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Study Guide in Gender and Society Module No.5

STUDY GUIDE FOR MODULE NO. ___

5

CHAPTER V: Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity and Expression (SOGIE)

MODULE OVERVIEW

The SOGIE Equality Bill aims to protect people who are continually harmed from a societal
and institutional level. It is about ensuring that people are protected from abuse, dehumanization,
and violence. Seeking an end to abuse is not about special treatment. It is about wanting to be
respected as human beings.

MODULE LEARNING OBJECTIVES

1. Define the meaning of SOGIE.

2. Differentiate the sexual orientation and gender identity and expression.
3. Discuss sexual orientation and gender identity and expression or SOGIE.
4. Explain how SOGIE is a universal human characteristic.

LEARNING CONTENTS

The Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity Expression (SOGIE) Equality Bill, also known as
the Anti-Discrimination Bill (ADB), is a bill that was proposed by the Congress of the Philippines.
It is intended to prevent various economic and public accommodation-related acts of discrimination
against people based on their sexual orientation, gender identity or expression.

SEXUAL ORIENTATION

Describes to whom a person is sexually attracted. Some people are attracted to people of a
particular gender; others are attracted to people of more than one gender. Some are not attracted to
anyone.

1. Asexual - not sexually attracted to anyone and/or no desire to act on attraction to anyone.
Does not necessarily mean sexless. Asexual people sometimes do experience affectional
(romantic) attraction.

2. Bisexual - attracted to people of one’s own gender and people of other gender(s). Two
common misconceptions are that bisexual people are attracted to everyone and anyone, or
that they just haven’t “decided.” Often referred to as “bi.” See also Pansexual/Fluid and
Queer.

3. Gay - generally refers to a man who is attracted to men. Sometimes refers to all people who
are attracted to people of the same sex; sometimes “homosexual” is used for this also,
although this term is seen by many today as a medicalized term that should be retired from
common use.

4. Lesbian - a woman who is attracted to women. Sometimes also or alternately “same-

gender-loving woman” or “woman loving woman.” See also Gay.

5. Pansexual/Fluid - attracted to people regardless of gender. Sometimes also or alternately

“omnisexual” or “polysexual.” See also Bisexual and Queer.

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Study Guide in Gender and Society Module No.5

6. Questioning - one who may be unsure of, reconsidering, or chooses to hold off identifying
their sexual identity or gender expression or identity.

7. Queer - traditionally a derogatory term, yet reclaimed and appropriated by some LGBTQ
individuals as a term of self-identification. It is an umbrella term which embraces a matrix of
sexual preferences, gender expressions, and habits that are not of the heterosexual,
heteronormative, or gender-binary majority. It is not a universally accepted term by all
members of the LGBT community, and it is often considered offensive when used by
heterosexuals.

8. Straight - attracted to people of the “opposite” sex (see below); also sometimes generally
used to refer to people whose sexualities are societally normative. Alternately referred to as
“heterosexual.”

GENDER IDENTITY AND EXPRESSION

The ways in which a person identifies and/or expresses their gender, including self-image,
appearance, and embodiment of gender roles. One’s sex (e.g. male, female, intersex, etc.) is
usually assigned at birth based on one’s physical biology. One’s gender (e.g. male, female,
gender queer, etc.) is one’s internal sense of self and identity. One’s gender expression (e.g.
masculine, feminine, androgynous, etc.) is how one embodies gender attributes, presentations,
roles, and more.

1. Androgyny - The mixing of masculine and feminine gender expression or the lack of gender
identification. The terms androgyne, agender, and neutrois are sometimes used by people
who identify as genderless, non-gendered, beyond or between genders, or some
combination thereof.

2. Cisgender - A gender identity that society considers to “match” the biological sex assigned
at birth. The prefix cis- means “on this side of” or “not across from.” A term used to call
attention to the privilege of people who are not transgender.

3. Crossdresser - Cross-dressing refers to occasionally wearing clothing of the “opposite”

gender, and someone who considers this an integral part of their identity may identify as a
crossdresser (note: the term crossdresser is preferable to transvestite and neither may ever
be used to describe a transsexual person). Cross-dressing is not necessarily tied to erotic
activity or sexual orientation.

