Complicated answer. There are traditionally two biological sexes that when taking into account the sliver kf the population who are intersex (not transgender) then there are potentially 3 sexes. Now the word gender used to literally be used synonymously with the word sex because prudes did not want to say the word sex out in public, so they created the word gender; which means "type" "sort" or "kind".
Gender typically reders to masculine and feminine. Gender is based on personal identity founded on both expression and the role they play in society. The trichtonomy is social role, psychological gender and sexuality. Now the social role is typically influenced by naturally occurring traits that exist in ones gender and sex. Our biological sex greatly impacts our gender identity. Now we all have traits of both masculine and feminine design in us at varying levels and degrees. If course this doesn't mean there are numerous genders. Individuals can express themselves in any number of ways. This does not change their gender. A tomboy is not a boy, a gay fem make is not a woman nor is a drag queen. But the way they express themselves is not traditional in the stict sense we have come to understand as the gender binary which is partially based on our own hormones and evolutionary psychology. Masculine traits in males are seen consistently throughout history and various societies. We should be open to others expressing themselves however the see fit but we should bit indulge in this pseudo scientific nonsense that there are infinite genders, none at all or various ones on a spectrum. All three of these separate but similar ideologies contradict the other by the way.
There are quite literally 4 dictionary definitions of what “gender” means, and the oldest refers only to grammar not people.
The answer using that definition depends on the language. English has male female and neither for objects “it/that” etc.
It’s also common to use gender to mean sex, in which case there are normally two for humans, though there are some syndromes that stretch that.
Another common meaning of gender is to refer to classes in society and to distinguish things that are biological vs cultural. For instance in western culture women are usually expected to have long hair and men more often short, but biologically there’s not much difference. Our culture has two genders for adults. You could argue children are effectively treated separately. Some cultures have had more categories, for eunuchs or “two spirit” shamans etc. This meaning doesn’t say anything about self identity, it’s all about expectation.
And finally there’s another meaning which refers to how people feel about themselves. I suppose in that case I’d say there are several billion, clustered around two poles.
Gender is not sex, though it's associated with it. There are two sexes: male and female. There are a tiny group of people who are intersex, but they're not called a third sex for whatever scientific reason. Gender is more of a social construct based on how "masculine" or "feminine" one identifies themselves. There are traits that are considered masculine as there are traits that are considered feminine. Yet, there are males who have feminine traits but consider themselves male and vice versa. There is overlap along the spectrum. Most people are androgynous. If males were all hyper masculine they would be cavemen bopping everyone and everything over the head and leaving their families. If females were hyper feminine they would not be able to take care of any tasks independently. The far ends of the spectrum are not people anyone would want to know. The middle folks who have the best characteristics of both feminine and masculine are the most socially acceptable. Though we like Roid rage weight lifters, we don't want to live with them. Though women who live in bed eating bon bons are funny to laugh at, they are not functional humans.
"but they're not called a third sex for whatever scientific reason." Beacuse it's not a third sex. It's a mutation. You also don't have extra things for people with 6 toes or something. Because it's essentially nature having done a mistake.
Gender is what the person feels they are. This has nothing to do with your sex. Most people's sex and gender are the same. However some may feel their gender is female while their biological sex is male. Or biological sex female and gender male.
Sex cannot be changed no matter what. Even if you transition into the opposite gender with hormones your Doctor will always have to know your biological gender before undergoing surgery or giving you any medication.
The other genders we here about are not scientifically proven and therefore not real. While there has been evidence of men having female brains (which is evidence of a mental illness in technical terms. When you're body and brain do not agree with one another) There really are only TWO genders.
Two genders. Male and female. I'll never accept there's more than two. Anyone who thinks any different, is mentally ill. People are either born a male or a female. If they grow up thinking they're anything different, it's all in their mind.
When a persons DNA is tested, it comes back either male or female... not something in between. DNA can't be changed
DNA can't be changed, but your mindset could. To accuse people who support others of being mentally ill is horrific. You should take a look in the mirror and consider why you have so much hate in your heart, or if you even have one...
