Gender Identity: Who Do You Think You Are?

Jeanette Sherbondy • January 23, 2024


Last fall there was a protest at Washington College against a professor from another university who was scheduled to give a public lecture. He was well-known for his personal negative opinions on LGBTQ+ sexual orientations and gender identities. One of the protesters stated, “My rights are not an opinion! You know how many death threats I get from being trans?”

 

What is “trans” and all those other new words? They seem opaque and even nonsensical, but let’s look at them. We will also need to consider the concept of gender. It hasn’t always been in our vocabulary — not until it became evident that sex and gender were not the same thing.

 

Do you remember when you went through puberty? Was it easy going or did you have to struggle with labels such as “sporty girl” that implied you were not pretty? Did your gym teacher call you a “sissy” when you weren’t anxious to be tackled? Did you rebel against having to dress in a style that you detested and against not being allowed to put on what you wanted to wear? Did it rankle that teachers or parents wouldn’t let you consider a career because girls were destined to be housewives and mothers but not scientists? Or were you shamed for liking to cook because men only grilled food outside, not in the kitchen?

 

These are examples of ways in which our culture has tried to mold adolescents into the kinds of people that males and females should be, based on the ideas associated with their anatomical genitalia that were visible at birth. If those sexual characteristics seem to clash with our stereotypes of what men and women are, young people are scolded, punished, and shamed.

 

We thought that relationship was unchangeable.

 

We have changed some of those ideas, but even today we tend to apply the same criteria. The sonogram that shows a penis says, “It’s a boy!” And blue, not pink, becomes the required color for his clothes. However, in his teenage years, he may be longing to wear pink gowns and feel that he is more a girl than a guy. This is a quandary: Does his sex assigned at birth not fit how he feels who he really is?

 

Gender identity doesn’t always align with the sex that was assigned at birth. Why? One’s hormones may not harmonize. The invisible chromosomes may have variations. And the experiences of living through childhood and puberty may create inner conflicts. In other words, biological sex does not determine gender identity. Many individuals find themselves in between the ideals of simply male or female. These people are “intersex.”

 

Instead of thinking about male and female as opposites that come together to produce children, we discover that there is a wide range of characteristics that influence how people think about themselves. There always have been intersex persons, who are about 1-2% of the human population, about as common (or uncommon) as red hair. Basically, we need to recognize that gender identity can be quite complicated.

 

Based on the way a person understands who he/she really is, it is helpful to introduce the concept of “transgender” — that means the uncoupling of the sex assigned at birth based on the visible genitalia from the whole conglomeration of experiences, hormones, chromosomal variations, and the shape of the reproductive organs. Instead of a simple binary framework, we need to consider using TNG that stands for the “transgender, non-binary, and/or gender expansive” or TGD that stands for “transgender and gender diverse.”

 

The terms individuals use to classify themselves are not cut and dried either. In fact, they vary widely. The best advice is to ask someone how they identify themselves. Some trans people feel that they are just plain men or women like the others, even though they have anatomical features that would indicate otherwise. How do they talk about themselves? Some just say “man” or “woman” and some say “trans woman” or “trans man.” Others may feel basically “non-binary,” neither completely male or female, and some persons define themselves as “non-binary transmasculine” or “non-binary transfeminine.”

 

Our language is expanding to include a more comprehensive understanding of sex and gender.

 

Other societies have found other ways to classify people. Some refer to non-binary persons as being “third gender.” Six different categories of gender are found in the Bible. In the United States, “two-spirit” people may be used to indicate them. Some societies prudently wait until a young person has passed through puberty until they assign them a gender category.

 

The factors that contribute to the formation of a mature gender identity are internal (chromosomes) and external (lived experiences). For transgendered persons it may take longer to come to a feeling of being comfortable with themselves, but when they do, researchers find that “brain sexual differentiation and the development of gender identity have a polygenic basis, involving interactions among multiple genes and polymorphism.”

 

In sum, it’s the brain that needs to find a way to harmonize how a person self-identifies. It’s not the external genitalia at birth that is the answer. Often the brain needs more years to create that comfortable gender identity in persons who are non-binary and trans. There are many factors involved, many genes, chromosomes, anatomical features, hormones, and the whole history of lived experiences.

 

For the well-being of all, we are challenged first to be non-judgmental of individuals who are LGBTQ+. There are many more terms that people use, and the exact meanings of many terms change frequently, so we must be open to informing ourselves, accepting that our culture is in a kind of culture shock. We are still learning. Our goal should be understanding, not condemnation. It’s not a willful choice to upset one’s parents. It’s an internal dilemma that creates incredible discomfort in our society and makes a trans person the target for shunning, abuse, and murder.