4. Genderqueer/Third Gender/Gender Fluid - These terms are used by people who identify
as being between and/or other than male or female. They may feel they are neither, a little
bit of both, or they may simply feel restricted by gender labels.

5. Intersex - A general term used for a variety of genetic, hormonal, or anatomical conditions in
which a person is born with a reproductive or sexual anatomy that doesn’t seem to fit the
typical definitions of female or male. Some intersex individuals identify as transgender or
gender variant; others do not. (Note: hermaphrodite is an obsolete term that is not currently
considered appropriate.)

6. Transgender - First coined to distinguish gender benders with no desire for surgery or
hormones from transsexuals, those who desired to legally and medically change their sex,
more recently transgender and/or trans has become an umbrella term popularly used to
refer to all people who transgress dominant conceptions of gender, or at least all who
identify themselves as doing so. The definition continues to evolve.

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Study Guide in Gender and Society Module No.5

7. Transsexual - The term transsexual has historically been used to refer to individuals who
have medically and legally changed their sex, or who wish to do so. Most transsexual people
feel a conflict between their gender identity and the sex they were assigned at birth. Other
labels used within this group are MtF (male to-female) or trans woman, and FtM (female-to-
male) or trans man.

8. Two-Spirit – A person who identified with the Native American tradition of characterizing
certain members of the community as having the spirit of both the male and female genders.

OTHER COMMONLY USED TERMS

1. Biphobia - Aversion of and/or prejudice toward the idea that people can be attracted to
more than one gender, and/or bisexuals as a group or as individuals, often based on
negative stereotypes of bisexuality and the invisibility of bisexual people.

2. Coming Out – The process of acknowledging one’s sexual orientation and/or gender
identity or expression to oneself or other people.

3. Gender Binary - A system of classifying sex and gender into two distinct and disconnected
forms of masculine and feminine. It can be referred to as a social construct or a social
boundary that discourages people from crossing or mixing gender roles, or from creating
other third (or more) forms of gender expression. It can also represent some of the
prejudices which stigmatize people who identify as intersex and transgender.

4. Heterosexism - The presumption that everyone is straight and/or the belief that
heterosexuality is a superior expression of sexuality. Often includes the use of power of the
majority (heterosexuals) to reinforce this belief and forgetting the privileges of being straight
in our society.

5. Homophobia - Negative attitudes and feelings toward people with non-heterosexual

sexualities; dislike of, or discomfort with, expressions of sexuality that do not conform to
heterosexual norms.

6. Internalized Oppression - In reference to LGBTQ people, internalized oppression is the

belief that straight and non-transgender people are “normal” or better than LGBTQ people,
as well as the often-unconscious belief that negative stereotypes about LGBTQ people are
true.

7. LGBTQ - An acronym for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer. This is currently
one of the most popular ways in U.S. society to refer to all people who are marginalized due
to sexual orientation and/or gender identity, although other letters are often included as well
to represent identities described above.

8. Transphobia - Negative attitudes and feelings toward transgender individuals or discomfort

with people whose gender identity and/or gender exp ression do not conform to traditional
or stereotypic gender roles.

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Study Guide in Gender and Society Module No.5

LEARNING ACTIVITY

CASE ANALYSIS

Write a case analysis on the Jennifer Laude murder case.

https://www.rappler.com/newsbreak/iq/timeline-jennifer-laude-killing-joseph-scott-pemberton-release

SUMMARY

The labels were created to recognize the identity of those who are considered outside the norm of
society. These words and terms were popularized to show those who fell outside the norm that they
are not alone, and that there are others facing the same struggles. While these are usual words
used when discussing LGBT issues, they are in no way stable, fixed, or exclusive. They are
temporary, as the terminologies for sex and sexuality can change depending on the direction of the
LGBT movement.

These scenarios are brought to light because of how trans issues are slowly coming to public
awareness, but the same issues have been faced by women throughout history.

REFERENCES

Rodriguez A., & Rodriguez, A., Gender and Society, C & E Publishing Inc., 2018
https://www.cosmo.ph/lifestyle/sogie-bill-philippines-a613-20190919-lfrm
https://www.chp.edu/-/media/chp/departments-and-services/adolescent-and-young-adult-medicine/
documents/gender-and-sexual-development/basic-definitions-sogie.pdf?la=en

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