Assigned-Female-at-Birth Trans Masculine and Non-Binary Individuals Differ in Their Body Satisfaction and Desire for Gender Affirming Treatments

Many non-binary individuals physically affirm their gender, but the binary/non-binary component of gender identity is rarely reported, and when it is, assigned-male- and assigned-female-at-birth individuals are often grouped together. We compared the experience of assigned-female-at-birth trans masculine and non-binary individuals via an anonymous online survey and found that patterns of overall body satisfaction and strength of intention to modify the body support the idea that the lower engagement in physical affirmation by non-binary individuals reflects less need to undergo body modifications. Trans masculine and non-binary participants who had had at least one gender affirming treatment (GAT) mostly identified as trans and expressed a similar ranking of GAT preferences. In contrast, non-physically affirmed cohorts differed in strength of intention to modify their body, desired GAT and the proportion who identified as trans, with more than a third of non-physically affirmed non-binary individuals not wanting any GAT and a third wanting GAT without testosterone. Several participants who did not want testosterone used female-based identifiers suggesting that some non-binary individuals use GAT to defeminize rather than masculinize their bodies. Individuals’ orientation to the binary/non-binary and trans/non-trans dimensions of identity appears connected to their strength of motivation to physically affirm and their preferred outcomes but there is ambiguity in the usage of the terms. We need to explore what these terms mean to a given individual if we are to support them as they make decisions about whether and how to modify their body to affirm their gender.

     

What Is Rough Sex,Who Does It,and Who Likes It? Findings from a Probability Sample of U.S. Undergraduate Students

Using data from an undergraduate probability sample, we aimed to: (1) describe the prevalence and demographic characteristics of students who reported having engaged in rough sex with their current partner; (2) assess which sexual behaviors students consider to be rough sex; (3) describe the frequency with which participants report engaging in rough sex as well as their reports of initiating and liking rough sex, in relation to gender and sexual identity; and (4) examine predictors of rough sex frequency. Participants were 4998 students randomly sampled from a large Midwestern university who completed a confidential Internet-based survey (2453 women, 2445 men, 41 gender non-binary, 36 transgender or other gender non-conforming identities). Within these, 1795 individuals who reported a romantic/sexual partner of at least 3 months responded to questions about engaging, liking, and initiating rough sex. The most common behaviors participants considered to be rough sex were choking, hair pulling, and spanking. Transgender and gender non-binary students more often endorsed behaviors as rough sex. Also, rough sex was conceptualized as multidimensional, with one cluster being more consistent with earlier conceptualizations of rough sex (e.g., hair pulling, spanking) and the second cluster including behaviors such as choking, slapping, punching, and making someone have sex. About 80% of those with a current sexual or romantic partner engaged in rough sex with them and most who engaged it liked it. Bisexual women reported greater rough sex frequency and enjoyment (54.1% indicated enjoying it “very much”). Implications for sexuality research and education are discussed.

     

Masculine Voices Predict Well-Being in Female-to-Male Transgender Individuals

Voices convey important social information about an individual’s identity, including gender. This is especially relevant to transgender individuals, who cite voice alteration as a primary goal of the gender alignment process. Although the voice is a primary target of testosterone therapy among female-to-male (FTM) trans people, little research has explored the effects of such changes on their psychological well-being. Here, we investigated how FTMs’ vocal gender related to their well-being. A total of 77 FTMs (M _age = 25.45 years, SD = 6.77) provided voice samples and completed measures of their well-being and psychological health. An independent group of 32 naïve raters (M _age = 22.16 years, SD = 8.21) subsequently rated the voice samples for masculinity. We found that FTMs whose voices sounded more congruent with their experienced gender (i.e., sounded more masculine) reported greater well-being (better life satisfaction, quality of life, and self-esteem; lower levels of anxiety and depression) than FTMs with less gender congruent (i.e., more feminine) voices (β = .48). The convergence between outwardly perceived vocal gender and gender identity brought about through hormone replacement therapy may therefore support greater well-being for FTMs.     

