Gender-blind
Encyclopedia
Gender-blind is a term describing activities undertaken and services provided without regard to the gender
of those who participate.
meaning "one sex".
A more appropriate term would be bisex (which would mean two sexes). It should not be confused with bisexuality
.
Gender-blind however goes against most tenets of heteronormativity
by not looking at gender at all.
organization intended to educate college
students, administrators, and others throughout the United States
. The NSGC advocates for the implementation of gender-inclusive dorm
room and bathroom
options.
and Canada
. Manitoba's Health Minister, Theresa Oswald
, has campaigned actively against such rooms after receiving complaints from a Winnipeg patient, Ollie Ingram. Oswald said if humanity can "put somebody on the moon," it can find a way to honor gender requests without leading to delays for patients. At the same time, some medical ethicists have been critical of efforts to return to single-sex rooms. Jacob Appel
, an advocate for mixed rooms in the United States
, has written that opposition to gender-mixed rooms stems from "old-fashioned prejudice" and argues that: "Because some people have been brought up to fear or dislike sharing a room with a person of the opposite sex, or blush at the prospect of catching a glimpse of an unwelcome body part when a robe slips open, we enshrine and perpetuate this prejudice in social policy. Great Britain has agreed to phase out such rooms by 2010.
Gender
Gender is a range of characteristics used to distinguish between males and females, particularly in the cases of men and women and the masculine and feminine attributes assigned to them. Depending on the context, the discriminating characteristics vary from sex to social role to gender identity...
of those who participate.
Choice of words
Unisex is an older term, and a misnomerMisnomer
A misnomer is a term which suggests an interpretation that is known to be untrue. Such incorrect terms sometimes derive their names because of the form, action, or origin of the subject becoming named popularly or widely referenced—long before their true natures were known.- Sources of misnomers...
meaning "one sex".
A more appropriate term would be bisex (which would mean two sexes). It should not be confused with bisexuality
Bisexuality
Bisexuality is sexual behavior or an orientation involving physical or romantic attraction to both males and females, especially with regard to men and women. It is one of the three main classifications of sexual orientation, along with a heterosexual and a homosexual orientation, all a part of the...
.
Gender-blind however goes against most tenets of heteronormativity
Heteronormativity
Heteronormativity is a term invented in 1991 to describe any of a set of lifestyle norms that hold that people fall into distinct and complementary genders with natural roles in life. It also holds that heterosexuality is the normal sexual orientation, and states that sexual and marital relations...
by not looking at gender at all.
The National Student Genderblind Campaign
In 2006 the National Student Genderblind Campaign was created as a collaborative grassrootsGrassroots
A grassroots movement is one driven by the politics of a community. The term implies that the creation of the movement and the group supporting it are natural and spontaneous, highlighting the differences between this and a movement that is orchestrated by traditional power structures...
organization intended to educate college
College
A college is an educational institution or a constituent part of an educational institution. Usage varies in English-speaking nations...
students, administrators, and others throughout the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The NSGC advocates for the implementation of gender-inclusive dorm
Dormitory
A dormitory, often shortened to dorm, in the United States is a residence hall consisting of sleeping quarters or entire buildings primarily providing sleeping and residential quarters for large numbers of people, often boarding school, college or university students...
room and bathroom
Washroom
A public toilet is a room or small building containing one or more toilets and possibly also urinals which is available for use by the general public, or in a broader meaning of "public", by customers of other...
options.
Mixed-gender hospital rooms
The use of mixed-gender hospital rooms has proved controversial in both Great BritainGreat Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
and Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. Manitoba's Health Minister, Theresa Oswald
Theresa Oswald
Theresa Oswald is a politician in Manitoba, Canada. She is a New Democratic Party member of the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba.Oswald was born and raised in St. Vital, Manitoba, and was a teacher and school administrator for fifteen years before entering politics. She initially taught English,...
, has campaigned actively against such rooms after receiving complaints from a Winnipeg patient, Ollie Ingram. Oswald said if humanity can "put somebody on the moon," it can find a way to honor gender requests without leading to delays for patients. At the same time, some medical ethicists have been critical of efforts to return to single-sex rooms. Jacob Appel
Jacob M. Appel
Jacob M. Appel is an American author, bioethicist and social critic. He is best known for his short stories, his work as a playwright, and his writing in the fields of reproductive ethics, organ donation, neuroethics and euthanasia....
, an advocate for mixed rooms in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, has written that opposition to gender-mixed rooms stems from "old-fashioned prejudice" and argues that: "Because some people have been brought up to fear or dislike sharing a room with a person of the opposite sex, or blush at the prospect of catching a glimpse of an unwelcome body part when a robe slips open, we enshrine and perpetuate this prejudice in social policy. Great Britain has agreed to phase out such rooms by 2010.
See also
- Color blindness (race)
- Non-sexist language
- Equal opportunityEqual opportunityEqual opportunity, or equality of opportunity, is a controversial political concept; and an important informal decision-making standard without a precise definition involving fair choices within the public sphere...
- Third genderThird genderThe terms third gender and third sex describe individuals who are categorized as neither man nor woman, as well as the social category present in those societies who recognize three or more genders...
- GenderqueerGenderqueerGenderqueer is a catch-all term for gender identities other than man and woman, thus outside of the gender binary and heteronormativity...
- UnisexUnisexUnisex stands for the meaning that either gender or sex will be able to, but can also be another term for gender-blindness.The term was coined in the 1962 and was used fairly informally...
- All-women shortlistsAll-women shortlistsThe use of all-women shortlists is the political practice intended to increase the proportion of female Members of Parliament in the United Kingdom by allowing only women to stand in particular constituencies for a particular political party. Though the practice is available to all parties, only...