”Do you believe in gender?”

Tuesday 9th of September

Today we had a very interesting lecture. A woman working in the UN (do not remember which part) gave us a lecture in sexology. It was interesting for me because I have not been attending such a detailed lecture or seminar about sex, gender, circumcision and equality between women and men in present context of Kurdistan.

The lecture was divided into 5 parts.
Sexuality, the history of sexuality in Europe and important research contribution within this field.
The female sex organs, its mechanism, function and circumcision.
The male sex organs, its mechanisms, functions and circumcision.
The cooperation female and male sex organs in the process of interaction, its mechanisms and functions.
Gender, gender roles and sexuality.

She gave us some basic information (important/not important) to know:
The inhabitant number of Kurdistan region (excluded the Kirkuk province and the places around there which are not under the authority of KRG- Kurdistan Regional Government- www.krg.org) is approximately 3.079.916 million. About 64% under the age of 60 and about the age of 15 years are sexually active. About 62% of the female inhabitants have been circumcised, and it is still ongoing.

Here I will just present some short question and claims the lecturer was going through the lecture: (it is not presented in either a logical or chronological way)
- The lecturer was claiming that Kurdistan is in the agricultural era, about 200 years before the modernism.
- One of the reasons why it was normal with (zhyn ba zhyn) (giving a daughter to one family- in return- getting one of their daughters) was because of the mentality of they are getting something from me, than I have to get something in return. (paying for marriages).
- God is perfect. And when he is perfect, and his creations are perfect, we do we want to damage and change that perfection by circumcising the woman. Islam does not approve it, then it must be cultural development, or maybe because men get circumcised too.
- Sex should be gender or gender should be sex? Liz Stanley, 1984.
- Circumcision of women makes the women not feel any lust for sex, will get pain and will not enjoy sexual intercourse with a male partner. Therefore she will also not feel love towards that same partner (because he is the source of pain every time they have a sexual intercourse).

Well, you should have been there; it was such a revolutionary lecture (at least in the Kurdistani context). I asked her if she believe in feminism, and the feminist theories; “Yes, here it is most needed. But maybe not Europe, we are in a different stage than them.”

The title of this contribution is “Do you believe in gender?” For some days ago on the way back to the hotel we live in, Mondeal Hotel in Hewler, the other PDA participants (we were six passengers beside the driver- very common here J) was talking about equality between men and women. And one of the girls was making fun of one of the boys, saying something; do as you preach. After that line, she said; “Don`t you believe in gender?”

Always a pleasure, gentlewoman Miss C.

PS: Everything I have written above is a shortening of the lecture, I hope nobody will feel insulted in any ways at all.