9781422271186

Gender and sexuality are highly individual. No person's experience is going to look exactly like another's.

It wasn’t long ago that we were limited to visual examinations to determine a baby’s sex at birth—one of two boxes had to be checked. In some cases, the choice of a blue or pink ribbon on a hospital bassinet came down to a guess. Now, with access to more genetic information, we are understanding that many people who were presumed to be cisgendered are in fact intersex. Neuroscience is catching up as well, confirming that a person’s brain has as much to do with their gender as their chromosomes do—something trans folk have always known. It is not just possible, but likely, that many ideas commonly held today about gender, sexuality, and relationships will eventually be found to be either simplistic or incorrect. As individuals, we need to explore for ourselves to better understand our identities, what kinds of people we are attracted to, and what sorts of romantic relationships we desire.

Introduction: Gender Identity and Sexual Expression

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