I've always found the idea of gender identity a bit odd because it seems to present this idea of discrete 'identities', negating human personality, drawing patt

I've always found the idea of gender identity a bit odd because it seems to present this idea of discrete 'identities', negating human personality, drawing patterns where none need to exist. Talking about appearance (which covers race, gender, basically stereotyping in general) - a human might look at another human, see that they have certain attributes (I dunno, wonky teeth, not well shaven, particular gait, whatever) and decide to box them. The idea of gender identity seems to be a way of trying to break out of that box of judgement. So yeah, I look like I have a penis, sexually I can interact with those with vaginas and produce children, but that's where it ends, I figure. What I personally don't understand, at the moment, is what makes it different from anything else - identifying as working/middle/upper class, as a nationality, as whatever, really. They all seem like patterns of the same thing to me. If you're working class and you waltz about in a suit with links, providing you can even afford such a thing, you're not going to be treated well by your peers. And that sucks! But what does the identity help? Being able to find others who want to do the same things? Is it just that we're doomed to try to simplify our models about society by creating these groups, so gender identity is about trying to move the groups a bit to limit damage? Or what? Fundamentally I'm not sure I even understand what it means to 'identify' as an X. What if I think that all of the groups are nonsense? That I don't feel working class, or middle class, or male, or female, or whatever? I sort of am one of them, by birth and inheritance, I guess, but my feelings about it seem kind of immaterial? edit: Turns out that reading the whole article properly, rather than skimming it, means that my comment is almost entirely superfluous. :)