Activity #5

Activity 5
Kate Bornstein wrote “My Gender Workbook.” She discusses and analyzes the concept of gender and what gender really is. Kate understands gender and discusses it as being a pyramid kind of like the food pyramid, with the things on top (or the gender on top) being the least important and only being needed in moderation. She describes this gender as being a white, heterosexual, well-educated, wealthy, attractive, male, with power. (shorter list)
After taking the Gender Aptitude test I was little surprised by the results. I have always thought of there being two distinct genders. After reading Kate’s Gender Workbook, I realized that many other people do not see it that way. The test made me realize this. I believe that this test was made to do exactly that, to make people aware that gender is not something distinct and black and white, but there is some grey. I believe it can help us understand more of who we really are, and more aware of the other people around us. In the section of “Who’s on Top” where it talks about gender being pure and simple if you are pure and simple explains that gender can be very simple only if you know who you are and you are pure with your identity and know who you are and are comfortable with it. Kate says, “Pure identities are valuable things,” and I believe this is the most eye opening quote in the whole writing.