The ‘demented other’ or simply ‘a person’? Extending the philosophical discourse of Naue and Kroll through the situated self

This article presents a critique of an article previously featured in Nursing Philosophy (10: 26-33) by Ursula Naue and Thilo Kroll, who suggested that people living with dementia are assigned a negative status upon receipt of a diagnosis, holding the identity of the 'demented other'. Specifically, in this critique, we suggest that unwitting use of the adjective 'demented' to define a person living with the condition is ill-informed and runs a risk of defining people through negative (self-)attributes, which has a deleterious impact upon that person's social and relational personae. Moreover, use of the locution 'demented' reinforces a divide between the 'demented' (them) and the 'healthy others' (us). Social constructionist theory, malignant positioning and viewing people with dementia as semiotic subjects are the philosophical pillars through which we construct the main arguments of the critique. The article concludes with the voice of one of the authors, a younger person with dementia, asking for language in dementia care to be carefully reconsidered and reframed and for the recognition of the diagnosed person's agency in the conduct of their day-to-day lives.     

Gendered information on sensory, hedonic and familiarity ratings of green tea by female Japanese students

The purpose of the present study was to examine the effects of gendered information (masculine and feminine) on sensory, hedonic, and familiarity ratings by Japanese female undergraduate students. Japanese green tea, Chinese sweet tea, and Chinese bitter tea were used. After listening to gendered information, participants tasted samples and scored them. The results showed that participants scored the samples of Japanese green tea as more aromatic, sweet, pleasant, and familiar when they were subjected to feminine rather than masculine information. Gendered information may influence on sensory, hedonic, and familiarity ratings.     

Effects of Physical Appearance on Masculine Trait Ratings of Boys and Girls with Gender Identity Disorder

University students, masked to group status, rated the physical appearance of boys and girls with gender identity disorder (GID) and same-sexcontrols using traits with stereotypical masculine connotations (for boys: all-boy, handsome, masculine, and rugged; for girls: handsome, masculine, rugged, and tomboyish). Three traits (all-boy, masculine, and rugged) were judged to be significantly less characteristic of the boys with GID as compared to the same-sex controls; for the fourth trait (handsome), the inverse result was obtained. All four traits (handsome, masculine, rugged, and tomboyish) were judged to be significantly more characteristic of the girls with GID as compared to the same-sex normal and/or clinical controls. These results were the inverse of the results obtained in two previous experiments, in which traits with stereotypical feminine connotations were used (Fridell et al., 1996; Zucker et al., 1993). Taken together, the results suggest that boys and girls with GID have a sex-typed physical appearance that distinguishes them from same-sex controls. Possible determinants of these differences are discussed.     

国内外光学类科技期刊论文英文摘要体裁对比分析

【目的】 对比分析国内外光学类权威期刊英文摘要,找出国内作者英文摘要撰写中存在的问题和不足,为其提高摘要的写作质量提供有价值的借鉴。【方法】 随机抽取国内外光学类权威期刊摘要共180篇,对其宏观体裁结构和微观语言特征进行对比分析。【结果】 与国际期刊摘要相比,宏观体裁结构方面,国内期刊英文摘要采用了过多的背景语步和嵌入语步;微观语言特征方面,国内期刊英文摘要超用了被动语态和一般现在时,而第一人称代词和主动句使用明显不足,与国际期刊倡导使用主动句和第一人称代词的新趋势不符。【结论】 国内作者应该及时了解国际期刊的新要求,适当使用第一人称代词和主动语态,尽量减少研究背景的介绍。     

Gender bias in the language of the health questionnaire of the Spanish National Health Survey 2003