Everyone keeps saying that there is only two genders, but that’s not true. Gender is a social made concept. Since gender is socially constructed there can be many varieties. Sex on the other hand, is biological. There are only two sexes; male or female.
This is independent form the other comments. Did you know that even as newborns males tend to look at the machines and females tend to focus more on the humans. There were even studies done that has shown that male brains tend to have a lot more spacial awareness and females tend to be a lot more detail oriented and the list goes on. This is also true for non-human primates as well as no one can tell a boy monkey to play with cars and the girls to play with dolls. They just gravitate towards them on their own.
If you say that gender is a social construct then that means that we can change our gender at will and if that’s the case then why bother? It just sounds like role playing at that point. In fact I don’t even see why we need to make the distinction between gender and sex at that point because nothing happens when you magically “identify” as another gender. Nothing cosmetic, nothing mental. What matters the most is biological sex because that is what sexual organs you have and if you get surgery to change that, you are basically sterilizing yourself for the sake of being happy because, as advanced as science has gotten, we still haven’t been able to replicate working sex organs.
I am probably running out of space so look up the experimentation of Dr. Money on David Reimer that proves that gender is not a social construct.
So what are you learning in science and biology class? You either have a penis or a vagina. You either can impregnate a person or you can give birth. You either have ovaries or testicles. You either have XX or XY chromosomes.
Do you believe feelings trump actual biology?
Live how you want. If you want to live your life as the opposite gender... you can... who care, . just don't expect to shower with them at school and to compete against them in sports and to use up for boys or for girls scholarships if you weren't born with the gender that scholarship was reserved for.
@Miristheiss “ You either have a penis or a vagina. You either can impregnate a person or you can give birth. You either have ovaries or testicles. You either have XX or XY chromosomes.” that’s sex
In addition to the most common XX and XY chromosomal sexes, there are several other possible combinations, for example Turner syndrome (XO), Triple X syndrome (XXX), Klinefelter syndrome (XXY) and variants (XXYY, XXXY, XXXXY), XYY syndrome, de la Chapelle syndrome (XX male), Swyer syndrome (XY female).
Gender is biological as well, there will be some whose brains fire differently making men more effeminate and not masculine or a mixture of the two and women who are more masculine than feminine or a mixture of the two.
Thats what gender is, the traits of males and females. Those that feel this sort of way want to be special and unique.
There are 2 primary sexes with a 3rd being intersex. There are 2 primary genders with the 3rd being ambiguous (stay at home father, independent self reliant female)
My moms a nurse and at her outpatient she has deat with one woman for example who sees herself in the mirror as utterly beautiful and fears people want to rip her face off for themselves. The thing is she's actually ugly but her brain perceives reality differently
that is the case with these individuals, cerebral defects/illness
what you're referring to is "gender norms", not gender itself. A gender norm says "if your gender is X, then your behavior must be Y". But the gender itself is still fixed and immutable.
There are two and only two. There is only "male" and "female". There is only "man" and "woman". There is only "he" and "she", "him" and "her". There is only "father" and "mother", "husband" and "wife". Men are not women, and women are not men. One cannot become the other. They are different physiologically and psychologically. They each have their own unique roles, gifts, abilities, and talents. No amount of delusional indoctrination by academia, activists, or journalists will change any of this.
Now can we please... please... PLEASE move on from this?
I think that there are a set number of genders is fundamentally flawed. We are the result of evolution and its a fact that other animals and living creatures have more than two genders (some a lot more) so other genders definitely do exist. Beyond that its not like biology is foolproof either and cases where people have been born with both male and female traits are common.
The fact that you are trying to so narrowly define something that fundamentally is not that simple dooms your effort to failure.
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Anonymous
(25-29)
+1 y
In most dictionaries, it’s two: male and female. People can pretend to be one or the other or a mix of both. But as far as I know, mammals have two genders. A few species are able to change genders naturally, like bearded dragons or clown fish. People can give different meanings to the word gender, but it is what it is.
