The book and class lectures discusses how biological sex, gender, and sexuality can differ from individual to individual. Biological sex is discussed by amount of X & Y chromosomes that a person through genetics. Gender is the acting out or performance of what an individual associates with feminine, masculine, or a mix of the two. It states that gender does not determine sexuality. A man might associate their self with feminine behaviors but might have an attraction to women. Therefore, sexuality is strictly based from eroticism and what an individual particularly desires. The stance has been made that sex does not affect gender, nor does gender and sex affect the orientation a person may have.
Two cultures that stuck out to me the most in this book were the Native American and Indonesian cultures. The Native Americans who live in North America were analyzed. Anthropologists created ethnographies about sex and gender in Native American and Indonesian cultures. There is a gap to be bridged
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Europeans created a term named Berdache, or male prostitute, for men in their culture that were viewed as two spirits. This term conveys that people chosen to be a two spirit are to be honored and not ridiculed. This is only the case, not because of self-desire, but the path they believe the Gods chose for them. They have two forms of the expression of the two spirit in Native American culture. Among the Navaho Indians, the two gender variants were given the name Nadleeh and Alyha. These are two male gender variant roles; the Nadleeh must adopt aspects of women including what they do, skill work, how they dress, coking, what occupations and ceremonies they choose to be in. On the other hand, the Alyha are a male gender variant that imitate the physical appearance of tribal women. In our western society this would be viewed as a drag queen or some have coined the term a man of the