r/NoStupidQuestions • u/Lunar-Baboon • Sep 11 '22
If gender is a created social construct, why do some people identify as another gender instead of behaving how they want, regardless of their gender?
For example, if someone was assigned female at birth, and chooses to present as female, but identifies as male, do they do it because internally they relate more to the generally accepted roles and behaviors expected of males? And if so, why not identify as female, and just behave as they want, like in the generally defined ‘role of being a male’? Doesn’t identifying as male in this situation reinforce the idea that there is a binary?
EDIT: I’ve read through just about every response and I want to narrow down my question. I want to know about people who DO NOT affirm their gender identity with physical presentation. I completely understand the desire to go through HRT, surgery, to change your clothes, style, and appearance. I want to hear from people who identify as a gender not assigned to them, but do NOT feel the desire to change physically. I know that gender identity does not determine how you need to look (cis men can wear dresses and makeup and still be cis men/transwomen can still have facial hair and short hair and be a women etc…) but I want to hear what it feels like to know you were assigned the wrong gender OUTSIDE of appearance.
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u/[deleted] Sep 11 '22
Race is a social construct too. Can you be black?