Karen is unable to determine the gender of a sales clerk at her local department store. When she asks, the associate responds that they are non-binary. Karen then posts a picture of them on Twitter, without their permission, reiterating her thoughts about the naturalness of the male-female binary and heterosexuality. Karen's reaction is an example of a(n) _______.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Karen's reaction is an example of gender panic, which occurs when someone's actions or presence challenges conventional gender norms, leading to anxiety or reactionary behavior in others. In this case, Karen's inability to categorize the sales clerk within the traditional male-female binary and her subsequent actions reflect a panic response to a perceived disruption of these norms.

Karen Is Unable to Determine the Gender of a Sales