 

This is just the briefest of introductions to the topic. A short but comprehensive introduction to gender is Gender is Really Strange by psychiatrist Teddy G. Goetz, MD, MS (2024). Sorted: Growing Up, Coming Out, and Finding My Place (2019) is a transgender memoir by Jackson Bird, who also has podcasts.

 

 

Jeanette E. Sherbondy is a retired anthropology professor from Washington College and has lived here since 1986. In retirement she has been active with the Kent County Historical Society and Sumner Hall, one of the organizers of Legacy Day, and helped get highway /historical markers recognizing Henry Highland Garnet. She published an article on her ethnohistorical research of the free Black village, Morgnec.

 

Common Sense for the Eastern Shore

By Friends of Megan Outten July 29, 2025
Megan Outten, a lifelong Wicomico County resident and former Salisbury City Councilwoman, officially announced her candidacy recently for Wicomico County Council, District 7. At 33, Outten brings the energy of a new generation combined with a proven record of public service and results-driven leadership. “I’m running because Wicomico deserves better,” Outten said. “Too often, our communities are expected to do more with less. We’re facing underfunded schools, limited economic opportunities, and years of neglected infrastructure. I believe Wicomico deserves leadership that listens, plans ahead, and delivers real, measurable results.” A Record of Action and A Vision for the Future On Salisbury’s City Council, Outten earned a reputation for her proactive, hands-on approach — working directly with residents to close infrastructure gaps, support first responders, and ensure everyday voices were heard. Now she’s bringing that same focus to the County Council, with priorities centered on affordability, public safety, and stronger, more resilient communities. Key Priorities for District 7: Fully fund public schools so every child has the opportunity to succeed. Fix aging infrastructure and county services through proactive investment. Keep Wicomico affordable with smarter planning and pathways to homeownership. Support first responders and safer neighborhoods through better tools, training, and prevention. Expand resources for seniors, youth, and underserved communities. Outten’s platform is rooted in real data and shaped by direct community engagement. With Wicomico now the fastest-growing school system on Maryland’s Eastern Shore — and 85% of students relying on extra resources — she points to the county’s lagging investment as a key area for action. “Strong schools lead to strong jobs, thriving industries, and healthier communities,” Outten said. “Our schools and infrastructure are at a tipping point. We need leadership that stops reacting after things break — and starts investing before they do.” A Commitment to Home and Service Born and raised in Wicomico, Megan Outten sees this campaign as a continuation of her lifelong service to her community. Her vision reflects what she’s hearing from neighbors across the county: a demand for fairness, opportunity, and accountability in local government. “Wicomico is my home; it’s where I grew up, built my life, and where I want to raise my family,” Outten said. “Our county is full of potential. We just need leaders who will listen, work hard, and get things done. That’s what I’ve always done, and that’s exactly what I’ll continue to do on the County Council.” Outten will be meeting with residents across District 7 in the months ahead and unveiling more details of her platform. For more information or to get involved, contact info@meganoutten.com
By John Christie July 29, 2025
Way back in 1935, the Supreme Court determined that independent agencies like the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) and the Merit Systems Protection Board (MSPB) do not violate the Constitution’s separation of powers. Humphrey’s Executor v. United States (1935). Congress provided that the CPSC, like the NLRB and MSPB, would operate as an independent agency — a multi-member, bipartisan commission whose members serve staggered terms and could be removed only “for neglect of duty or malfeasance in office but for no other cause.” Rejecting a claim that the removal restriction interferes with the “executive power,” the Humphrey’s Court held that Congress has the authority to “forbid their [members’] removal except for cause” when creating such “quasi-legislative or quasi-judicial” bodies. As a result, these agencies have operated as independent agencies for many decades under many different presidencies. Shortly after assuming office in his second term, Donald Trump began to fire, without cause, the Democratic members of several of these agencies. The lower courts determined to reinstate the discharged members pending the ultimate outcome of the litigation, relying on Humphrey’s , resulting in yet another emergency appeal to the Supreme Court by the administration. In the first such case, a majority of the Court allowed President Trump to discharge the Democratic members of the NLRB and the MSPB while the litigation over the legality of the discharges continued. Trump v. Wilcox (May 22, 2025). The majority claimed that they do not now decide whether Humphrey’s should be overruled because “that question is better left for resolution after full briefing and argument.” However, hinting that these agency members have “considerable” executive power and suggesting that “the Government” faces greater “risk of harm” from an order allowing a