Randy Gage, author of nine international bestselling books on Success and Prosperity, makes the case that your wealth is directly tied to your beliefs about gender and sexuality.
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You know all about yin and yang, male and female, positive and negative. But what if gender isn’t quite that simple?
It’s not.
What if almost everything you thought you knew about sexuality was wrong? What if everything more than five billion people around the world thought about sexuality is wrong?
It is.
You may think it’s the height of arrogance for me to suggest that five billion people could be wrong about anything, least of all something as cut and dried as the fact that there are two genders of people in this world. But I assure you it’s not arrogance, and it’s not unreasonable to think that more than five billion plus people could be wrong about a lot of things.
Sexual energy is one of the most powerful influences of human behavior there is.
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You probably have been educated to believe certain things about sex and sexuality – yours and others – that are completely false. And it shouldn’t surprise you to learn that when you have erroneous beliefs about important things, they prevent you from creating the life you desire.
Think about this: Your core beliefs about most everything that is really important in life: god, equality, sexuality, sex, money, relationships, marriage, etc. – are pretty much set in stone for most people before they are ten years old. And unfortunately for most people – most of those core foundational beliefs are wrong – and prevent them from living a life of health, happiness and prosperity.
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Sexual energy is one of the most powerful influences of human behavior there is. Sex and sexuality are taboo or emotional subjects in many religions, and as a result, religion creates a lot of negative and erroneous beliefs on these issues. Most of these emotionally-charged beliefs are based upon centuries-old stereotypes and superstitions.
The resulting fear and ignorance about these subjects is causing people to be bullied, bully others, discriminate, hate, and even kill others or themselves. Let’s explore these ideas:
The relationship between your beliefs about sex and sexuality – and the prosperity you are manifesting in your life.
Right now there are a lot of events in the news, bringing this discussion to the forefront: the Boko Harem kidnapping schoolgirls and killing their teachers, same-sex marriage debates here in the States, and Michael Sam being drafted as the first openly-gay NFL player with the hateful comments afterward.
All of these situations highlight how you can be programmed with negative beliefs in childhood, which can manifest as you grow up into worthiness issues, intolerance, hate, and even violence.
And none of those things bring you closer to a prosperous life.
The people we allow to influence us the most – religious leaders, government officials, and cultural icons – have seriously let us down. You may be programmed with beliefs or abide by government regulations which support discriminating, persecuting or even attacking certain people because of their sex or sexuality. But to do so is against the most basic tenants of prosperity.
Organized Religion and the Other Merchants of Misinformation
You probably also have been programmed with some beliefs, which you have accepted as “facts,” due to organized religion, the region of the world you were raised in, or other environmental factors. Some of these beliefs may include that women should not be allowed to receive education, sex is only natural between a man and woman, marriage is only for a man and woman, homosexuality is unnatural or immoral, or transgender people are freaks of nature or possessed by evil spirits.
Like many inaccurate beliefs, they are the result of fear and ignorance, and have no basis in fact. The species we call human is ever developing and evolving – and evolution is a messy process, with lots of divergence along the way.
It’s also time to reconsider how we think about and treat non-heterosexual, transgender and intersex people.
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We have to start the discussion with the way we treat women today. Still nowadays we have religious sects and entire societies that believe women should not be able to vote, own property, or receive an education. There are many who even believe that killing a woman who wants to receive an education is justified on religious grounds.
We once believed that it was acceptable to own other humans as slaves. As we gained in wisdom and enlightenment, we rethought that belief. It is now time to rethink our beliefs about women.
It’s also time to reconsider how we think about and treat non-heterosexual, transgender and intersex people. Whether you believe in the big bang or a supernatural entity, the fact is, gay, lesbian, bi-sexual, pansexual, transgender and intersex people are all just part of the natural evolutionary process.
Unfortunately, the prejudice and intolerance against people different than us – particularly from organized religion – is virulent and insidious.
I have a friend in Florida who moved there from Indonesia. The reason: his family is Muslim and if they find out he is gay, his brother or father would kill him. Now understand he loves his family deeply and they love him the same way. But that wouldn’t stop them from killing him, if they discovered he is a homosexual.
Islam is certainly not alone in these violent beliefs about homosexuality. Judaism and Christianity also have their “sacred” texts that advocate killing non-heterosexuals. Now I’m not going to debate your religious beliefs or attempt to convert anyone. I’ll just say any belief – religious or otherwise – that advocates killing someone because of their sexual identity doesn’t serve the world and no person who understands the principles of prosperity would support such a belief.
