Normally I'm not one to nitpick about English usage, but...
Men and Women are different sexes, not genders.
Gender has been appropriated to replace the word sex on many official
forms because because sex also may be used as a verb, and therefore makes
some people feel uncomfortable. This is unfortunate. Gender has a specific
anthropological meaning - it refers to the roles that the sexes take on in
a given society.
The word gender instrinsically challenges the notion that boys and girls
must act a certain way. The implication is that masculine and feminine
behaviors are are social constructs and to certain extent, arbitrary.
Anyway, you can see why a countertenor like myself would want to defend
the proper usage of such a loaded word...
Next time you see "gender" on a questionnaire, please cross out
Male/Female and instead scribble "butch" or "femme". ;-)
Love,
Tako
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