GRIN/Glossary2

=Glossary 200-Level=

''This is a glossary focussing more on terms you may hear used when talking about experiences with society and oppression. It is a little more advanced than the one before this, which it is recommended you read first.''

The Patriarchy: This is the overarching name for the entire western gender system that dominates North America. Other forms of oppression mentioned here are probably subsets of Patriarchy, White Supremacy, or Ableism. You may sometimes see this specifically referred to as heterocispatriarchy, (cis)patriarchy, or some other configuration of those prefixes and the word patriarchy. Patriarchy is all about men being dominant over women and it's very flexible for how it makes sure that keeps happening and isn't questioned.

White Supremacy: Also known as Racism. The other big overarching system of dominance which permeates through western society, and which deserves its own entire library of articles. Mentioned here because people of various racial backgrounds often experience gender and related oppressions in different ways from each other and it wouldn't be a very good glossary if that wasn't acknowledged.

Ableism: The lesser-known third overarching system of dominance in western society, which permeates everything. This is the system which defines some bodies and needs as normal and others as faulty to have. Ableism also deserves its own entire glossary but is mentioned here because it massively intersects with experiences of Patriarchy. Trans and gender non-conforming bodies are often declared to be broken or abnormal bodies, which can either compound with any disabilities they already have, or indirectly harm them and perpetuate ableism for disabled people. The stresses of facing oppression in life also often causes mental health problems, which are then stigmatized through ableism.

Intersectionality: A word used to represent that nobody only experiences a single identity. In addition to having a gender identity or lackthereof, everyone also has a race, and a body, and an economic background, and an age, and all sorts of other aspects of their lives which comingle and interact with each other and how they impact an individual's life.

The Gender Binary: The part of the Patriarchy which says that there are only two genders and can only be two genders, and enforces that everyone be either one or the other.

The Sex Binary: The part of the Patriarchy which says that that there are only two types of bodies, one which is male and one which is female, which is then used to assign each person to a binary gender. (See Not Your Mom's Trans 101 and Dr. Costello's piecce for more on this)

Cissexism: The part of the Patriarchy which assigns babies to their body-type and gender under the Patriarchal norm. You may also see this referred to as "The cissexist gender/sex binary." Cissexism is the part of Patriarchy which says that all women have vaginas, and all people with vaginas are women; that all men have penises and all people with penises are men. Then, based entirely on genitals, many other aspects of the body are assumed to be certain ways, such as chromosomes, hormone levels, etc.

Dyadism: The part of the Patriarchy which erases people whose bodies cannot be treated as if they fit witin the sex binary by the medical complex, either because of genital variance at birth (see Dr. Costello's article) or less visible variances which become apparent later in life. These people are called intersex and are still assigned male or female at birth in most countries (including the US), and thus can still be cis or trans. People whose bodies are able to be treated as male or female by the medical complex, at least before any medical transition they may have chosen to undergo, are called dyads or dyadic. Intersexuality is a whole extra set of complex experiences which cannot be fully covered here, but Dr. Costello has written a lot of good articles on it.

To Gender (Verb): To Gender is to make someone or something a certain gender. For instance, to look at a stranger and decide to yourself that they are a man or a woman, or "male-bodied" or "female-bodied", based on their appearance. This also comes in the form of "to read (someone) as (a gender)" which often refers to someone being seen as a certain gender by others. Gendering happens in more than just reading strangers, it also is done to objects such as clothing, or done to certain bodyparts such as breasts. For the record, assuming the gender or genitalia of everyone you see is a cissexist practice that you should try to stop if you're in the habit of it.

Heteronormativity: The part of the Patriarchy which creates designated gender roles, appearances, and behaviors for each person based on their assigned or perceived gender. Nearly all traits are gendered, and Heteronormativity says that men and women are diffierent, so a feminine trait cannot be held by a man and vice versa. A big part of heteronormativity is also that men must engage in monogamous coupling with women, in a certain pre-scripted way, and then reproduce with each other (Heteronormativity also assumes cissexism and ableism, so presumably under this structure all the men have penises and produce fertile sperm, and all women have vaginas which lead to wombs with fertile eggs.) Heteronormativity is often used to refer to the idea that heterosexuality is the norm, or when things resemble heterosexual norms.

