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Path: utzoo!watmath!wateng!jamcmullan
From: jamcmullan@wateng.UUCP (Judy McMullan)
Newsgroups: net.women
Subject: Re: Sunny's comments and opposition to assertive women
Message-ID: <2784@wateng.UUCP>
Date: Thu, 29-Aug-85 18:27:17 EDT
Article-I.D.: wateng.2784
Posted: Thu Aug 29 18:27:17 1985
Date-Received: Fri, 30-Aug-85 11:49:23 EDT
References: <2683@amdcad.UUCP> <1420@uwmacc.UUCP>
Organization: U of Waterloo, Ontario
Lines: 29

>I'm amazed that women out there weren't offended by Sunny's claims
>that she "knows what its like to be a woman." (Anyone ever
>read "Black Like Me"?)
>
>Pumping yourself up with hormones, and assuming the personna of someone
>of the opposite gender does not give you the right to proclaim
>"womanhood." (A little drug alteration never hurt anybody, eh?)
>I have no objection to the concept of a member of one sex, feeling
>uncomfortable with his/her sex, taking "modern" advantages to 
>alter his/her biology to the opposite gender...but that is a
>far cry from being that gender. 

Offended? My goodness no! I love reading what Sunny has to say.
There is a difference between sex and gender. If someone is born with a certain
set of chromosomes THEIR GENDER IDENTITY DOES NOT ALWAYS MATCH. True.
Believe it. Look it up in an introductory psych text.
And, though biology determines one's reproductive ability, gender ("manhood"
and "womanhood" from a psychological viewpoint) has been known to deviate
from biology -- sometimes through early training and sometimes through some
innate predilection.
It seems to me that Sunny has not "assumed the personna of someone of the
opposite gender" but her gender identity is closest to a woman's. ("gender"
is a concept -- not something measurable like chromosomes). So, I think that
combined with the hormones and life of a woman qualify her pretty well to talk
as a woman. I sure agree with a lot more of her views on what women want than I
do with Phyllis Schafly (sp?)!!

   --from the sssstickkky keyboard of JAM
   ...!{ihnp4|clyde|decvax}!watmath!wateng!jamcmullan