To identify possible gender bias in the language of the adults' and children's questionnaires of the Spanish National Health Survey, 2003, its style and language was analyzed for inaccurate generalizations, inequalities due to the use of terms that reflect social stereotypes and hide unequal social roles, and grammatical gender disagreement. Both questionnaires show language bias, mainly lexical, as they use masculine singular nouns to refer to all individuals (for example, carer, employer, worker, doctor, interviewer, interviewee). Gender stereotypes are reinforced by the use of the term "carer", referring to women, and by examples of jobs traditionally done by men. Equally, specific sex denomination for relatives in the same category such as brother/sister is lacking, despite the distinct social roles played by women and men. In conclusion, women are less visible than men in the Spanish National Health Survey, 2003. This study could contribute to the identification and elimination of gender bias in the language of other questionnaires.     

Propping up pharma’s (natural) neoliberal phallic man: pharmaceutical representations of the ideal sexuopharmaceutical user

Abstract

Contemporary social theorists emphasise the cultural quest for authenticity under conditions of increasing artificiality. Within this context, the body is commonly treated as an ‘unfinished’ surface requiring ongoing transformation to fulfil identity obligations. In this paper, we examine one such identity authentication project in the form of marketing of men’s sexuopharmaceuticals. We use online pharmaceutical advertising for four approved sexuopharmaceuticals (Viagra, Cialis, STAXYN and Stendra) to describe the ideal neoliberal consumer. These campaigns underscore the robust role of pharmaceuticals in sexual authentication projects undergirded by neoliberal consumerist and aspirationalist ideals. Penile dependability as a luxury consumerist project reinvigorates traditional sexual (masculine) authentication as yoked to phallic control, by repackaging sexual enhancement medication use as a neoliberal beacon of aspirational achievements. The ideal targeted user is increasingly younger, and consumption of sexuopharmaceuticals is represented as achieving elite status and exclusive pleasures; masculine authenticity and choice; progressive relationships and a contemporary urban, fast-paced life; and a prepared yet spontaneous romantic sexuality. Women are also increasingly used in promotional materials directed at men; their responsibility centres on coaching and coaxing potential users.     

Exploring the relationship between gender identity and sexual functioning

This study examined the hypotheses that individuals who are sexually functional and/or highly satisfied with their sexual relations exhibit an androgynous gender identity as well as high levels of congruence among their gender identity, sex-role expectations, and sex-role performance. Conversely, it was hypothesized that sexually dysfunctional and/or dissatisfied people display a polarized gender identity and low levels of congruence among their gender identity, sex-role expectations, and sex-role performance. A total of 61 married or intimate heterosexual couples served as subjects. Each subject completed a Bem Sex-Role Inventory three times, the instructions differing each time in order to provide measures of gender identity, sex-role expectations, and sex-role performance. Subjects also completed specially designed questionnaires which gauged their sexual functioning and sexual satisfaction. The results did not support the hypotheses. Instead, the evidence suggested that sexual functioning and satisfaction for both men and women are associated with the perception that the actor possesses significantly more masculine traits than the typical same-sex person, whereas dysfunctioning and lower levels of satisfaction are associated with the perception that the actor exhibits more feminine traits than the typical member of one's sex group. The implications of these findings are discussed.     

Gendered communication among young people in Mexico: implications for sexual health interventions

Effective communication between partners is crucial for good sexual health, but is often difficult to achieve. This qualitative study shows how gendered communication can act as an important barrier to successful dialogue between men and women. Both content and manner of speaking are often gendered: not only can topics of conversation be socially defined as more or less appropriate for a speaker according to his or her sex, but men and women can also differ systematically in terms of the phrases and words they use. This may lead to a lack of the common forms of expression that are needed for effective communication. The study examines communication about sexuality among young men and women in low-income areas of Mexico City. The relationship between gender stereotypes of sexual behaviour and the gendered nature of communication strategies is explored. The negative consequences of gendered communication for effective dialogue between men and women are illustrated. Interventions that can enhance communication between men and women would be expected to have a positive impact on sexual health. This paper argues that research and interventions intended to improve sexual health may instead inadvertently reinforce communication barriers not only by failing to address the social pressures that exacerbate gendered communication, but also more insidiously, by using language that actively contributes to these pressures. An example of an intervention that avoids this problem is the Mexican programme "Gente Joven" ("Young People").     

