A Typology of Gender Identities: How Gender Roles, Genetic Sex, Gendered Dress, and Sexual Transition Intersect

 Table of Contents

I. Introduction
II. Author’s Note
III. Notes on Understanding Terms
IV. One Non-Queer Category, and Thirteen Categories of Queer Dispositions

Content

I. Introduction

     In recent years, there has been a lot of talk in America about "transgenderism" and "gender ideology". Many terms, related to gender and sex - which seem new to the average American - have entered the common American English lexicon lately.

     You might have read that “there are 71 new genders all of a sudden, because of Facebook”. Years ago, Facebook added gender identity labels to its personal descriptions, including terms like “asexual” and “demisexual”.

     There’s just one problem: Asexuality and demisexuality are not “genders”; they’re sexual identities. Asexuality might not even be a sexual identity at all, but a lack of sexual identity. And "asexuality" might not even be the best term for lack of sexual attraction, because the term "asexual" is typically used to describe a form of reproduction that occurs without the physical act of sex.

     The problem here seems to be an imprecision of language.

     Seventy-one genders aside, let’s just focus on the four big ones: “intersex”, “transsexual”, “transgender”, and “transvestite”.

     Because these terms are so similar (and overlap), it is necessary to define them, and necessary to distinguish them as much as possible. We can also see how they overlap.

     If we assign each of these four terms to a circle, it becomes possible to create an extended Venn Diagram – that is, an Euler Diagram (pronounced “OY-ler”) – that allows us to map the intersecting dispositions and alignments associated with genetic sex, gender roles, dress, and sex transition.

II. Author’s Note

     I have written this in the hopes of:

     1) Simplifying all of this “71 genders” stuff, so that we can know what we’re talking about when we use certain words;

     2) Figuring out which categories of people could possibly exist, according to the various ways to combine those four gender- and sex- related alignments or dimensions (that is; dress, gender roles, sexual transition, and genetic sex); and

     3) Communicating what I learned in my “human sexuality” sociology course at the University of Wisconsin at Madison in the early 2000s (or, more importantly, communicating those portions of the curriculum that I think are actually true, and are not just concoctions of insane gender ideologues who tried to pass themselves off as sex researchers and surgeons).

     I was taught that intersex people exist (which I dispute, but not completely); and that transsexuals, transgender people, and transvestites are different but also overlap (which I believe is true).

 

III. Notes on Understanding Terms

     Before proceeding to the Euler Diagram, some additional clarification is needed, regarding what I mean when I use these terms:

     1a. The fact that the term “transvestite” is not used today as often as is the term “drag” or the term “transgender”, does not mean that transvestitism is “not a thing”, nor does it mean that “transvestite” is no longer a valid term. It is an acceptable word, which should upset nobody, because “transvestite” literally means “cross-dresser”.

     1b. “Transvestite” is not a slur; while “tranny” is a slur. I avoid using the term “tranny” below, due to its being considered upsetting. I have also avoided using that word because it is too general a term to be useful for classifying (what I call) “queer dispositions”. That’s because “tranny” could refer to transgender people, transsexual people, transvestites, or all of the above. The term has no academic value aside from its etymological value.

     1b. Below, all references to “cross-dressing”, and “drag” refer to the act of dressing up in clothing which is typical of the sex not assigned to you at birth; while “transvestitism” refers to interest in doing so. A “transvestite” is someone who cross-dresses. “Drag” can be engaged in by not only men (“drag queens”), but also women “drag kings”.

     2. Below, “gender” and “sex” are not used interchangeably.

     2a. By “gender”, I refer to the masculine and feminine gender dispositions. These dispositions reflect the set of customs, expectations, and social roles which are based on the sex that someone was assigned at birth. This gender typification is made in accordance with the external physical appearance of the baby’s genitalia.

     2b. By “sex”, I refer to whether someone’s 23^rd pair of chromosomes (i.e., their sex chromosomes, or gametes) are XX or XY. There are alternative arrangements of sex chromosomes, but they are rare. Most people born with ambiguous genitalia can be described as “mostly male” or “mostly female” in external genital appearance, and this almost always aligns with the appearance that their sex chromosomes would dictate.

