Male and Female, Masculine and Feminine

Through the ages people have held to the belief that we are born males or females and just naturally grow up doing what men or women do. The only explanation required has been a reference to "nature taking its course." This viewpoint has a simplicity that helps make the world seem like an orderly place. However, closer examination reveals a much greater complexity in the way our maleness or femaleness is determined and in the way our behavior, sexual and otherwise, is influenced by this aspect of our identity. This fascinating complexity is our focus in the pages that follow. But first it will be helpful to clarify a few important terms.