Girl + Computer = ?

There was a really surprising moment that happened in my Statistics 270 class.

We were discussing the calculation of proportions of a sample population while given information on the parent population and the number in the sample (irrelevant to this post!). The example in the book was a study comparing the sex of students in particular programs on a certain college campus.

The only thing that was kindof wacky about the example was it used the term “gender” to mean “sex.” I noticed this from the get-go, but it didn’t really bother me that much as the point of the lecture was about the statistics calculations, not gender theory.

It wasn’t a big deal, except then my professor went on a small rant about how in a previous semester a student of his had a big blow-up to him about it saying “sex is biological, gender is a choice!” He said all of it so mockingly, and even went on to say sarcastically, “I’m a dude because I chose to be.”

From all that I’ve studied, it seems like it would actually be more accurate to express that gender is an inherent form of expression, rather than a choice. Choice implies that you don’t have to do it if you don’t want to. Some people do express a variety of genders as part of a role they prefer to play regardless of the sex they are or gender they identify as. However, for some people their gender expression is more than just an role to play, but something that they personally identify as.

It seems as if a lot of the people in technical fields - at least from what I could see from my Stats teacher and the guys in my Computer Science classes - don’t ever consider their gender and sex or why they are that way.

Its a privilege that cisgendered people (myself included) have where they don’t even have to THINK about their gender expression, because how they chose to express gender happens to fit right into society’s standards. It doesn’t really feel like a choice at that point, because we are unconscious of it. There’s a box society sets out for them, but they fit quite snugly and think nothing of it.
It’s then harder for them to relate to those who do struggle with aligning their gender(s) and sex(es) simply because it’s not socially acceptable to not be cisgendered.

This is something that really needs to change, and in a lot of places it seems like progress is being made. I see people everywhere who are aware of and accepting of this kind of transgender or transexual experience, regardless of their own identity. Considering what your gender and sex really mean to you can be a really enlightening experience if you aren’t afraid to do it.

I found it rather inappropriate for a math professor to be speaking this way to a room full of students. I wonder if he considered the fact that he might have seriously alienated some students by his comment?
Math students don’t need any other reasons to feel alienated, chances are we feel pretty abnormal already.

Should I even have to ask for some gender-kindness in my classrooms??
Thoughts?!