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As gender identity is pushing past traditional constraints of “he” and “she”, our society has to expand in kind. Join us for an evening of exploring the role that gender plays in our society. As this event will be touching on potentially sensitive topics there will be a code of conduct for this event. The code implies that you will have to be respectful in your communication ( e.g., respecting other people's perferred names or ponouns), consider equality and diversity ( avoid negative comments, assumptions and stereotyping of people on the basis of their gender identity, gender expression, gen…
What is your sex, what is your gender, and how do you know?
Dr. Sone Erikainen (They/them)
(Lecturer, Sociology Department, University of Aberdeen)
What does it mean to be a woman or a man? How do you know if someone is female or male? These questions might, at first, seem quite silly, and many people would say that the answer, surely, is obvious. Indeed, usually, when a baby is born, we declare that “it’s a girl” or “it’s a boy” based on what is in between the baby’s legs. But this apparently simple question of how we know someone’s sex or gender is actually much more complicated than it might first seem, both biologically and socially.
Victorian Sexual Science and the Gender Binary: The Life and Work of Edinburgh Biologist and Sociologist Patrick Geddes (1854-1932)
Dr. Tanya Cheadle (She/her)
(Lecturer in Gender History)
The gender binary was at its peak in the late-Victorian period. Men were understood to be 'naturally' rational, assertive and active and women 'naturally' intuitive, passive and maternal. This binary was underpinned by scientific research, including the influential work of Edinburgh biologist and sociologist Patrick Geddes. However, Geddes was also a progressive, sponsoring female artists and writing tentatively in support of birth control. This talk explores these contradictions and what they tell us about science, gender and progressive politics in late-Victorian Scotland.
Using Poetry and Plays to Discuss Non-binary Recognition
Dr Harvey Humphrey (They/them)
(ESRC Postdoctoral Fellow)
This talk draws on a play and poetry to think about non-binary legal recognition. What is non-binary as a term? What might legal recognition mean for non-binary people? What’s happening across the UK, Malta and Australia in relation to legal recognition? This talk will use recent research across those countries and a short extract from a play script drawn from that research to consider these questions. A poem will illustrate the recent Scottish context of the (lack of) non-binary recognition in Gender Recognition Act reform.
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