     2c. There is a condition called “de la Chappelle Syndrome”, in which a person assigned male at birth (because that individual has a penis) might discover, later in life, that they are actually an XX female who has an internal female reproductive system but has an abnormally large clitoris that appeared (to the delivering doctors) to be the penis of a male.

     One such individual discovered this fact about herself when she (back when she still believed she was a man) failed to impregnate her wife. It is due to this condition (which is caused by a gene called the SRY gene) that it becomes necessary to specify that someone was “assigned male” or “assigned female” (as opposed to simply “being” male or female).

     That is why use of the term “assigned at birth”, and believe that is valid, rather than a mere concoction of gender ideologues (which some people suspect). I could be an XX female with an abnormally large clitoris, and if you were assigned male at birth, then you could be an XX female too (especially if you have a micropenis).
     This is the only manner, of which I'm aware, in which a person could rightfully be described as neither obviously male nor obviously female upon physical inspection. But that does not mean that these "XX males" who have the SRY gene, are "not females"; they are females who have been living with males. Once that person discovers the condition, the person is presented with the choice as to whether to continue living "as a man" or "as a woman". We can only infer, from the XX sex chromosomes, that the person is female. And either way, any such person who does not identify as completely masculine or completely feminine, need not seek bottom surgery to "fix" anything about themselves. Many, many people - including people who don't identify as transgender at all - feel that traditional gender norms are constricting to them.

     If any of my readers are aware of any human being - who doesn't have Down's Syndrome or de la Chappelle Syndrome - who has something other than XX or XY sex chromosomes, who can be said to be, definitively, neither male nor female on the genetic level, please e-mail evidence about this condition to me at jwkopsick@gmail.com.

     I believe that people who are questioning their gender need genetic testing way before they need hormones and surgery; before they decide to transition, they might as well seize the opportunity to find out whether they are impotent, and whether they have different sex chromosomes from the ones they thought they had. Wouldn’t you want to know that?

     3. The use of the term “queer”, below, is not intended as a slur. The “Q” in L.G.B.T.Q. stands for “queer”. Many gay, trans, and gender-questioning people use it to describe themselves. It is only an “offensive word” when it is used in an intentionally offensive or upsetting manner. Homosexuals and non-binary people often use the term “queer” to refer to any and all sexual interests and orientations outside of “cis-heterosexuality” (i.e., outside of heterosexuals who are “cisgender”; identifying with the sex they were assigned at birth).

     4a. Categories of sexual orientation and attraction (that is, heterosexuality and homosexuality) are not depicted in the diagram below. This was not done for the purposes of excluding homosexuals, but in the interest of establishing a system of classification of queer dispositions and interests which go beyond the familiar categories relating to genetic sex (i.e., male and female) and sexual attraction (i.e., opposite-sex or same-sex attraction).

     4b. I do not believe that whether someone is heterosexual or homosexual is necessarily a direct function or result of that person’s genetic sex. I believe that the fact that consenting adults choose their sexual partners freely, voluntarily, and on an individual basis – and that experimentation sometimes occurs - means that genetic sex and sexual orientation are independent of one another (regardless of the fact that the majority of humans identify as heterosexual).  

     5. By “transsexual”, I refer to a person who undertakes efforts to physically reconstruct their body (and, most importantly, their genitals) in order to more closely resemble the sex that they were not assigned at birth. My mere use of the term “transsexual” should not be construed to imply that I believe it is possible to fully transition from female to male or vice-versa, in terms of one’s genetics, sex chromosomes, and gametes. I do not believe that transitioning sexes is actually possible, and I believe that it is very dangerous to lead children to assume (through lies of omission) that it is possible to change your sex in the most basic and important way (i.e., genetic sex / sex chromosomes / gametes). Therefore, all references to “transsexual”, herein, refer to people who decide or resolve to attempt to transition their sex.

IV. One Non-Queer Category, and Thirteen Categories of Queer Dispositions

     The first of fourteen categories consists of people whom were born with unambiguous genitalia, and whom have never cross-dressed, and whom have never questioned or contested the sex (male or female) or gender (masculine or feminine) that they were assigned at birth.
     Such a person could be termed “cisgender-cisvestite” because they identify with what they were assigned at birth (cisgender, the opposite of transgender), and they dress in accordance with the norms associated with the gender disposition (masculine or feminine) associated with their assigned sex (male or female).