Mediated action and sexual risk: searching for "culture" in discourses of homosexuality and AIDS prevention in China

This paper examines the relationship of culture to HIV prevention in China. Culture was defined in this text as the interaction between human beings and various cultural tools; it encodes different meanings, ideologies, and social practices. Among the most pervasive tool people use when constructing their response to AIDS is the notion of culture itself and the system of inclusion and exclusion it provides. Cultural identity can both empower individuals to build strong communities and, at the same time blind them to potential dangers. By locating homosexuality outside of cultural norms of identity and interaction and using global or Western labels and discourses legitimate the notion of homosexual identity, but not in other ways, limits readers' participation in Chinese culture. There is a need to further explore the effect of culture on HIV/AIDS prevention; it must take into account what culture means. For culture is not a solid, concrete thing that people possess or live inside, but rather it is dynamic phenomena which is continually being constructed as individuals mix and adapt various and competing discourses in response to specific situations.     

Men, masculine identities, and health care utilisation

Seeking medical help early is critical for recovery, yet evidence indicates that men do not utilise general practitioner services as often as women. This paper draws on Connell's (1995 ) theory of hegemonic masculinity to critically examine how men's under-utilisation of medical services may be influenced by the social construction of masculine identities. Interviews with seven older rural men about their help-seeking behaviour, used a movie extract and hypothetical scenarios to stimulate discussion. Transcribed data were analysed using discourse analysis, which showed that in this particular social context, the men faced a dilemma when identifying with two conflicting subject positions: the virtuous regular health care user, and the masculine infrequent user of health care services. They solved this dilemma by positioning women as frequent and trivial users of health care and themselves as legitimate users of health care. By using biomedical and morality discourses in this way the men could maintain a masculine identity whilst also identifying as virtuous users of health care services. These results support the utility of hegemonic masculinity as a theoretical basis for examining the construction and maintenance of gendered identities by highlighting the complexity of multiple masculine identities.     

Who are tomboys and why should we study them?

Tomboys are girls who behave like boys and, as such, challenge some theories of sex-typing. We recruited tomboys (N = 60) ages 4–9 through the media and compared them with their sisters (N = 15) and brothers (N = 20) on measures of playmate preference, sex-typed activities and interests, and gender identity. On nearly all measures, tomboys were substantially and significantly more masculine than their sisters, but they were generally less masculine than their brothers. We outline some scientific benefits of studying tomboys and describe some goals and initial findings of the Tomboy Project.     

Gendered Peer Involvement in Girls with Congenital Adrenal Hyperplasia: Effects of Prenatal Androgens,Gendered Activities,and Gender Cognitions

A key question in understanding gender development concerns the origins of sex segregation. Children’s tendencies to interact with same-sex others have been hypothesized to result from gender identity and cognitions, behavioral compatibility, and personal characteristics. We examined whether prenatal androgen exposure was related to time spent with boys and girls, and how that gendered peer involvement was related to sex-typed activities and gender identity and cognitions. We studied 54 girls with congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH) aged 10–13 years varying in degree of prenatal androgen exposure: 40 girls with classical CAH (C-CAH) exposed to high prenatal androgens and 14 girls with non-classical CAH (NC-CAH) exposed to low, female-typical, prenatal androgens. Home interviews and questionnaires provided assessments of gendered activity interests and participation, gender identity, and gender cognitions. Daily phone calls over 7 days assessed time spent in gendered activities and with peers. Girls with both C-CAH and NC-CAH interacted more with girls than with boys, with no significant group differences. The groups did not differ significantly in gender identity or gender cognitions, but girls with C-CAH spent more time in male-typed activities and less time in female-typed activities than did girls with NC-CAH. Time spent with girls reflected direct effects of gender identity/cognitions and gender-typed activities, and an indirect effect of prenatal androgens (CAH type) through gender-typed activities. Our results extend findings that prenatal androgens differentially affect gendered characteristics and that gendered peer interactions reflect combined effects of behavioral compatibility and feelings and cognitions about gender. The study also shows the value of natural experiments for testing hypotheses about gender development.     