Trans Masculine/Trans Feminine: Words which refer to trans people based on how they are often read rather than how they necessarily identify. Because gendering happens in a binary way, it is difficult to recognize non-binary genders when talking about how society treats you. Usually, when gendered by strangers under cissexism they will gender you as either male or female, and whatever you're doing that doesn't fit becomes a violation of gender norms which then elicits whatever form of violence is appropriate under Patriarchy. Trans feminine people are AMAB people who are taking on additional femininity in their transition, and trans masculine people are AFAB people who are taking on additional masculinity in their transition. Trans feminine/masculine can be used as terms to describe abstract broad experiences but should be avoided when describing specific people, as it may nonconsensually gender non-binary people who are not comfortable with these terms, and may deny the proper genders of binary trans people (Often, people will avoid calling trans women women in whatever way possible, so to call a trans woman "trans feminine" can be like avoiding properly gendering her as a woman.) These terms are hotly debated as many see them as re-creating the gender binary in a more nuanced way; while others see them as necessary ways to talk about different kinds of experienes intra-communally. This debate is an intra-communal conflict, and it's best if cis people tread very carefully around these terms and avoid participating in discussion of them unless they're very sure they're doing it in a respectful, well-informed, and particularly productive way.

Misogyny: The part of the Patriarchy which directs violence towards women and femininity and enforces the dominance of men and masculinity. It doesn't matter whether women or men were assigned to this role at birth for it to affect them as it permeates all aspects of western culture.

Transphobia: The part of the Patriarchy which directs violence towards those who disagree with their assigned gender, and who violate cissexist gender norms and expectations with their lives and actions.

Transmisogyny: The part of the Patriarchy which especially despises those who transgress masculinity and take on femininity. That is, the combined experience of transphobia and misogyny. Trans women and trans feminine folk are especially despised by the Patriarchy because they, at least in part, reject their assigned masculinity and choose femininity, which completely calls into question the patriarchal idea that masculinity is inherently more valuable than femininity. You might notice that transphobic imagery in media is most often specifically directed at trans women, this would be transmisogyny. A very popular form of transmisogyny is "man in a dress" humor.

Misogynoir: The part of the Patriarchy which espeially despises black women. That is, the combined experience of misogyny and anti-black racism. First used by Moya Bailey here and further elaborated upon here.

Androcentrism: The part of the patriarchy which has more recently evolved in the 20th and 21st centuries to accomodate when people don't fit into their assigned gender roles. It is the abstract notion that masculinity in general, whatever it means, is a good thing that is important, and femininity in general is a bad thing that should be hated or ignored. This often leads to the idea that it's a good thing for women to wear pants intead of skirts because they're becoming more masculine, but that it's a bad thing for men to wear skirts instead of pants because they're beoming more feminine. Of course, this becomes very relevant when these men and women are actually trans people being gendered as men or women nonconsensually, so trans masculine people are praised for becoming more masculine (not necessarily consensually) and trans feminine people experience transmisogyny. This is normally more relevant within specific queer and trans spaces where most people are not following their assigned gender roles. This is not to say that AFAB people are privleged, as their bodies, being assigned and gendered as female, are still punished under patriarchy, but it is the case that trans men and more masculine AFAB non-binary folk will, at least some of the time, receive male privlege and be praised for becoming more masculine, which is seen as a good thing that reinforces the idea that masculinity is more desirable than femininity. Androcentrism also refers to the centering of (focussing positive attention and importance on) masculine-androgynous non-binary folk over more feminine ways of falling outside the gender binary. This is also a very complicated topic which is hotly debated intra-communally, and it's not suggested cis people new to these topics attempt to engage in these discussions unless they're particularly well-informed.

Return to GRIN Main Page