#1. The Non-Queer Category

#1. Cisgender-Cisvestites:

     People born with unambiguous genitalia, who don’t wear the make-up or dress of the opposite gender, and who don’t get hormones or surgery. This is the only category of people who do not engage in either questioning or experimentation regarding dress, gender roles, genetic sex assigned at birth, or transition of sex.

     [Note: This category includes heterosexual cisgender people, homosexual cisgender people, and bisexual cisgender people alike.]

#2 - #5. The Four Basic Queer Dispositions / Singly-Occurring Queer Dispositions

     [Reminder: None of these categories specifies sex (male or female) or sexual orientation (heterosexual, bisexual, or homosexual.]

#2. Transsexuals:                 

          

     People who decide to surgically modify their bodies – especially and most importantly through genital / bottom surgery - in an attempt to transition across sexes (from the one they were assigned at birth, to the other).

#3. Intersex Individuals:

     People who were born with ambiguous genitalia (that is, people whose sex is unclear because it cannot be easily deduced from the person’s mere external physical genital appearance).

     [Note: This includes babies born with de la Chappelle’s syndrome who might not discover their condition until they are adults.]

#4. Transvestites / Cross-Dressers:

     People who wear the make-up, hair styles, and/or clothing typically associated with the masculine or feminine gender role which does not match up with the gender they were assigned based on their apparent genital sex.

     [Note: People who cross-dress may or may not actually identify on the inside as the gender that they are modeling on the outside; people who do are called transgendered individuals. See Disposition #5 and Disposition #13 for more information.]

#5. Transgendered Individuals:

     People who wear the make-up, hair styles, and/or clothing (usually all of the above) typically associated with the masculine or feminine gender role which does not match up with the gender they were assigned based on their apparent genital sex.

     [Note: People who dress up, but don’t identify as the gender they’re modeling, and have no intention of transitioning, are not included in the category of Transgendered Individuals.]

#6 - #9. The Four Doubly-Co-Occurring Queer Dispositions

     [Reminder: None of these categories specifies sex (male or female) or sexual orientation (heterosexual, bisexual, or homosexual.]

#6. Intersex Transsexuals:                         
     People who were born with ambiguous genitalia, who attempt sexual transition at any point in their lives.
     [Note: Includes people who get genital surgery / bottom surgery because they were born with ambiguous genitalia, and wish to live as either male or female.]

#7. Intersex Transvestites / Intersex Cross-Dressers:
               
     People born with ambiguous genitalia who dress in clothing associated with the gender (masculine or feminine) that they were not assigned at (or shortly after) birth.
     [Note: Such a person may or may not identify as transgender (see Disposition #12 for more information).]

#8. Transgendered Transvestites / Transgender Cross-Dressers              

     People who cross-dress because they identify with the set of gender roles and appearances (masculine or feminine) associated with the sex (male or female) that they were not assigned at birth.
     [Note: Intersex people, and people who have already had bottom surgery, are not included in the category of Transgendered Transvestites.]

#9. Transgendered Transsexuals                                      

     People who identify with the set of gender roles and appearances (masculine or feminine) associated with the sex (male or female) that they were not assigned at birth, and who – on that basis – undertake efforts to change their physical (and, most importantly, genital) appearance, to something more closely matching the physical characteristics associated with the sex that they were not assigned at birth.

     [Note: This category does not include intersex people, nor people who cross-dress but have no intention to transition their sex.]

#10 - #13. The Four Triply-Co-Occurring Queer Dispositions

     [Reminder: None of these categories specifies sex (male or female) or sexual orientation (heterosexual, bisexual, or homosexual.]

#10. “Intersex, Transgender, and Transsexual; But Not Transvestite” Individuals

     People born with ambiguous genitalia, who identify with the sex that they were not assigned at birth, and so, seek to transition their physical (and especially genital) appearance to reflect that identification.

