Only two genders?

[JisthenewK]

This has been a hot topic lately, so I decided to come ask everyone here what they think. Some people claim sex is biological and gender is a social construct and you can be anything from male, female, mtf or ftm trans, non binary, etc. There are others who would even argue sex is a social construct. I'd like to hear everyone's' views on this. What do you think? Only two genders or more? Is sex a social construct? Is gender or is it all biological? And please let's be respectful to those who disagree, as I've seen friendships end over this discussion.

[Confuzzled4]

I have never heard the distinction between sex and gender before honestly. I'm assuming for the sake of discussion sex refers to the genitals and gender refers to the identification of the "male" "female" etc. In my mind, I can't separate these two concepts. I have no issue with what someone identifies as, their self identification has no impact upon me. I just can't conceive of this any other way.

[TigerLover]

The terms Man and women are entirely social constructs. That's why we can say someone isn't a 'real' man/women.

BUT the terms male and female are scientific terms. Their definition is not flexible.

You can have a male dog as a pet but you cannot have a man-dog as a pet.

Uneducated but well meaning activists have blurred the two together but we do have both sets of words for a reason.

The third state is transexual.
IT IS NOT IT'S OWN THING!
trans is a Latin verb meaning either to move or be between.

So transexual cannot in itself be a sex.
BTW Hermaphrodites are simultaneously both male and female, also not their own sex.

So there are only two sexes. But there can be as many genders as you like and you can pick your gender freely. CAPICHE!

[kenaiou]

Well, I'm a student in French Literature, and I'm studying, between other things, gender theories, feminism theories and queer studies. I've never heard about gender theories before I arrived in University, so my answer would be pretty different I guess if I've never heard about it. In fact, every time I try to speak with people about genders, they are actually pretty closed-minded about it. For a lot of people who are confortable in their own skin, there is no such things as non-binary ou trans*. But I've realised that it is far more complex than that, I mean, only two genders. Gender is a social construction, of course. If toworrow I decide to wear a dress, with my beard and my "manly" (I hate this word) appearance, it'll say something about me completely different. Because gender is very much social, we need to experience it with other people around, it's a lot about the performance actually. We performed our gender, even if we're not aware of it. I'm personnally a cis male, which means I'm confortable with my birth sex, and I dress and act in accordance with that. But what's very specific with gender for me is that it's not like our sex, it's not set in the stone, gender is pretty much fluid.

But, again, if you're very opened to discuss about gender with people who don't try to understand the need to some people to experiment different gender, or to find a term that define exactly how they feal, then you are automatically a Social Justice Warrior. That's quite sad honestly. I'm all good with people trying to find out who they truely are, who they want to be. And it's not even about label we need to put on every people, but much rather people trying to define how they feel. It's pretty much like when people deny that there is no such thing as intersectionality or say that we don't need feminism again because men and women are already equals. But I have to agree with the fact that, sometimes, people with "gender awareness" are almost "violent", and some of them attack pretty easily people who are completely fine with their birth sex and treat them like shit. It's all about acceptance, and it goes both way. I'm vegetarian, but I'll never judge someone who eats meat. But their is a lot of vegetarian or vegan how are just awful with people, calling them murderer and "corpse eaters". It's a no-no for me.

Once again, sorry for my English, it's quite difficult to speak about gender in French, so in English...

[MHJG]

A fascinating topic.

I believe sex is biological. Chromosomal make-up is unchangeable: male XY, female XX, intersex XYY and XXY. There may be advanced biotechnology to alter human chromosomal make-up in future, but now, human presents like this. It, by no means, a social construct.

Variations exist in a species are the key point for it to survive. Unfortunately, social hates variation like intersex; the practice of sex reassignment surgery of intersexed infants is one of the examples. People are much more open-minded. Genders are no longer just male, female, and intersex. It is right to say gender is a social construct. In my opinion, I would rather say it is a mental construct.

When we talk about gender, it involves social judgement. Also. It is influenced by culture, norms and how we see it by ourselves. They are all about thoughts. Thoughts are affected by fixed biological factors as well as plastic biological factors. Male has relatively higher testosterone level to make them think and act more dominantly than female (fixed factor). At the same time, we can remove our phobia or bad habit by changing neurone pattern or by 'unlearning' it because of the plasticity of the brain (plastic factor). Perception is very dynamic and alterable. There is no standard in one's thoughts as long as they think it is right or wrong. Therefore, we now have transgender and other genders as there is no contradiction between sex and gender.

In short, sex is biological perspective while gender is psychology perspective.

[LJay]

I really must remember, come the winter solstice, to cheer, Io! Saturnalia! and then to add Io! Genitalia!

Ayuh, I must.

[deephiance]

it depends....Physically and biologically can there be anything other than male or female

Psychologically, I guess it is only limited as far as the politically correct, apologetic, self-righteous, seperatists, mind can imagine new things so the box is always round.

[Cowboy]

Im not really a fan of all of these new genders, growing up we had men, woman and he-she's that was it. Its getting ridiculous at this point.

[sillyboy86]

It's an interesting question, I don't have a real answer, sometimes I'm undecided, mostly cause I don't care so much about it. Just live your life as it's fitted for you, imho, so psicologically we could have more gender.

[Piri]

In your mind you may believe you're batman for all I care, but in the end you're either male or female. It's understandable if you identify as the opposite sex, but if you shift from male to female and vice versa in a matter of hours (I knew someone who did that) or you think you're "something else" I'll think you have a really weird mental disorder. I would still treat you with respect though, you're not harming anybody, it's not your fault and you deserve a happy life like everyone else.