People in society, specifically the alphabet people (LGBTQ-whatever else) say that there are more than 2 genders. Gender is more social construct than it is biological or anatomical. A lot of people say that the 2 are the same and/or interchangeable. I love when humans try to explain things to other humans though. We created these terms and have decided them to be true. Nothing above us created these ideas so it isn't like what we came up with cannot be changed. There are for certain 2 sexes that we see on this planet.
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Anonymous
(18-24)
+1 y
PEOPLE WHO CHOSE B
When you are born, the doctors dictate what gender, aka a boy or a girl, you are based on your physical traits, aka your genitals. The only way there are more than 2 genders is if there is something going on in your head that causes you to think that you are an attack helicopter. There's something screwy going on if you believe that there are more than 2 genders because physically, there isn't. However, mentally people are insane. Believe that ever you want because we all know the truth.
There's only two, this isn't rocket science. You either have a penis or a vagina. You can't be both at once or change and be that sex. It is just a cosmetic surgery and hormonal therapy nightmare at the hands of people who try to play God. You are either man or woman, dude or chick. Plain and simple.
There are three actually, male, female and Hermaphrodite [or Intersex depending on their chromosomes]
The rest is just Adult Larping in my opinion.
🤦♂️🤷♂️
Trust me I've read all of them and it just sounds like different levels of a fad. To be part of a certain click because we won't all be Elon Musk in this life.
Like god forfend your a Cisgender Heterosexual Male/Female.
Like that's 0 points in the Adult (larping) world.
Save me the arguments too. Color argument or whatever. I go to WHO for information over people making stuff up on the internet. 🤷♂️
I’ve noticed that more people that are anonymous on this question say there are only two genders. If you believe that there are only two genders and are publicly saying this, then why are you still hiding behind an anonymous mask? I believe there are more than two genders. If you don’t, don’t use anonymous just so you don’t get a lot of hate, I respectfully disagree with all people who didn’t use anonymous and still disagrees with me. This goes for people who agree with me to by the way. If you go anonymous then you shouldn’t be scared of getting hated on, people might think less of you, but if they do, did you ever really want them on your life in the first place?
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Asker
+1 y
I really don't care, I'm not afraid of pissing people off for my political beliefs. They want to shut me down and make me afraid to talk, but I won't let them.
As a male, who has lived in a male body all my life I have no clue as to what is feels like to feel female.
The best I can do is interact with a female, listen, observe and maybe get into a male female relationship. That is how I learned about females are all about.
The other so called "genders" I believe are differences in personality. Like having a Tomboy for a sister. She may dress more boyish than other girls. There actions might tend to be less "feminine" but that is not a different gender.
As I said. I think what people call "genders" are personalities rather than genders. If that makes any sense.
Oh my god why is everyone saying gender is a spectrum? .-. That doesn't make any sense, I'd say 2, 3 at most if you include intersex as separate since it PHYSICALLY doesn't fit with the norms...
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Anonymous
(30-35)
+1 y
On planet Earth there are only two genders. Maybe there are more genders on some alien planet, but not in here.
Intergender or intersex is not a separate gender, it's two genders in the same person, people who have that genetic disorder are androgynous, or hermaphrodites (both male and female) - but that's still just 2 genders combined, not the third gender.
I think there are two and people come up with "other" genders to explain that they don't feel 100% male or female but a certain mix of both. I don't undersyand why they care about labels so much but maybe they think they will escape societal expectations that way.
im a firm believer that i dont care... its of no consequence to me what someone calls themselves and maybe you are right that scientifically there are only two genders but its interesting most people who say that are infact christians and usually refute modern scientific theories on how we all got here.
Exactly, dumbass answers like equating it to colors. There are two genders but there is a host of mental disorders and kinks that have a wide range... but genders, just two.
There are generally three sexes. Male, female and intersex (biologically born with male and female reproductive organs)
Gender is completely different, and has been opened up to basically be "whatever you want to be", it basically is how you identify yourself, so people have gone pretty crazy with it.
It also doesn't have anything to do with sexual orientation, so a trans person is not comparable to a gay or bisexual person.