#11. “Intersex, Transsexual, and Transvestite; But Not Transgender” Individuals:

     People born with ambiguous genitalia, who cross-dress, and want to transition their sex; but whom do not feel that they have been assigned the wrong gender role.
     [Note: It’s possible that this category of people does not actually exist. The fact that the Intersex-Transsexual-Transvestite category can be conceived of, does not constitute proof that individual examples of it actually exist. Such a person would have to want to seek surgical sex transition even though they do not feel that they have been assigned the wrong gender role. As a reminder, such a person would also have to have been born with ambiguous genitalia. I would be surprised if even one such person has ever existed. I say this out of pure speculation, however; I do not wish any harm towards such a person, if they do exist.]

#12. “Intersex, Transvestite, and Transgender; But Not Transsexual” Individuals:

     People born with ambiguous genitalia, who wear make-up and hair and dress characteristic of the gender they were not assigned at birth, but whom do not make any attempt to radically alter their primary and/or secondary sex characteristics in order to transition their sex.

#13. “Transvestite, Transgender, and Transsexual; But Not Intersex” Individuals:

     People who don’t identify with the gender roles or genetic sex that they were assigned at birth; and so, wear make-up, hair, and dress customarily associated with the gender they weren’t assigned; and whom also change their physical appearance and undertake efforts to transition their sex.  

           

#14. The Quadruply-Co-Occurring Queer Disposition

     #14. Intersex-Transvestite-Transgender-Transsexuals

     People born with ambiguous genitalia, who wear make-up and hair and dress characteristic of the gender they were not assigned at birth, and make attempts to radically alter their primary and/or secondary sex characteristics in order to transition their sex.
     [Note: Again, anybody in categories #1 through #14 could be men, women, gay, straight, or bisexual. None of these categories specify sex or sexual orientation.]

     See the image below for a visualization of how (and "where") these gender and sexual dispositions intersect.

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Written and published on June 17th, 2023.
Edited and expanded on June 18th, 2023.

Establishing a Typology of Potential Child Sexual Predators Based on Whether and Why They Offend

Introduction

           I have written this article, and created the infographics below, in continuation of the research I published in my May 2021 article "Dismantling Five Myths About Child Molesters That Are Helping Them Evade Notice, Capture, and Judgment".

     That article can be read at the following link:

     http://aquarianagrarian.blogspot.com/2021/05/not-all-child-molesters-are-exclusively.html

     The first infographic can be found in the original article, linked above.

     The second infographic is new.

     I have created this typology - consisting of eight categories of people, six of which are pedophiles and/or child molesters - for several reasons.

     The primary reason is to clarify the distinctions between child molesters and pedophiles, and people who fit into both categories, and people who fit into neither. Another reason is to highlight the distinction between pedophiles who love children in one or more ways, versus predators who target children mostly out of feelings of hatred.
     I believe that this is necessary, to establish an accurate nomenclature to describe predators who harm children sexually, but do not have either romantic feelings, nor feelings of sexual attraction, towards the children they victimize. The idea of calling such people "pedophiles" (which literally means "child lover") does not adequately describe them. [I have classified these people as Type 6; what I call the "Sadistic Abuser".]

     Of course, none of this is to imply, of course, that a person who molests a child because they love them, is necessarily any less dangerous than a person who molests a child because they hate them.
     The purpose of this article is to caution parents that some people might pretend to love their kids in order to get close to them and harm them sexually, while while other people might pretend to hate their kids in order to get close to them and harm them sexually.

     Love of children or hatred of children may be used, as someone's cover, for molesting children.

     I believe that it will also be helpful - to police, criminal psychologists, and psychiatrists - to have a typology of potential child sex criminals, because these professions, and parents, should should be familiar with several paradoxes related to child molesters.

     The first is that - as I explained in "Dismantling Five Myths About Child Molesters That Are Helping Them Evade Notice, Capture, and Judgment" - not all child molesters are pedophiles, and not all child molesters are pedophiles.

     The second is that some people love children so much - including inappropriately - that they cannot bring themselves to molest a child; while other people hate children, and cannot bring themselves to molest a child due to that hatred, despite having a sexual attraction to children.
     The former class of people is called "Righteous pedophiles" or non-offending pedophiles; which I have labeled as Type 1. The latter class of people may be rare, and may even not exist. But still, it's logically possible that there are child-attracted child-hating non-offenders. I have labeled that class as Type 2 (the "hateful pervert" or "repulsed non-offender").

