How many genders are there actually?

[TheAli]

Just known today that there are genders except Male nd female. No offense but I want to know their scientific basis. Are they as different as male nd female?

[dangerDoge]

By psychology standards, there is a distinction physical gender and a social gender, as RJGraveyTrain mentioned.

-- Physical Gender.
By this, there are male and female. Likewise, I guess you could argue a hermaphrodite as something in the middle, but as far as I'm concerned that is pretty rare. I'll disregard that for the purposes of this discussion. But yeah, physical gender cannot be changed, no matter how much one wishes. One was either born a girl or boy. Chromosomes.

Children recognize this too. There was a study done (I forget the name, but I can search it if someone needs it) where children were asked by scientists if an opossum was a skunk. Children said no. Then scientists said, but what if the opossum had a stripe down it? Children said no still. Then scientists asked, but what if the opossum switched out its skin entirely with surgery for that of a skunk. Children still said no. The way children said yes was after scientists said the mother and father were skunks.

-- Social Gender or "Identified Gender"
This is where things get complicated. While one can physically be a gender, they may identify with something else. There are many terms that I'm sure you've heard before. From my stance and by that of the DSM, it is a psychological disorder-- Gender Dysphoria.

That being said, Gender Dysphoria is a bit unlike from many other mental disorders in that I don't think there is a quite effective way to "treat" it. Last I checked, there's no magic pill that makes someone be attracted to a gender.

Likewise, as found in "Dr. Money and the Boy With No Penis," attempted forced treatment is resultant with high rates of suicide and/or severe depression/mental issues. Also, for people who make a transition artificially via penis removal or implant, if they don't actually have the disorder (some confuse themselves) they have a high chance of suicide. It's all quite tragic, really.

So overall, it's not a totally clear cut issue as some make it out to be.

[dangerDoge]

I totally missed the point I was trying to make with the opposum skunk study. What I was trying to say: Physical gender can't be changed simply by changing look. It's genetically determined, and we have cognitive mechanisms as such for classifying animals, people, etc.

[BlueCoyote]

About the DSM should also be said that these definitions of "disorder" aren't sacrosanct. For example 25 years ago, homosexuality was still considered a disorder and noted as such in the DSM. 40 years ago, it was even officially prohibited in most western countries. At the beginning of the 20th century, doctors thought there was such a thing as "female hysteria" and the way to cure it was to pray and do a lot of physical labor. People too often mistake the DSM as some kind of holy book that speaks the ultimate truth.

[dangerDoge]

@BlueCoyote Actually the funny thing is that right before I answered this question, I went over that and mentioned a bit of that in a question over homosexuality haha. I acknowledge for sure that the DSM isn't perfect and it isn't a holy book by any means (hence they have multiple editions and things change). It has definitely had some "ehh" things written in the past. One should think for themselves in the end.
I don't think the past actions of homosexuality, female hysteria, and the like of previous editions discredit DSM-5 though. Science changes-- we learn more things. We change things as we learn more. Absolutes are scarce in science, so there is nothing really that speaks "ultimate truth." However, sources such as the DSM-5 are helpful in giving us useful info to interpret. It's not perfect, but I still believe it is a good source of base info.

[BlueCoyote]

I completely agree. I didn't mean to criticize you, I quite liked your answer actually :-). It was more as a side remark for other people ;-).

[dangerDoge]

@BlueCoyote Ahhhh ok. My bad-- sometimes I just go into debate mode and get defensive it seems lol

[SuicidalTeen]

30 genders
thebrittishproletariat.files.wordpress.com/.../gender.png

[Maypai]

There are two. I don't care what anyone says, you're either born as a male or you're a female. Transgender really doesn't count as its own gender because it's one person transitioning to look like the other gender. Therefore it is still in the realm of two genders.

[randomhobo]

3 biologically. Female, male, intersex. Intersex tends to be a space between male and female on the spectrum. With leniency towards one or the other (which leads towards assignment at birth, although thats being phased out to give chance for child to decide).

[Afro-dite9]

Only two, even if they changed their sex. I will consider and respect them as the gender they choose to be, hell even if they didn't get the surgery and wanna be him or her, then so be it. No biggie.

[RJGraveyTrain]

There's sexual gender, and then are are "social genders", as far as I am aware. You are born female or male, but socially can identify as either or, or agender.

[GinNJuice]

nice i learned something new

[TheRebel69]

I identify as an attack helicopter.

[RJGraveyTrain]

@TheRebel69 And I'm a pogostick.