removed officer to continue exercising the executive power than a wrongfully removed officer faces from being unable to perform her statutory duty,” the majority gave the President the green light to proceed. Justice Kagan, joined by Justices Sotomayor and Jackson, dissented, asserting that Humphrey’s remains good law until overturned and forecloses both the President’s firings and the Court’s decision to award emergency relief.” Our emergency docket, while fit for some things, should not be used to “overrule or revise existing law.” Moreover, the dissenters contend that the majority’s effort to explain their decision “hardly rises to the occasion.” Maybe by saying that the Commissioners exercise “considerable” executive power, the majority is suggesting that Humphrey’s is no longer good law but if that is what the majority means, then it has foretold a “massive change” in the law and done so on the emergency docket, “with little time, scant briefing, and no argument.” And, the “greater risk of harm” in fact is that Congress provided for these discharged members to serve their full terms, protected from a President’s desire to substitute his political allies. More recently, in the latest shadow docket ruling in the administration’s favor, the same majority of the Court again permitted President Trump to fire, without cause, the Democratic members of another independent agency, this time the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC). Trump v. Boyle (July 23, 2025). The same three justices dissented, once more objecting to the use of the Court’s emergency docket to destroy the independence of an independent agency as established by Congress. The CPSC, like the NLRB and MSPB, was designed to operate as “a classic independent agency.” In Congress’s view, that structure would better enable the CPSC to achieve its mission — ensuring the safety of consumer products, from toys to appliances — than would a single-party agency under the full control of a single President. “By allowing the President to remove Commissioners for no reason other than their party affiliation, the majority has negated Congress’s choice of agency bipartisanship and independence.” The dissenters also assert that the majority’s sole professed basis for the more recent order in Boyle was its prior order in Wilcox . But in their opinion, Wilcox itself was minimally explained. So, the dissenters claim, the majority rejects the design of Congress for a whole class of agencies by “layering nothing on nothing.” “Next time, though, the majority will have two (if still under-reasoned) orders to cite. Truly, this is ‘turtles all the way down.’” Rapanos v. United States (2006). * ***** *In Rapanos , in a footnote to his plurality opinion, former Supreme Court Justice Scalia explained that this allusion is to a classic story told in different forms and attributed to various authors. His favorite version: An Eastern guru affirms that the earth is supported on the back of a tiger. When asked what supports the tiger, he says it stands upon an elephant; and when asked what supports the elephant, he says it is a giant turtle. When asked, finally, what supports the giant turtle, he is briefly taken aback, but quickly replies "Ah, after that it is turtles all the way down." John Christie was for many years a senior partner in a large Washington, D.C. law firm. He specialized in anti-trust litigation and developed a keen interest in the U.S. Supreme Court about which he lectures and writes.
By Shore Progress, Progessive Maryland, Progressive Harford Co July 15, 2025
Marylanders will not forget this vote.
Protest against Trumpcare, 2017
By Jan Plotczyk July 9, 2025
More than 30,000 of our neighbors in Maryland’s first congressional district will lose their health insurance through the Affordable Care Act and Medicaid because of provisions in the GOP’s heartless tax cut and spending bill passed last week.
Farm in Dorchester Co.
By Michael Chameides, Barn Raiser May 21, 2025
Right now, Congress is working on a fast-track bill that would make historic cuts to basic needs programs in order to finance another round of tax breaks for the wealthy and big corporations.
By Catlin Nchako, Center on Budget and Policy Priorities May 21, 2025
The House Agriculture Committee recently voted, along party lines, to advance legislation that would cut as much as $300 million from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. SNAP is the nation’s most important anti-hunger program, helping more than 41 million people in the U.S. pay for food. With potential cuts this large, it helps to know who benefits from this program in Maryland, and who would lose this assistance. The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities compiled data on SNAP beneficiaries by congressional district, cited below, and produced the Maryland state datasheet , shown below. In Maryland, in 2023-24, 1 in 9 people lived in a household with SNAP benefits. In Maryland’s First Congressional District, in 2023-24: Almost 34,000 households used SNAP benefits. Of those households, 43% had at least one senior (over age 60). 29% of SNAP recipients were people of color. 15% were Black, non-Hispanic, higher than 11.8% nationally. 6% were Hispanic (19.4% nationally). There were 24,700 total veterans (ages 18-64). Of those, 2,200 lived in households that used SNAP benefits (9%). The CBPP SNAP datasheet for Maryland is below. See data from all the states and download factsheets here.
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