     Another important paradox to keep in mind - which is a major reason why I developed this typology - is that some child molesters feel romantic feelings, or even (what they would describe as) feelings of love, towards their victims and potential victims.
     [Note: In the typology, I have grouped people with healthy affection towards children, together with people who develop romantic feelings towards children. I have only done this in order to distinguish those who have mostly hatred towards children, from those who have mostly love towards children. I do not mean to imply that romantic feelings towards children, and affection, are the same thing; I have only done this for the sake of simplicity. I welcome my readers' attempts to refine this typology and make it more precise.]
     Some abusers even shower their victims with gifts, to manipulate them and stop them from coming forward about the abuse. This is particularly common in familial relationships which involve C.S.A. (child sexual abuse and/or assault). To cite a real-life example, Jeffrey Epstein paid for some of his victims to have housing and to get through college. Abusers like this use the fact that they have helped their victim, to get the victim to put up with more abuse.
     It is important to remember that some offenders fall in love with their minor and child victims, because it helps us remember that someone who is especially affectionate towards children, could just as easily be a pedophile, as they could be a normal person.
     Abuse does not always look like abuse. Sometimes it looks like a loving relationship. It's important to know the warning signs of abuse, to watch for them, and to think about what you have seen.

     

One way of visualizing the information

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to see in full resolution.

Two Types of People Who Don't Harm Children Sexually and Don't Want To

1. Normal person with a healthy love for children
     (shown in light green;
          loves children emotionally but not romantically, not attracted to children sexually, does not offend)

2. Non-child-attracted non-pedophile child-hater, a/k/a "normal person" who hates children but doesn't sexually harm them
     (shown in medium green;
          does not love children emotionally nor romantically, not attracted to children sexually, does not offend)

Six Types of People Who Harm Children Sexually and/or May Want To



Type 1: "NON-OFFENDING PEDOPHILE" / "'RIGHTEOUS' PEDOPHILE"
          (i.e., a non-offending child-attracted pedophile)
     [shown in orange;
          loves children emotionally and romantically. attracted to children sexually, does not offend]

     This type of person is a pedophile, but not a child molester. This is sometimes called a "Righteous pedophile" (meaning a person who is sexually attracted to children but does not offend), or a non-offending pedophile. This type of person has inappropriate sexual feelings towards children, and also has romantic feelings and emotional attachments to children.

     This type of pedophile loves children so much that it is inappropriate and sexual, but the intense emotional love of children also prevents the pedophile from offending against children in his or her lifetime. This type of pedophile often wishes that they weren't a pedophile, due to the conflicting feelings they have, being sexually attracted to children while also feeling love and compassion for them.

     To clarify: The fact that someone qualifies as a "righteous pedophile" or "non-offending pedophile", or has been identified as such, does not necessarily mean that they will never offend. Some pedophiles will try to be "righteous pedophiles" who refrain from offending, but will fail. Those Type 1 Righteous Pedophiles who give into the temptation to offend, and hurt a child, will fall into the Type 3 category, the child-molesting child-attracted pedophile.

Type 2: "HATEFUL PERVERT" or "REPULSED NON-OFFENDER"
          (i.e., a non-offending child-attracted child-hater)
     [shown in brown;
          does not love children emotionally nor romantically, attracted to children sexually, does not offend]

     This type of person hates children and feels no emotional attachment to them, and is attracted to children sexually, but does not end up offending in their lifetime. Type 2 individuals are attracted to children sexually, but not emotionally, nor do they develop romantic feelings for children. It's possible that people in this category are too repulsed by their emotional hatred of children, to harm them in a sexual way.

     This is not to say, however, that a Type 2 individual could never molest a child; Type 2 is just the class one falls under if one does not offend during one's lifetime, and is also sexually attracted to children, but not emotionally compassionate towards them. If a Type 2 "Hateful Pervert" or "Repulsed Non-Offender" commits a sex crime against a child, then that person becomes a Type 5 "Hateful Child Molester" or "Perverted Hateful Abuser".