The conventional arguments you hear frequently today (usually from religious people) for discrimination, exclusion, persecution, or execution of non-heterosexuals is that sex between a man and a woman is the only normal or natural thing, marriage has always been between a man and a woman, and monogamy has always been the socially accepted norm. But while those certainly are opinions they have the right to believe – they are opinions, and have no basis in fact. Let’s look at each of those in turn…
Marriage is an ancient and sacred institution to bond a man and a woman
The “institution” of marriage as many are defining it now isn’t really much of an institution. What they would tell you has been the standard definition of marriage since the beginning of civilization, is actually a much more recent development. The prophet Mohamed had many wives. Mormons practiced polygamy since their inception until only a generation ago, and there is still a sect that does this practice, and they are certainly not the only ones. Not to mention, cultures that also embraced polyandry – a woman having more than one husband. (For the record, I have no problem with either polygamy or polyandry. I’m Libertarian and support the right of consenting adults to make their own choices. I only mention them here to illustrate that all the talk about the sacred and traditional forms of marriage isn’t really accurate.) You don’t have to like these definitions of marriage, but you can’t deny their existence.
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For centuries, marriages were determined by the power struggles and alliances between warring families and clans. Some of these cultures make the marriage practices of Game of Thrones look mild by comparison. Still today in a number of places, forced and arranged marriages are the societal norm.
The issue of marriage equality is not a religious issue or debate about values. It is an issue of basic human rights. The forces of ignorance would distract you with questions like, “Why should we bestow special rights to gay people when they make a lifestyle choice against my religious beliefs?”
But if they can get you to ask the wrong question, the answer doesn’t matter.
Because by its very nature that question above is pejorative, based on fear and misinformation.
First of all, sexuality is not a “lifestyle choice,” but a biological determination. People’s sex and sexuality is what they were born with.
And no one is asking for “special rights” for LGBT people, just as no one is asking for special rights for Asians, stamp collectors, or blond people. There is no such thing as “gay rights,” there are only human rights. And all humans deserve them.
Now you have every right to belong to a religion that performs marriage ceremonies only between a man and a woman. But you cannot say with any veracity that this is the natural and exclusive definition of marriage for humankind. And marriage really is a religious institution; the government shouldn’t be involved in it.
The government can administer civil unions, which allow the same basic rights for all. To pick out one group and bestow financial and legal benefits and deprive others because they are different than you is anti-humanity and thus anti-prosperity.
All the hate, judgment and discrimination you see directed against non-heterosexuals is actually based on a concept of gender that is wildly erroneous.
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Non-Heterosexuality is Unnatural
Because of the various chromosomes, hormonal and genital combinations nature has blessed us with, there are a lot of naturally occurring attractions in addition to male and female. And it has always been so, since the inception of humankind. From the warrior-monks of Mount Hiei to ancient China, it was fairly common for kings, emperors, and wealthy merchants to have male “pets” or concubines. It was not uncommon for fierce warriors of many tribes to have a wife and family at home they fought for, as well as a young male concubine. Homosexuality and bisexuality were celebrated in the Roman Empire. (And you’re perfectly entitled to believe that it was immoral and the cause of their downfall. That doesn’t negate the fact that this was the case.)
And yes there is overwhelming evidence of homosexuality and bi-sexuality in the animal kingdom, documented in at least 1,500 species. And as far as we can tell, it occurs naturally, not because a kangaroo was exposed to an episode of Modern Family or converted by their gay kangaroo scoutmaster.
And here’s the ironic thing. All the hate, judgment and discrimination you see directed against non-heterosexuals is actually based on a concept of gender that is wildly erroneous.
You probably have the same basic understanding of gender and sexuality as most other people. You have been taught that in humans, the sperm reaches the egg and the result is either XX chromosome, which produces a girl, or a XY chromosome, which produces a boy. That is a very simplistic explanation and does happen fairly frequently.
But there are a number of other scenarios that also play out quite commonly…
In fact, there are actually almost 20 known types of sex variations in addition to what we call male and female. Just to give you an idea, let me share some examples with you:
Turner Syndrome: (Or Ullrich-Turner Syndrome) manifests as several conditions in females, where all or part of the sex chromosomes are absent. Characteristics can range from small stature or a low hairline, to non-working ovaries and sterility. This condition actually happens in between 1 in 2,000 to 1 in 5,000 of female births.