For my opinion, I'm separating gender and sex into sex being biological features while gender is mannerisms that are profiled under a sex. I personally believe that gender is a social construct due to the way society developed and humans evolved, so there's room for however many society feels like to be made.
I honestly don't like the concept of gender, its easier just for people to act how they want to act and not write a potentially infinite list of names for that combination of mannerisms. I wouldn't say its unhealthy though.
I would, studies have shown that people with gender dysphoria have roughly a 42% suicide attempt rate, for a lack of better terms, and that number doesn't improve after they've had surgery or began transitioning through the use of hormones. 98% of people with gender dysphoria grow out of it either with therapy, support, or time. People who've transitioned are at a higher risk of being the victim of violence or being excluded from groups, and those are certainly not good things. I'm not agreeing that people who transition should be hurt or excluded from social groups, what I am saying it that I believe it's a mental illness that needs to be treated as one with medication, support, therapy, and more. Giving them hormones and performing surgery on them isn't good for their physical or mental health at all.
2 genders, that's it unless you're a mix of that which is so rare and you'd have a vagina and a kunt or a kunt with an enlarged clit that looks like a dick.
Bottom line is I think these social justice normies are getting sexuality confused with their genitals.
I guess people can identify however they want. I think once it gets a little ridiculous or doesn't even relate to gender anymore then it doesn't count but let people do what they want
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Asker
+1 y
I'm okay with people doing what they want unless it's destructive to themselves or others. In this case, it's self destructive, that's why so many doctors won't perform so called "gender confirmation" surgery.
Hormones aren't good for their physical or mental health, either. About 42% of people with gender dysphoria attempt suicide and that number stays the same after hormones or surgery and they report that they don't feel better afterwards, so it's clearly not helping them. 98% of people with gender dysphoria completely grow out of it and lead normal lives after support, therapy, medication, or just some time. There are only two genders and it doesn't matter how they look, their chromosomes can't be changed. For those reasons, many doctors won't perform surgery and many insurance companies won't cover hormones.
How many dummies posted this? Stop obsessing over the gender thing. It makes you seem dopey. Focus instead on getting your penis pleasured. It is going to waste.
Well it is a relevant topic since laws are being passed. Can a person with a penis born male be allowed in a girls changing room, businesses are boycotting Georgia over their bathroom laws, male born athletes are dominating girls in women's sports, a male born person is fighting women in MMA, people's jobs are being threatened if they don't go along with the numerous gengers movement.
Do not act like this is trivial.
What are we going to teach in biology? What about the medical field? Does factual science biology exist or not?
How dare you try and silence debate and discussion.
@NewUser19 I will take your advice about the stuffed thing but my butt will not be sagging anytime soon. I have good genetics. All of my ancestors had really hot butts way into their older years.
Fricking butthurt millennials have to create genders so that they can feel special and discriminated against. What you people really have is a mental disorder from eating Tide pods, voting for Bernie Sanders, and thinking that adults give a shit about what you think. Go back to your blogs and Fortnight and earn another medal for participating and leave running things to the adults
I finally think I understand. It totally makes perfect sense. I am now Woke AF! Sex is male female. Gender is a social construct, society constructed what gender is. We made it up. There are infinite genders, just make one up and believe. Its playing "Make Believe " They are all playing make believe, and it's fine really, I used do it. I used to it when I was a kid. Hell I was Aquaman
there are 2. you can either assign male, female or both to every behavior and preference. every person has a different set of behavioral patterns and preferences. no man has only male and no woman has only female. we mix and mash and just because we mix and mash we don't magically become something new. we're individual but still nothing more but a composition of male and female characteristics or such that can be assigned to both.
In my language sex and gender are the same. thing, so there are more that 2 just for English speakers? I believe there are 2 plus genetic exceptions which are difficult to put into 1 category.
There are 2 genders. Period. Dosn't matter what language you use. It won't change a biological fact. How did it ever come down to people thinking there was a secret society of lizard people, that the earth is flat, that a man can be a woman. or there are more than 2 genders?
