Revolution of Gender

As a boy and a man I have heard on numerous occasions the phrase “A real man….” usually followed by a gun reference, a tool reference or a treats a woman a certain way reference.  Although I’m not a woman it’s quite easy to see the pressures they face in terms of what it means to be a woman; just go to a magazine aisle.  As a follower of Jesus and a member of the church for a long time now I’ve heard the same defining characteristics taught in church.  It’s usually a little less sex focused but nonetheless defining and honestly just wrong most of the time.  I’m not sure, but I’m pretty sure Jesus never said “A real man…”

What is gender?  It’s tough to define without personal beliefs within your definition.  It’s like trying to define race.  There are clearly biological and chemical differences between males and females but do these differences make one more qualified for a specific task than another?  Does this make men doing certain things and women doing certain things “right”?  In other words because I’m a man am I required to know about tools?  To make all the decisions in my home?  To be the one who initiates all romantic pursuits?  To know how to fire a gun?  To work and be the sole provider of finances within the home?  Wow.  Having a penis truly gave me some amazing skills.

Oh wait.

Have you ever met a woman who makes better financial decisions than a man?  Have you ever met a woman who can lift more weight than a man?  Have you ever met a woman who wants to be able to make decisions within her home?  Have you ever met a woman who’s down for being the one to go in for a kiss?  Yes.  Yes, you probably have.  But according to our rules on gender this woman isn’t behaving like a woman, so she must be in sin.  She must be corrected.  She must be told “A real woman…”

According to this level of thinking a hermaphrodite must be the ultimate human being because they are the only ones with the capabilities to do both manly and womanly duties.  Sound silly?  That’s what we’ve been essentially saying for centuries.  It’s time we be real about this.  Gender definition is based on preference, not “right and wrong.”  A penis and a vagina are different but the difference they play in our lives is up to us.  Be the woman you long to be, and be the man you long to be.  The only sin is trying to play God and define what that means for everyone.