Sunday night: WORDS

1. Pansexual. In the past I’ve been told that pansexual means that you aren’t actually very sexually attracted to any genders, but you still date people. People have asked me if being bi-sexual means the same thing as pansexual, and I didn’t know the answer. I’ve also heard people say that pansexual means that you like all genders….so I’m curious about what it actually means!

 2. Androgynous. A few weeks ago I was talking with a friend and I told her that I thought she dressed androgynously, thinking that meant not particularly masculine or feminine, but thought differently. She was offended that I said this because she thought androgynous meant the opposite of your gender, so she interpreted my comment as me saying that she dresses like ‘a guy’.

 3.Boi. I’ve seen this word before, but am not sure of the definition although I think it has to do with being born female, and not identifying as female. I’m curious if it does in fact mean what I said above, it is interchangeable with genderqueer?

I'd like to discuss the use of the word "womyn" as a substitute for "women." I've read that etymologically it's problematic, and I would like to explore that more.

I'd like to talk about reclaimed words and what it means to reclaim a term, like "queer" or "bitch" or "slut."  How does one "reclaim" a term, and what are the parameters inside which you can use these reclaimed words that were once offensive and derogatory but are now used positively by the very people they were meant to subjugate.  I'd like to talk about how people who fall outside of the term are generally not allowed to use the term, and where the line between being offensive and reclaiming the word by taking away its power is?

I would definitely like to talk more about "disentangling gender and sex" as pejordan says. I have striven for a very long time to figure out what the difference between the two terms are exactly.  I know there is a stark difference and I have a vague idea of what that difference is, but everything I've ever read on it and anyone I've ever talked to about it has only given me rough ideas of the disctinction between the two.  There is much debate and conflicting information between all the sources I've consulted on this issue. I'd like it cleared up once and for all - or to be comfortable in an understanding that nothing about this subject is clear and that I'm striving to understand something that is not meant to be fully understood. 

Queer: I didn't hear this term used in a positive light until I came to Bryn Mawr and heard some identify as such. While I now know that it is a common term, I still don't know EXACTLY what it means...

Grrl: I saw this term used in the workbook but I have zero idea what it means...

Androgyny: I THINK I know what this term means, but I would like to know more. It seems as though there is always something more this class can teach me. 

I guess my first question isn't necessarily a specific term, but rather what makes a word a "gender" term? Are there any words that do not belong in this category? In languages such as French (if I'm thinking of the right thing), the language itself is inseparable from 'gender' terms. The way you speak to a person is affected by their gender, which can only be man or woman? I could be wrong, it's been a long time since I've taken a French course, so please correct me if I am wrong.

Specific 'gender' terms..i guess I would like to further discuss "trans" as it relates to both transgender and transexual or just 'trans' on its own. Until coming to Bryn Mawr I honestly didn't even know that trans people existed and it would be great to learn more about the word and its uses and meanings

I would also love to learn more about the relationship between sex, gender, and sexual orientation. I know that, for example, in its most general meaning lesbian refers to a woman who is sexually attracted to a woman. Is this the only meaning? Are there any words that do not connect sex, gender, and sexual orientation? 

Overall, will our use of language allow for us to lose the gender binary. Can gender cease to exist when language is so closely tied to it. If a language like French relies solely on the gender binary in its communication, how to we take gender away? 

1. PoMosexual: According to the Google books preview for Pomosexuals: challenging assumptions about gender and sexuality, "PoMoSexual is the queer erotic reality beyond the boundaries of gender, separatism, and essentialist notions of sexual orientation." Despite what brief definition, I'm still not sure what this means. Can anyone be pomosexual? Is this a commonly used term? (http://books.google.com/books/about/Pomosexuals.html?id=bF3FZ88GaH4C) 

2. Agendered: http://www.lgbt.ucla.edu/documents/LGBTTerminology.pdf defines this as a person who is "internally ungendered." What does it mean to be internally ungendered? Is it a mental state of being? Furthermore, there are various forces imposing gender on us from the second we are born, so how does one even achieve ungenderedness? 

3. Metrosexual: "...heterosexual male with a strong aesthetic sense who spends a great deal of time and money on his appearance and lifestyle.This term can be perceived as derogatory because it reinforces stereotypes that all gay men are fashion-conscious and materialistic." (Again, from http://www.lgbt.ucla.edu/documents/LGBTTerminology.pdf) Is this term still as derogatory today? If it was derogatory because it reinforced sterotypes about gay men being "fashion-conscious and materialistic," is it still derogatory now, when it seems that heterosexual men are increasingly expected to be more image-conscious? Is it acceptable to use in some situations or not at all?

- What's the difference between Pansexual and Bisexual? Does Pan suggest that there are more than two sexes? Or that there are more than 2 genders? Does Pan included MTF or FTM individuals. I feel like if they identify as one or the other that it would still be bisexual. Unless then it includes people who do not identify as either... Just kind of confused.

Also, does one know that they are Pansexual from a young age? Like I know that some people say that "they've always been gay", but do people grow up knowing they are pansexual as well?

- I understand that one can identify as Androgynous (between genders or without gender) and there are people who look Androgynous, but does tossing around the word "androgynous" offensive? For example, I watch America's Next Top Model and Tyra called a girl who has short hair an "androgynous beauty" when she didn't identify as androgynous. Would that offend people who do identify as androgynous? I'm not sure. Maybe I'm over thinking this.

- Does English have more academic words for "top" and "bottom". Japan has "uke" and "seme" and from what I know, those words are reserved spefically for sexual situations. Like you can't say "my cup is uke my desk". Are there academic terms in English for this concept?

Spivak neutral pronouns: e, em, eir, eirs, emself. I think I came across this pronoun set on a tumblr post once. It is of a particular interest to be because I have been thinking for the future, when publishing fiction, or even in my personal life, it might be nice to be referred to as M instead of my first name. It would be pronounced as Em, and I could be referred to as such. It is theoretically gender neutral, though in reality, it isn't. In French, M would be monsieur; I have my father's last name (which is his father's last name...); and I think it is typically assumed that unless there are further qualifiers, a statement like "the person walked down the street" is really "the white man walked down the street." So it might be nice to talk about whether or not gender neutral pronouns are actually gender neutral

Bois (and gyrls). I've heard this word a super lot, around Bryn Mawr, around tumblr, around Philly's queer community, and yet I have still failed to get a definition for it (because there seems to be multiple). It seems to be more about gender presentation than gender identity (not to imply that these are not related). Also it's interesting because I've rarely heard the word "gyrl" (except in My Gender Workbook), though I know a few gay dudes who will consistently refer to other gay dudes as she, girl/(gyrl?), and diva.

Viragoid came up in My Gender Workbook, though the more common word seems to be virago. Wiki discusses it in an interesting way. It seems to come from vir (virile man), and was feminized with the ending -ago. It also seems to jump categories and mean either heroic or an insult.

I would definitely like to know more about the terms "asexual" and "aromantic".  Like epeck wrote before me, I've heard both terms and I think I understand asexuality as a lack of sexual desire, but I have a very strong feeling that I don't fully grasp either term, especially as indentities.  I'm interested in how asexuality and aromanticism fit into the LGBTQ spectrum and the ways in which those who identify with either or both terms experience othering.  For a third term, I'd like to gain a better understanding of the difference (if there is one) between transsexual and transgender.