The nature vs. nurture debate has been creating controversy in the world for decades, but really how relevant is it? Within chapter 1 and 3 of her book, Sexing the Body, Anne Fausto-Sterling analyzes this question. Going back in history, nature was the more important of the two. People relied on biology alone to distinguish a person's gender. We have built an ideology in which we must be one of the two sexes, dependent upon whatever your "true sex," or natures intention for you was. But why?

In our world, gender and sexuality are socially constructed. The conceptions with which we associate the nature of gender differences are shaped to secure our social system and polity. We stick to the stereotypes because they are within our comfort zone, and fail to consider those who feel uncomfortable within our societal comfort zone. We cherish normalness and discourage anyone who lives this realm of ours.

While I do agree with the argument that our sex is established from our anatomy, gender is not based off of sex. In my own personal experience, I am not very well educated on this topic, but I am beginning to understand it more. As a straight, cisgendered woman, I have gone through life somewhat oblivious to the reality of this debate. I have not had to experience the struggles of someone who defies our social constructs of gender, which I can imagine are extremely difficult based off of the strictness of what our society does and does not accept psychosexually. Fausto-Sterling talked about the need for people to look both inside and outside our bodies to truly understand gender, as it revolves around connections between both the body and the mind. We accept that all people are different in terms of characteristics and personalities, yet we do not let this correlate with gender.

We hold sex to be the most prominent organizing category, but that is without taking gender into account. I feel that in order to have a society that is structured around equality and respect, we must first accept it to be true that nature does not decide everything. People decide who and what they are, and should not be limited to their sex as the only option.

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