Back to One?

Back to One?

Though there were many interesting aspects in Plato’s “Symposium”, perhaps the most interesting discussion was the subject of sex brought up by Aristophanes. Plato notes; “First of all, the races of human beings were three, not two as now, male and female; for there was also a third race that shared in both, a race whose name still remains, though it itself has vanished.” Though the story tells of human who possessed both male and female genitalia, these people also seem to possess both characteristics we commonly deem as male and female. Although we no longer see people with the physical characteristics noted, have these androgynous characters really disappeared?

Aristophanes assertion that we no longer have people who are both male and female no longer seems to hold true. Though one could assert that intersexed individuals are an example of those with both male and female sex organs, I’m inclined to think more of gender identity than sex. There is certainly growing segments of the population that identify as neither exclusively male nor female. Three specific groups come to mind when thinking of people who journey between gendered boundaries.

Perhaps the most commonly identified of those who do not fit the gender binary are transgender individuals. Feeling that the body they were assigned does not match their true gender, these people often choose to live life in their “true” gender. For some “true” gender may mean going through re-assignment surgery, while others simply choose to live their life in gender without undergoing surgery. Transgender individuals must frequently go between the male and female world; changing genders is not as simply as it appears. Obtaining driver’s licenses, finding employment, traveling and procuring medical care are all instances where the transgender individual must go between the realms of their assigned sex and their true sex.

Crossdressers are another excellent example of those who frequently cross the borders of gender identity. Unlike trans individuals, CD’s chose to emulate gender for one reason or another; Drag queens/kings do so for performance value, fetish CD’s do so for sexual gratification and, throughout history, women have often chose to take on a male identity in order to access areas or situations that were inaccessible because of their gender. The crossing from one gender to another must be very different for the CD; s/he does is changing gender out of some sort of desire, while the transgender individual is simply doing so to be him/herself.

The final group, the one I find most compelling, are those of a sort of amorphous identity. A growing number of people seem to no longer fit the gender/sex norm whatsoever. These people may look transgender, yet still strongly identify as their pre-determined sex. Unlike the butch/femme look which queer individuals are labeled by their mannerisms, gender amorphous people are somewhat different because they simply chose to rebuff the expectations of what male and female is. Some biological women may chose double mastectomies and men may wear makeup and dresses, yet they still strongly identify with their biological sex. It’s a very fascinating and liberating idea, yet it is not explored very often in the mainstream media.
When Aristophanes talks about the destruction of this dual-sexed human he notes: “Now, they were awesome in their strength and robustness”. People who transcend gender, as we know it, a contemporary version of this mythical human, are awesome in strength; they have to be. Though Aristophanes tale ends with the separation of these dual sexed beings, they seem to have been reborn.