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This past week's discussion was very interesting and controversial.  I enjoyed the information concerning sex differences in the brain, in cognitive abilities, brain differences in sexuality, and sex differences in mental disorders that the group presented.  I think the information is valuable and applicable to many realms, including education, psychology, biology, and medicine.

Our primary topic of discussion: binary vs. spectrum way of viewing gender & sexuality- was very thought-provoking.  Personally, I can understand and believe that sexuality is best characterized on a spectrum rather than by two categories (homosexual vs. heterosexual).  However, I believe that gender is better thought of in a binary fashion.  Despite our lengthy discussion and arguments about why gender should be viewed on a spectrum, I personally believe there are two genders: male and female.  I think most people would identify themselves as one of those two genders and only a small amount of people would identify as neither or as somewhere in between these two genders (if there was a spectrum).  Although female bodies vary greatly in nature and male bodies vary in nature, I believe there is a general layout/ outline that the bodies of each gender follow.  Most of our bodies will fit into the male or female category.  Yes, there are a few exceptions that arise, such as individuals born w/ both male and female body parts, but these are exceptions- and this is not the case for most people.  So, I believe the binary categories of gender (male & female) work for most individuals, and I think even if you gave a spectrum of gender (with male at one end and female at the other end), that most individuals would identify themselves at the ends of the spectrum (either male or female extremes), and not in the middle of the spectrum.  When I talked w/ some friends outside of class about this, they definitely could only really envision gender in two categories- and we talked about how both girly-girls and tomboys both identify themselves as female, even though some may share more similar interests w/ males.  

I know that some people may disagree w/ my binary view of gender- however, I cannot justify a spectrum of gender to myself and I personally believe in using two genders: male and female b/c most people fit into these categories and would identify themselves as one of these categories.  Yes, there are some exceptions, and I acknowledge that- but these are exceptions that are rare in nature, and that I believe do not fit into the binary gender category.  But, for research purposes and medical purposes, I believe using 2 gender categories of male and female can be useful- as described by Alex in her presentation of different ways mental disorders manifest in different psychological disorders and how different treatment for each sex may be beneficial.