Question Sunday!

[ceridwen_amyed]

Question One!

I had to fill out an equal opportunities form at work and instead of the usual option to tick male or female, I could choose between male, female, transgender, or other.

... Other? What the hell is other? I mean... doesn't male, female, transgender cover it? Is there another gender type that I could be identifying with?

This question

Comments

[oh__tsarevich]

Re: question one, I am actually more surprised that 'transgendered' is on the list, since being transgendered.. isn't really a gender? When you're a transgendered woman (meaning a woman who was born in a man's body) then your gender isn't 'transgendered', it's woman! As for 'other', I reckon that would be for people who identify as genderqueerAnd yes, sex is physical, gender is socially constructed. Gender, to oversimplify a bit, is basically the collective term for all the (unconscious or not) behavioural/psychological expectations that people will have of you based on which set of genitals you were born with

[ceridwen_amyed]

Hey, that's all really interesting! I guess the question with these forms really is what are they actualy asking you? Your biological sex or which gender you identify with? It would be interesting if you had a form which asked for both your sex AND gender... Oh, thanks for the Wiki link! :)

You're definitely talking to my little shoulder devil here. ;)

My poor nameless baby! It only has two leaves, haha.

Mmmm... I do love cherries a lot. :) But probably my favourite, even though I've only had it once, when I was in Peru, has to be the Cherimoya. It tasted like a candy apple. :)

[ceridwen_amyed]

Sure! I am quite amazed that someone has recognised Adam and Joe, and on that basis alone you are clearly awesome. :D

[evi021]

My aloe vera plant has sprouted a baby! :D What should I call it? Its Mummy/Daddy's name is Zelenka.

Aw, that's so cute! :D
Those kind of plants are very common here in Mexico, they even grow wild. Just for the record, here we call the plant "Sabila". Maybe that could be a good name for the baby... hehe... just a suggestion, of course. ;)

[evi021]

If you are wondering, it is pronounced sAbila, with the accent on the first A. ;)

[ceridwen_amyed]

Sabila! I love it! It's so cute - Zelenka and Sabila. Hee!

I've seen pictures of the kind of aloe vera that grow wild in some laces (can't remember if the photo I saw was specifically Mexico now) and they make my little plants look very teeny indeed!

[evi021]

I just found out that the word Sabila comes actually from arabic roots (arabic: zabira). It makes it even cooler, don't you think?

And for what I can say your plant is a female because only female plants have babies. Male plants are bigger and they grow some kind of yellow or red flowers.

You know what's funny? Here in Mexico people uses to have a sabila plant in a pot near the entrance of their homes. They put a little red ribbon in each leaf of the plant and they think it keeps the bad luck away and keep the home safe and happy. It's really cute to see those plants with their red ribbons. Hehe... I tried to find a photo online but I couldn't so I'll have to take a photo and post it here later. ;)

[theteaqueen]

As I understand it, your sex is biological, i.e. what bits you have, but gender is something different... Is it socially constructed? Or is it something innate within us?

Ah! This takes me back to being a Sociology student! Well, as you know, I work for a council. Councils are generally keen to hire a wide range of employees (from different backgrounds, differing sexualities, genders, etc) due to their 'Equalities and Diversities' system. Our equal opportunities form also has an 'other' option and, as far as I'm aware, I have never come across anyone who falls into that category. We have quite a few transgendered employees in the council but... 'other'? I'm quite stumped by that, to be honest.

My aloe vera plant has sprouted a baby! :D What should I call it?

Since I'm rather lame and unimaginative with names, I'd probably call it Vera. ;)

Pink pepper chocolate sounds bloody awful but a part of me really wants to try it!

[ceridwen_amyed]

I kind of wish I had studied sociology at college... it's such an interesting subject! The 'other' part has really got me thinking, partly because I feel there's a whole world of gender role that I am missing out on!

Hee, it already had two babies which I gave to a friend, naming them Jack and Vera... ;)

I'm leaning towards making some kind of lebkuchen-y type thing with the pink pepper chocolate now, so I can send you some if you like. ;) Have you ever tried chocolate with chilli in it?

[theteaqueen]

I haven't tried chocolate with chilli in it but, while I was at a Medieval Fair this weekend, I did try spicy gingerbread that also contained chilli. It was lovely... even if steam did come out of my ears. ;)