[Superchick123]

Omg I think I peed my pants. 😂😂

[BlueCoyote]

There's not different genders (plural). This is only something that uneducated and bitter morons on this website claim (not including you here). Gender is a spectrum, similar to sexual orientation. Nobody would come on the completely absurd idea to claim that there are 150 different sexual orientations. It's a spectrum. Some people feel a entirely heterosexual, others feel mostly heterosexual but occasionally a little bi- or homosexual etc. The same goes for gender identity. Some people feel their gender to be completely male while others feel it to be completely female and many others feel it to be somewhere in the vast spectrum in between.

Gender has nothing to do with biological sex. Biological sex is black or white (except from intersexuals). Gender is your mental and emotional identity based on notions of femininity and masculinity and relative to your particular culture's understanding of these. For example I am clearly male in a biological sense. However, I have a rather feminine gender because I tend to identify with biological women in many aspects of life and because some parts of my personality could be seen as feminine. This is also why I've never had a group of male buddies like many other guys do. Although I've got testicles and a penis, I tend to not have a lot in common with other guys on an interpersonal level.

[Gommers]

There are 2 sexes and 0 genders since the bastardization of the term has lead to a disambiguation of comprehension of the intended meaning.

If you have a dick, you're a man; if you have a snatch, you're a woman; if you have anything else you're a genetic freak. Don't like it, too fucking bad, reality sucks.

[TheAli]

Thank God I was born with a penis.

[Anonymous]

It is not really researched enough yet. All the genders in between man and woman are a really confusing topic. Men are at one end of the spectrum and women on the other. Traditionally, a transgender person is someone with the opposite brain structure from their born sex which can happen while in the womb according to some more recent studies. I feel those between the spectrum may have a brain structure that is maybe in between, but there has not been any study on people who are non-binary. I don't mind it even if we don't know a lot about it since I'm a "live and let live" type of person. If someone feels more comfortable being called "they" then I don't mind.

[CheerGirl38139]

The answer is in the chromosomes

🍆
😻

That's it. Period.

[Eugene]

There are 2 sexes: male and female.

There are also mentally insane males and females that think they're something else and want to alter the perception of reality of mentally healthy males and females, and force them into thinking that there more than 2 sexes.

[ASEXY]

There are four genders apparently... orig08.deviantart.net/.../..._kierany9-d8q98d0.png

[Djaaaay]

Wishful thinking

[TheRebel69]

There's two genders. A man is born with testosterone and a penis. A woman has estrogen and a vagina. There is and I repeat TWO GENDERS.

[Anonymous]

Scientifically you have male, female and intersex (i. e. someone with both or neither male or female parts - such as a hermaphrodite)

In terms of what people identify as, there can be far more as this is more a social construct. I think people should be able to identify as whatever they want, without being expected to fit into categories that "society" has defined for them

[BlueCoyote]

Gender identity is not a social construct. It is just as scientific as biological sex. Unless you consider the academic study of psychology unscientific.

[Opinion Owner]

I think Sheldon Cooper would call it 'hocum'

[BlueCoyote]

Well then Sheldon oughta attend some psychology lectures... you even need to study math as part of a psychology major, so there's something for him too.

[Anonymous]

if you think there are more than two then you are basically saying there is no such thing as gender, therefore there are zero genders.

[TheAli]

I don't say that I just read today that there are other genders too. Many of em.

[Opinion Owner]

well that means there aren't any if you just make them up as you go

[elladegiorgio14]

I think there are not only two normall genders but the different ones which are LGTB

[TheRebel69]

Sorry, gay, trans, and bisexual are still in the two genders, sweetheart. Gay man, gay woman, bi-man, bi-female, trans-man, trans-woman. Anything else is non-sense.

[BlueCoyote]

Sexual orientation and gender identity are two unrelated topics.

[GinNJuice]

2 only

anything unattural is in the twilight zone for me

[Jxpxtxr]

There's also morons 😂😂😂

[TheAli]

Found in both genders

[Jxpxtxr]

Exactly! I refuse to accept they are either men nor women though and I truly believe they better shouldn't reproduce, hence they're an own gender 😂

[TheAli]

Hahah 😂 Reproduce is the best thing human being has discovered I guess 😂😂

[TheAli]

Reproduction*

[Dred1614returns]

Two.
You can't be both, you can't be niether, and you can't change.

[_HimigNgKalayaan_]

Probably more than 2. I don't know the exact figures

[Filomena]

You can invent your gender. It's a llll in the head.

[Tomsta]

I'm tempted to say 3 as you obviously have male and female but you've also got hemraphrodites (spelling)

[hannahbanana11]

It's male and female. The rest isn't original.

[Anonymous]

soo much that ı couldnt count

[TheAli]

Scientific basis?

[Opinion Owner]

umm ı dont know which ones are scientific but according to what people say

[Other_Tommy_Wiseau]

3. Boy, girl and whatever the fuck I is 😲

[Anonymous]

TWO, the rest are just variations on a theme