Chapter 1, Subjects of Sex/Gender/Desire, Section III, Gender: The Circular Ruins of Contemporary Debate Summary and Analysis

Do individuals have one gender? Do they possess genders or are they identical with a gender? Some feminists believe that gender is the cultural interpretation of sex but they should inquire into how the construction comes about. Could gender be constructed differently? If we do not understand where gender originates and whether it could be different the monster 'biology-as-destiny' could be replaced by another monster, 'culture-as-destiny.'

Butler also worries that gender is not really chosen just because it is constructed. The process of construction is more complex than that. Choice does not occur in an unconstructed vacuum and so choice cannot be the whole story. Constructions seem to be caught between the...