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  • Men and women throughout history would beg to differ, however we're lucky enough to live in an age where we're generally free to be and do whatever we want.

    I am by no means defined by my biology, no more so than I am my ethnicity or my sexual orientation. The fact that society may choose to do so isn't my problem.

    Masculinity? Femininity? These are both social constructs - characteristics we define as 'male' or 'female' when at the most basic level, they're simply characteristics, and are not exclusive to either sex.

    It may oversimplify things somewhat, but we are simply people, who have a myriad of behaviours and characteristics that define who we are - none of which are dependent on gender, ethnicity, disability, sexual orientation or otherwise. The sooner society learns that, the better.

    They are social constructs only in that they are names society has given to traits which are more or less split down gender lines. Not exclusively, I agree, but mostly.
    The rest is a nature / nurture debate and needs biologists and physchologists, rather than me. I don't see anything wrong with admitting our differences and celebrating them.

    Nature has seen fit to make me male short, white, ginger, prone to being overweight, allergic or intolerant to all sort sorts of foods that would make me less prone to being overweight, and while fairly intelligent and creative, also fairly dyspraxic and dysgraphic. It's also made me heterosexual, able-bodied and largely healthy.
    You bet your boots that who I am, what I do and how I think and act have a hell of a lot to do with all that. If any one of those things I consider an accident of birth was different I think I would be a completely different person.

    Nonetheless I wholeheartedly agree that none of the above gives anyone the right to define me. I am very much an individual. I merely accept that the type of individual I am can be ascribed to my genetics, and some of my individual qualities can also be recognised in other individuals who share some of my genetic predelictions.

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