AMBER MATTICE
Staff Writer
Identification is a complex topic in society today as there are a multitude of sexual identities. However, very rarely does everyone recognize the full range of sexual identification. Intersex and asexuality are two examples of this.
Intersex refers to someone who has characteristics, determined medically, of both a male and a female. Often times, intersex individuals have “ambiguous” genitalia, meaning that they have genitals that appear differently from what their chromosomes identify them as.
Asexuals are people who experience little to no sexual attraction or desire.
“Asexual” is an umbrella term, meaning that “asexuality represents a spectrum of identities [and that] no two people will experience or define their asexuality in exactly the same way,” as described by professor and Program Coordinator of the Women’s and Gender Studies Program, Jeffry Iovannone.
When asked why there is such a stigma around these terms, Dr. Iovannone stated, “because in dominant Western culture, we define gender and sexual identity in binary, either/or terms. Persons who do not fall within the schemas of man/woman or straight/gay are erased, marginalized or regarded as deviant.”
It is crucial to recognize that misinformation and stigmatization can be stopped. Groups on campus, such as the Women’s and Gender Studies Program and the Pride Alliance, are working to decrease the stigma around certain sexual identities and inform people on what they actually mean.
Within these two groups especially, the terms are becoming more normalized, as leaders are making a conscious effort to incorporate knowledge about them into discussions and are using them in general conversations. These terms are not used as widely across campus, says Iovannone, but he believes this is only because we do not have enough information about identities that fall outside of traditional binaries.
Intersex has become more well-known as it is a frequently discussed topic in Women’s and Gender studies. Asexuality has not been made as familiar in the discipline as of yet, nor has it been discussed as much in literature, film, and other forms of pop-culture. Iovannone believes this is beginning to change, however, and soon hopes to see it become a more widely-discussed topic.
The important thing to recognize is that the more knowledge we have about these sexualities, the less stigmatized they will become.
“When we educate and give visibility to marginalized identities and perspectives, we make them real, legitimate and possible, and challenge systems of oppression that privilege certain ways of being in the world over others,” Iovannone stated.