categories is interpreted as a threat to personal identity (what it means to “be”, and especially what it means to be “me”). Some of these traitorous activities are analysed thus;
i. Homosexuality and lesbianism.
ii. Bi-sexuality.
iii. Cross dressing.
iv. Feminist activism/feminism.
i. Homosexuality and Lesbianism
This refers to the act of a person being sexually attracted to people of the same sex. Homosexuals are the men while lesbians are the women.
ii. Bi-Sexuality
This refers to the act of being sexually attracted to members of both sexes.
iii. Cross dressing
This is usually the resulting effect of homosexuality, lesbianism and bi-sexuality. It entails dressing oneself up with the apparel of the opposite sex.
iv. Feminist activism/feminism
This is the most sensible and rational of all gender treacherous activities. Feminism is simply defined as a philosophy which promotes equal status for women (like the men) in all spheres of civil society.
(YOUR PERSONAL ADDITIONAL INFORMATION AND CRITICISMS)
CONCLUSION
Gender treachery is not all that bad or immoral, as can be seen in the light of feminism. However, the most evident of all gender treacherous activities is Homosexuality, which triggers the extreme reaction of Homophobia.