‘But I'm not like that’: young men's navigation of normative masculinities in a marginalised urban community in Paraguay

Young men often define themselves and their masculine identity through romantic and sexual relationships, and their resulting sexual decisions can affect their successful transition into adulthood, as well as STI, HIV and pregnancy rates. This paper looks at how young Paraguayan men's peer groups, family and masculine identity formation influence their behaviours in sexual and romantic relationships. In Asunción, Paraguay, we conducted five focus-group discussions (FGDs) examining neighbourhood norms in 2010, with male peer groups ranging in age from 14 to 19 years. We then interviewed half the members from each peer group to examine their relationships with friends, family and young women and their beliefs about existing gender norms. Young men described two types of masculine norms, ‘partner/provider’ and macho, and two types of romantic relationships, ‘casual’ and ‘formal’. The language used to describe each spectrum of behaviours was often concordant and highlights the connection between masculine norms and romantic relationships. The perceived norms for the neighbourhood were more macho than the young men's reported behaviours. Norms cannot change unless young men speak out about their non-normative behaviours. This provides evidence for more research on the formation, meaning and transformation of male gender norms.     

Passive smoking and its impact on employers and employees in Hong Kong

Aims: To estimate the prevalence of passive smoking at work in the whole workforce in Hong Kong (population 6.8 million), the characteristics of the passive smokers, any extra use of health care among passive smokers, and who pays for that health care.

Methods: A random sample of 14 325 households was contacted by telephone; 6186 responding adults who worked full time were asked about their employment, their most recent use of health care and the cost of that care, their medical benefits, and their exposure to secondhand smoke in the workplace. After weighting the sample for sex, age, household size, and income, 4739 subjects were included in the analysis.

Results: Of 1961 full time workers who did not smoke, 47.5% were exposed to secondhand smoke in the workplace compared with only 26% exposed at home. Exposure at work was associated with being younger, male, married, less educated, and having a lower income. Those exposed at work were 37% more likely to report having visited a doctor for a respiratory illness in the previous 14 days. Employers were paying 28% of the cost of these visits, the government paid 8%, and the individuals paid 63%. If extrapolated to the 3 million workers in the Hong Kong population, employers would pay just over US$9 million per year, while the affected workers would pay around US$20 million.

Conclusion: As well as the costs of active smoking, the cost of extra health care utilisation associated with passive smoking is an additional cost being paid by those employers who have not established smoke free workplaces and by their employees.

     

“I luv u :)!”: A Descriptive Study of the Media Use of Individuals in Romantic Relationships

In this study, we address the communication technologies individuals within romantic relationships are using to communicate with one another, the frequency of use, and the association between the use of these technologies and couple's positive and negative communication. Participants consisted of individuals involved in a serious, committed, heterosexual relationship. The Relationship Evaluation Questionnaire instrument was used to assess a variety of relationship variables. The majority of individuals within the study frequently used cell phones and text messaging to communicate with their partner, with “expressing affection” being the most common reason for contact. Younger individuals reported using all forms of media (except for e‐mail) more frequently than older participants. Relationship satisfaction did not predict specific use of media but predicted several reasons for media use. Additional analyses revealed that text messaging had the strongest association with individuals' positive and negative communication within their relationships. Specifically, text messaging to express affection, broach potentially confrontational subjects, and to hurt partners were associated with individuals' view of positive and negative communication within their relationship. Implications of the results are discussed.