Only two. Male, female. Sometimes people count trans as a third, but they forget that transgender people identify as either male or female, so there's still only two.
Biologically there are only two genders. Spiritually, who knows how many there are? Many Native American tribes had a unique way of looking at this. A woman who exhibited male tendencies was considered to have two spirits residing within her. It was not uncommon for such women to become warriors. Men who exhibited female tendencies were also considered to have two spirits and quite often became teachers.
Psychopaths, sociopaths, rectangles, triangles, octagon, dragon, sleep. Gamers. Half breed, vampire. And i will give out transgender because of how advanced the surgeons have come!
Male, and female! Only two i know of. (Or were born/brought up around)
Give proper examples of how someone can be a particular gender that were/is not from an era they were born in and the world gets a little bit complicated/more complicated than what it already is. The world struggles with two genders as it is already!
Already been put through loops of how someone were not the gender they said/born with.
Here! 👋, wander what it would feel like if people actually started treating others more like humans, and less like assholes whom think they know everything! Thank you for the thumbs down though, feels great to have someone know more, or feel they know more than what they do!
99.9% of time there is only 2 in the rare cases you can be born with both sex organs but that is rare and fixed and solved by doctors at a young age, but that doesn't mean there's more then 2 genders so means something went young. so how can anyone say there's more then 2 genders? if you truly feel that way go educate yourself of sex ed 101.
Anyone that says 2 obviously never heard of a hermaphrodite. I know a girl that outwardly she was a female but she also had male reproductive organs (what are the implications of sexual orientation) I digress, everyone also seems to forget as we developed in the womb we all start out as female until we are given a Y chromosome.
We don't all start out as female. At the very beginning of fertilization, the zygote is either XY or XX. Anything else is an anomaly. The genitals start off in a way that is neither male nor female.
@Xyline789 You can’t discredit anomalies, it’s not necessarily a rare occurrence. This is the heart of the debate. Sure you may not agree with it but there are more than a fair share of people saying I exist this does happen. It happens in nature, with amphibians when there’s an abundance or shortage of male or females they adapt and change sex who’s to say humanity isn’t the same. There’s no precedent bc for the first time in humanity we have close to 8 billion people on the planet
How many colors are there? At the level of biological, psychological, and social complexity that humans are at, very very very little is actually binary. Not even sex is properly 100% binary, why would gender be?
@JaklenHyde because we lump colors into finite categories cause it's useful and kind of accurately describes the pattern, but if you're gonna be precice about it then color is a spectrum with an effectively infinite number of points on it.
@Nobody-gives-a-finch A. Chromosomes aren't the only thing that defines sex. B. Sex isn't synonymous with gender. C. There are chromosomal combinations possible in humans other than XX or XY.
But there is a binary factor in the presence or lack thereof of the Y chromosome. Secondly, I would like a direct definition of gender. If it is a series of habits, beliefs, and actions associated stereo-typically with a biological sex, then there is are two regularly defined normality curves depicting scales of such things. Attributes are in gradients, that is true, but groupings of these attributes have only ever followed one curve. Outliers do not indicate false premises. If you define gender as something other than what I have described, please enlighten me.
@Nobody-gives-a-finch Sure? By and large, humans pattern into two groups in terms of sex. But that pattern is not perfectly binary, because outliers do exist. It's like I said, we lump things into finite categories because it's useful, and because often it accurately describes the actual patterns that appear. BUT those finite categories ARE NOT perfect representations of the actual pattern, and pretending that they are is simply inaccurate.
As for how I define gender, I'd probably define it as social/cultural/psychological categories that people fall into, which are generally correlated with sex. So yes, gender tends to align with sex, which is largely but not perfectly binary. However, not only is sex not actually perfectly binary, but gender doesn't match up perfectly with sex, and is a rather more complicated category and thus even more prone to patterning like a spectrum rather than as truly distinct categories.
