Essay on sex and gender

The term homosexual refers to a person, who is attracted by members of the same sex or gender. It is the condition of experiencing sexual or romantic attraction to the people of the same sex as well as sense of individual or social identity and a kind of behavior. Besides, homosexuality means that person is included in the community of other people sharing the same behavior. It differs from the transexualism, which can be described as the condition when individual’s biological sex disaccords with his or her identification of gender. Transsexuals feel uncomfortable being members of their sex and want to change to the opposite one. It is a psychological condition. On the other hand, hermaphroditism has biological basis. Hermaphrodites possess reproductive organs of both female and male sexes. Therefore, the main difference between hermaphroditism and other notions is that the first one is defined by genetic disorder. Homosexuality and transexuality are related to personal identification. In one case a person finds attractive others of the same sex. On the contrary, transsexuals find their own sex unattractive and desire to change it.

The movie My Life in Pink depicts the story of a transsexual. Since the early childhood a boy named Ludovic wants to be a girl. But his family does not support him. Initially, his parents treat their son’s wish as a search of identity and do not pay serious attention to this. But it causes lots of problems with neighbors and Ludovic’s father employee. The family starts to oppress Ludovic. At the end of the film the boy is allowed to wear skirts but still it does not mean the complete understanding of his internal conflict by his family.

The behavior of Ludovic is defined by his nurture more than by his nature. Biologically, he is a boy. But his own identification, social and individual, his personal experience dictates him another behavioral type: he sees himself as a girl, he accepts standards, which society associates with female gender, like getting married to a guy etc.

There is no certain solution on how to deal with transgender individuals. But first of all, Ludovic’s parent should have understood him. He is their child and he needs their support and understanding. Ludovic’s mother should not have blamed him for all the difficulties family was experiencing because it is not boy’s fault. It is just his way of living.