Klinefelter Syndrome: In this condition, a male has one or more extra X chromosomes, so they could be XXY, XXXY, etc. Most of the time the symptoms are undetectable, or could be minor like hypogonadism, or more severe such as sterility. They may have a penis and testes, but also show wide hips like a female and have small breasts. This actually happens between 1 in 500 to 1 in 1,000 of male births.
Congenital Adrenal Hyperplasia (CAH): Female infants with classic CAH have ambiguous genitalia due to exposure to high concentrations of androgens in utero. The most common scenario is to have XX chromosomes, uterus and ovaries. They may also possess a phallus, shortened vagina, or other masculinization.
Ovotestes: This person has both ovarian and testicular tissues.
Other times the person may have no outward signs of an intersex condition at birth, and it doesn’t develop until puberty or adulthood. (Or isn’t major enough to become noticeable at all.) That’s because genitalia is not the only factor in intersex conditions. They are also created by chromosomes, hormones and internal reproductive organs. For many of these people, their gender does not match the one they were assigned at birth.
The reality is that one in every 150 people is intersex, so the world is filled with many intersex people. (You could even be intersex yourself and not know it.) And you can’t tell by looking at them what their gender identity will be. Intersex people are simply those born with a mix of female and male characteristics.
One of the common misconceptions is that intersex people must be genderqueer or androgynous. In actuality, some intersex people are androgynous, some identify as women and some as men.
Complicating the matter is that in many cases, non-consensual genital surgery is performed on infants. Many intersex people are born with ambiguous genitalia – a clitoris that is deemed “too large,” or a penis considered “too small.” So doctors may surgically assign an infant as female, because they assume it is easier to go through life with a vagina than a small or partially developed penis. In the United States, 45 babies with intersex conditions receive “corrective” surgery every day. This unnecessary surgery is traumatic, can cause loss of sexual function, and often results in incorrect gender assignment.
These are some of the reasons we have people who are born in one physical gender, but psychologically are another. Why there are boys who like to play with dolls, girls who want to play football, heterosexual people who like to cross dress, and gay, lesbian, pansexual, bisexual, and transgender people.
So while it seems nice and convenient to say God created a man and a woman, girls should play with dolls/boys should play with trucks, and marriage is only for a man and a woman – those opinions don’t really have any basis in fact or reality.
There is a very broad spectrum of the species we call human. And every human, deserves basic human rights and dignity. On the trajectory we’re on, we’re creating a world that soon we won’t want to live in. Any beliefs you have that would demonize, discriminate, or otherwise diminish any other human being are anti-humanity, and thus anti-prosperity.
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You cannot experience prosperity yourself if you are actively trying to deny it to others.
Now it is time to take control back, and begin the process of living together in peace and harmony. Here in America, we defined this in our Declaration of Independence as the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Wherever you live, to live a prosperous life, you must support this philosophy of respect for the dignity and human rights of all.
You have every right to believe marriage is a sacred institution between a man and a woman, women should be killed for wanting to be educated, or homosexual should be stoned. But you’ll have a hard time convincing me those are spiritual values, or the wishes of a just and benevolent god.
Any rational critical thinker would understand those beliefs are based upon centuries-old fear, phobias, and superstitions – and have no place in an enlightened and prosperous society. Hate, intolerance, and judgment are not family or spiritual values, and they certainly don’t take you closer to prosperity.
To discriminate, persecute or deny basic human rights to anyone on the basis of their sex or sexual identity is a crime against all humanity. It denies prosperity to both the oppressed and the oppressors. If we want to live in a world of prosperity we must all stand up for the human rights and dignity of all people. Only then will we live in a truly prosperous world.
-RG
Recommended Resources:
Watch the documentary, Bully and spread the word on it. We need every parent, teacher, coach and guidance counselor in the world to watch this. Also see Is It a Boy or a Girl? from the Discovery Channel.
Check out Intersex Initiative website: http://intersexinitiative.org/
Books:
Third Sex, Third Gender and Lessons from the Intersexed
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Reprinted with permission from RandyGage.com
Photo: Flickr/David Simmonds
I find this article pretty dis and naive at best. The only thing I really agree with is that everyone should be treated with kindness and love. He starts out generalizing that most everything most people know about sexuality is “wrong”. According to whom? Him. He then gives many examples of beliefs that are opinions to those who hold them which he says are facts to many. I think most people know they are opinions and he dramatically overstates this. Some may think they are facts but certainly not the majority. He gives examples of organized religion treating homosexuals badly… Read more »
While I think this is a good article on gender and sexuality, he fails to connect the dots to propserity. There are plenty of prosperous bigots out there spending their money to deny rights to others. I wanted to more about that.