First off, would you agree that two categories are created by the question of the presence of a Y chromosome? Secondly, with such a broad definition, doesn't gender also cover Sci-Fi lovers vs Mystery lovers, or those who like chocolate ice cream from vanilla? These are also social aspects of identity.
@Nobody-gives-a-finch Sure. That would be a binary way of dividing up the pattern we see. However, that way of dividing up the pattern isn't the method we use to class people as "male" or "female" sex-wise. Are you suggesting that it should be?
And yeah, gender is vague and nobody really has a great definition of it. That is part of the problem of trying to nail down precise gender categories. Nevertheless, gender is a thing that does seem to exist, socially certainly, innately maybe. But whether it's some inherent part of our brains or just some vague socially constructed category, it doesn't seem to be as neatly distributed as sex.
@Nobody-gives-a-finch definitions are by nature inexact, especially when they define a category like gender. Words are naturally used flexibly, mapping to general patterns, not to a set of very specific traits. Gender is used A LOT of different ways. The way I'm using it is to draw a distinction between sex, a set of biological factors that divide people into general categories, and the way that people are socially categorized into different groups that are somewhat mapped onto sex, which I call gender. The issue is that like most social groups, how gender is classified is kind of vague, or at least based on so many variables that no individual can identify each and every variable perfectly on the spot. The fact that the definition reflects that doesn't make the definition inaccurate.
"a series of habits, beliefs, and actions associated stereo-typically with a biological sex, then there is are two regularly defined normality curves depicting scales of such things. Attributes are in gradients, that is true, but groupings of these attributes have only ever followed one curve. Outliers do not indicate false premises." I believe I said that earlier. While there are many attributes that are not directly correlated with what we would regularly reference, there is most definitely two distinct groupings (performed by a two-way ANOVA test) of nearly every characteristic worth testing at all.
@Nobody-gives-a-finch So then what does it mean to be a woman, as far as gender goes? As I would understand your definition, it would be generally having/fitting the habits, beliefs, and actions associated with the female sex? Honestly, that's not really too far off from my definition, I just tried to distance my definition from sex somewhat because that's how gender is understood in the community where I live.
And can you cite that test? Also, what does happen when someone doesn't fall into either of the two distinct groupings? What gender would you classify them as?
The existence of outliers does, I think, indicate false premises if the premise is a strict binary. A general binary is reasonable- again, the whole way we make categories is describing general patterns, meaning that while the categories aren't perfectly defined, they're still useful and still describing a real pattern. But it still happens that things crop up which can make us either create a new category or redefine the existing ones (like when Pluto was reclassified as not a planet because they discovered a shitload of other space rocks the same size and decided they didn't want to classify all those as planets too, so they changed the definitions being used so that the categories made more useful distinctions).
This is one. Outliers are expected in any normal distribution. If they weren't present, concerns as to the validity of the curve would arise. If you take, for example, the trait "agreeableness", and test everyone for it, then begin isolating factors, one particular grouping arises. Agreeableness was found to be significantly different between the groups of biological sex, even though it is a "gender construct." There isn't such a thing as not belonging to a curve. If there are enough outliers, the curve needs to change to match. No matter how high a man's agreeableness, or how low a woman's, they still (on average) belong to different curves. Note how on the graph there are men higher than women, and women lower than men. Just because they are an outlier, it does not dictate a different or much less unique curve.
@Nobody-gives-a-finch Not that significantly different really. The study itself says "All of the mean differences we found (and all of the differences that have been found in the past – e. g., Feingold, 1994; Costa et al., 2001) are small to moderate. This means that the distributions of traits for men and women are largely overlapping."
In other words, you can't actually sort people into two distinct categories that correspond to gender based on the results from a study like this. To make a binary category distinction useful/accurate, you need to make the categories such that they aren't largely overlapping.
We aren't different species. Similar differences have been found between men and apes - largely overlapping in IQ, but are still schotastically dominant in that area. Large differences are not what determine different sample populations. The question is in regard to the P-value, a question of the statistical difference between potential populations. Men and women largely overlap in size as well, but men are schotastically dominant in height. In other words, men and women are clearly different, regardless of the immense overlap.