Type 3: "CHILD-MOLESTING PEDOPHILE" / "CLASSIC PEDOPHILE" / "CHILD-LOVING ABUSER" / "CHILD-WOOING ABUSER"
          (i.e., a child-molesting child-attracted pedophile)
     [shown in light blue;
          loves children emotionally and romantically, attracted to children sexually, does offend]

     A Type 3 individual is both sexually attracted to children, and emotionally and/or romantically in love with one or more children. This type of person acts on their sexual and romantic feelings, and will often use those romantic feelings to justify the sexual urges they are feeling (i.e., romanticizing their feelings), and act on those feelings.

     This type is probably more likely than the other types to be mentally ill or retarded, especially emotionally immature, and/or sexually immature in some way, which makes it difficult for them to relate to adults socially and sexually at the level at which one would expect a fully developed adult to interact.

     A "Righteous Pedophile" or non-offending pedophile (Type 1) will become a Type 3, if that individual fails to refrain from harming a child sexually.

Type 4: "REPRESSED CHILD MOLESTER" / "TICKING TIME-BOMB ABUSER" / "UNWITTING ABUSER"
          (i.e., a non-child-attracted child-molesting pedophile)
     [shown in pink;
          loves children emotionally, not consciously attracted to children sexually, does offend]

     A Type 4 individual is not consciously attracted to children, and believes themselves to love children in a healthy way. But a Type 4 person is also an offending pedophile. A person who is abused as a child, and then forgets that abuse, and then finds oneself suddenly accused of molesting a child - and they have no idea why they did it, but are beginning to recover their own childhood memories of abuse - likely falls into the category of Type 4.
     Such a person may be said to be subconsciously sexually attracted to children, due to their prior abuse. Due to their prior abuse, they may also have subconscious resentment, and/or survivor guilt, regarding children who have not suffered any sexual abuse. This may motivate them to find a victim, as a way to transfer the trauma they suffered.

Type 5: "HATEFUL CHILD MOLESTER" / "PERVERTED HATEFUL ABUSER"
          (i.e., a child-molesting, child-attracted non-pedophile)
     [shown in medium blue;
          does not love children emotionally nor romantically, attracted to children sexually, does offend]

     This type of person hates children, and wants to harm them - sexually, and possibly also physically, and maybe other ways as well - due to that hate. Type 5 individuals do offend in their lifetimes, and violate children sexually due to both hatred and sexual attraction. Type 5 individuals do not feel any emotional attachment, nor romantic love, for children.

     If a Type 2 "Hateful Pervert" or "Repulsed Non-Offender" commits a sex crime against a child, then that person becomes a Type 5 "Hateful Child Molester" or "Perverted Hateful Abuser".

Type 6: "SADISTIC CHILD MOLESTER" / "UNATTRACTED SADISTIC ABUSER"
          (i.e., a non-child attracted child-hating child molester)
     [shown in medium red;
          does not love children emotionally nor romantically, not attracted to children sexually, does offend]

     This type of person hates children, and wants to harm them due to that hate. Type 6 individuals do not feel any emotional attachment, nor romantic love, for children. Although Type 6 individuals are not sexually attracted to children, they commit sex crimes against children for reasons of power and control - and in order to take advantage of children's vulnerability - rather than due to sexual attraction or romantic or emotional interest.
     If a person who hated children were on the track to becoming a Type 6 "Sadistic Abuser" - but somehow managed to avoid offending against any children during their lifetime - then that person would belong to the non-pedophilic type which I have shown in medium green in the infographics; that is, a so-called "normal" person who hates children (and is not sexually attracted to them).

Conclusion

     I hope that a deeper and more detailed understanding about the various and overlapping causes of pedophilic attraction, will lead to proper diagnoses regarding typology of potential child sexual predators.

     I also hope that this typology will be helpful in designing psychiatric treatment specialized towards each particular type of pedophile and potential offender. The wrong diagnosis, or the wrong cure, could make the problem worse.

     As I have explained, for some people, hating children keeps them from offending, while for others, loving children keeps them from offending. Therapies for each given condition, should reflect an awareness of these facts.

[Note:

     It may also be useful to establish a typology of potential child sexual predators, based on whether they are: 1) attracted to men, women, or both; and 2) whether they are exclusively attracted to minors, or are attracted to both minors and adults.]

Images created, article written, and blog entry published

on May 17th, 2021

Edited and Expanded on May 24th, 2021