Why study gender and sexuality
At Northwestern they study Gender and Sexuality studies as a course which is ‘broad’ and optional to help members learn more about their identity.
Gender and sexuality definitions
Gender is what you are born as i..e male or female whereas your sexuality is what you identify yourself as which could be lesbian, gay, straight or trans.
Studying Gender and Sexuality not only helps individuals to learn more about the identity of themselves and those around them but to obtain jobs such as, roles in NGOs, charities, and women's organisations.
Many individuals work to volunteer in sectors which deepen their understanding of the issues they face daily.
Studying Sexuality:
It is common for children from different backgrounds to not understand the different sexualities in the world i.e. in Africa being part of the LGBT+ could get you killed and marginalised from society, as well as in certain parts of Asia.
So when children from these households meet people from the LGBTQ+ they may treat them with the negative stereotypes they grew up with.
Children experience ‘development milestones’ their first interaction with toys can be an identification of their sexuality i.e dolls being for girls and blocks being for boys, as well as pink representing a feminine colour whereas blue may be deemed as a colour made for boys.
But who really entails our sexuality?
A range of play experiences for children is vital "When you only funnel one type of skill-building toys to half of the population, it means that half of the population are going to be the ones developing a certain set of skills or developing a certain set of interests," says Christia Brown, a professor of psychology at the University of Kentucky.
Children are also similar to detectives in how they explore themselves and those around them which can be through friends within nursery or playgroups, or even what they identify as straight and gay depending on their upbringing.
As soon as children understand what gender they fit into, they will naturally gravitate towards the categories that have been upon them from birth, such as identifying as a boy and playing with boy toys wearing boy clothes and hanging out with more individuals like themselves.
“From the age of two, girls tend to navigate more to pink” - But what does this mean for the future?
More identity-conscious children mean they are able to treat others how they see themselves with a positive and accepting view rather than being prejudiced towards children who may seem different from them
So what does this mean for our future?
Children understand their identity from young
More LGBTQ+ open discussions within schools
Children understand their gender and break negative stereotypes
Lastly, more educated parents about sexuality and gender.
Knowledge = To teach someone about a topic they have not yet met or understood.
Gender & Sexuality = Your identity whether at birth or what you discover as you grow.
Knowledge of Gender & Sexuality = A world that is not biased and accepting of all kinds of people with knowledge of the correct attitudes and behaviours to carry.