@Nobody-gives-a-finch Your mention of species is a good example. Species are not nearly so distinct as our categories make them out to be, especially in regards to species that are on the same evolutionary "branch" but later/earlier in time. We just arbitrarily choose characteristics to class a group of animals into one species or another.
Also, my point here is that by this measure, it is NOT POSSIBLE to distinctly categorize people into male or female as far as gender goes. What happens to the women who fall closer to the masculine average than the feminine one? Do we classify them as men even if they disagree? What about the overlapping area? Are those people both male and female at once? How do you suggest using this measure to actually categorize people?
First off, I spoke of outliers being expected in any curve. No, a masculine woman is still female. Even if she says she isn't. I'm not suggesting we use this to determine, but that the patterns are clearly stochastically distinctive, and that they form two distinct curves. Monkeys and human are only different arbitrarily? Very well. Then I think I am done with this conversation. Humans and monkeys are the same? Alright, I'm done.
@Nobody-gives-a-finch What then, do you suggest that we use to define gender? If you can't find a measure that can actually be used to divide gender into a binary, then why insist that it's binary? People who grew up in poverty vs in wealth will likely have statistically significant differences on some psychological measure, but that doesn't mean that poor/rich is a strict binary.
Dude, do you not understand how speciation works? Yes, there are objective differences between monkeys and humans. But there are objective differences between one human and another human. There's objective differences between green and red. As far as speciation is concerned, the ancestors of humans are at some point considered a different species. Exactly where rhat boundary is drawn IS arbitrary, just like drawing the boundary between two different colors.
I do, and always have, used biological sex to determine gender. The research suggests that the two biological sexes have statistically different curves on differing attributes, stretching even to those who consider themselves of the other gender.
Though there is little research on the subject (obviously) the presence of the Y chromosome is inherently binary. Too few intersex individuals have been present to be studied, so it's hard to continue to apply. I would apply Occam's Razor to that situation.
Secondly, while wealth and color are both gradients, sex is more like whether or not you are a legal owner of US property. Wealth is correlated with those who are, as agreeableness is with those who do not have a Y chromosome. Not entirely predicted, but statistically different.
@Nobody-gives-a-finch That's not how you defined it though. As far as I understand it, you defined it as "a series of habits, beliefs, and actions associated stereo-typically with a biological sex". Meaning that if someone has the habits, beliefs, and actions stereotypically associated with the female sex, then they are of female gender, even if they are biologically male.
Also, defining sex as synonymous with gender is simply not a useful definition, and not the one that I am talking about when I describe gender as non-binary. When I use the term "gender", I am using it to specifically talk about something OTHER than sex. In particular, the social categories that correspond to behaviors/attributes we deem "masculine" or "feminine". If you are using "gender" as synonymous with "sex", then we shouldn't be having this conversation because we are talking about different things.
Why is sex different from wealth? Simply because you can choose some arbitrary attribute to divide people into binary categories? If we choose a specific amount of money/resources that someone has to have to be considered "wealthy", and consider all others "poor", we've made binary categories. Point is, the defining feature is still just as arbitrary, and the factor causing people to fall into categories with apparently statistically significant differences is realistically just as much of a spectrum (slightly less perhaps, though it depends on how even wealth distribution is in the population being measured).
First off, I never said gender was precisely synonymous with sex. I do believe that it is the social representation of your biological gender. A disagreeable woman is just that, a disagreeable woman. Just because men are overall less agreeable does not mean that anyone that's disagreeable is male. Just as not everyone that is tall is male.
The difference with wealth is that we aren't drawing an arbitrary line in the sand. There is a difference between a gradient and an exact category. Wealth is a gradient. Sex is an exact category. The difference is just like the difference between fewer and less. You can have less wealth. You cannot have less Y chromosomes. You can have fewer chromosomes.
You have, or you have not. People don't have varying degrees of Y chromosomes. As for masculinity, there is such thing as a masculine woman, but her gender remains female, albeit perhaps a disagreeable one. Masculinity is a gradient, but gender is not equivalent to masculinity or femininity. Gender dives deeper, even to the point of base instincts. Personality and gender are not equivalent. The reason I brought up the traits is for the sole purpose of demonstrating two curves.
@Nobody-gives-a-finch "I do, and always have, used biological sex to determine gender" Explain. What do you suggest the determining factor should be to categorize someone as one gender or another? If it's sex, as your quote seems to imply, then sex defines gender. If it's something else, say what that is.
You are choosing an arbitrary factor. The fact that chromosomes aren't the only thing that scientists use to determine sex clearly demonstrates that your choice of chromosomes is arbitrary- even the experts don't use it as the sole characteristic that defines sex. Also, even if we chose property ownership, as you suggest, I would think we'd see just a spectrum just the same in terms of the effects it has on people's psychology (again, depending on wealth stratification etc). You can't just pick a factor, and say that the fact that it's present for some people but not others creates useful binary categories. You may manage to create two distinct groups, but those two distinct groups aren't necessarily important, and don't necessarily reflect two categories that actually act differently or are treated differently in the real world.
Look, I'm sure that we could argue for months and not result in a change in either of our minds. It has been a pleasure exchanging logics with you, but I find that continuing in this line of logical discussion pointless and overall depressing. Agree to disagree?
Two with the exception of people born with chromosomal/hormonal conditions that affects their biological sexual characteristics, such as people with Klinefelter Syndrome.
I have to agree with you Rangers. There's no way around it.
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Anonymous
(36-45)
+1 y
Isn't it interesting that gender reassignment surgeries only offer male or female? Why does nobody choose to be a eunuch? Or a hermaphrodite (why not both?)
Why do non-binary sites state that your specific gender lies on a spectrum between *gasp* male and female?
I'm not an expert on this topic, and I'm not trans either so I'll just go with what science says. Which is that gender isn't the same thing as biological sex, and insisting there are only two genders doesn't reflect reality.
Socially: 2. Biologically: 2. Because even if you have male & female organs only one will be capable of reproduction. And you will look like one of the normal genders outwardly.
Anyone that thinks there are more genders. Besides what they think they are give me biological proof ? Of more then a male and a female.. I will listen !!!
Stop being attention whores. You will never be special and different by inventing a gender, you'll have to actually do something worthy.
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Anonymous
(30-35)
+1 y
There are only two genders, and they are the same as biological sex. Yes, I understand there is a social and political movement to change people's perceptions of that, but it will never change the biological reality of the matter. There are men and there are women, period.
There are of course men and women who undergo surgery, but they are just surgically altered men and women. A man without a penis is still man. He can behave however he wants with whomever her wants, but he is still a he.
2, others are personality within those such as masculine or feminine males or masculine and feminine women, not to count birth defects because they are just that , not to be insulting
Liberals are retarded. There are only two genders. It is proven by science and has been this way from the first humans on earth. There is no argument against it.
Two genders, with rare cases of intersex births (which is basically like two genders getting chucked into a blender, hence "two genders" is still technically accurate)
Gender and sex are the same thing. Females wear clothes/makeup that emphasise their feminine traits (like hips, breasts, lips, legs etc), while men wear clothes that emphasise masculine traits (like torso). It's a seduction game.
I tried to further explain the differences between sexualities and genders but only confused myself in the neverending list of labels of people who say they don't desire to be labeled anyway...
I've got to say it: 2. But I guess it's all about what you call "gender." In my family studies class, we learned that gender can have tons of different meanings, not all equivalent. Thoughts?
Girl's Behavior 
Guy's Behavior 
Flirting 
Dating 
Relationships 
Fashion & Beauty 
Health & Fitness 
Marriage & Weddings 
Shopping & Gifts 
Technology & Internet 
Break Up & Divorce 
Education & Career 
Entertainment & Arts 
Family & Friends 
Food & Beverage 
Hobbies & Leisure 
Other 
Religion & Spirituality 
Society & Politics 
Sports 
Travel 
Trending & News 
+1 y
+1 y
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