If you have to wear make-up to be accepted....

[Evang.Benincasa]

Originally Posted by SiblingRevelry

The problem with this statement is that biologically, some people present as both genders in their external biology. Some people may have external biology that doesn't match up with their genetics. And some people were operated on as babies because their external biology was decided by a doctor because the child didn't obviously present as male or female. This is not a rare occurrence; it's a daily thing.

Insisting on a "gender distinction" when biology itself doesn't do so is problematic to me.

[SiblingRevelry]

Originally Posted by Evang.Benincasa

I'm serious. There are babies born every day with ambiguous genitals. The practice has been (and continues to be in a lot of places here in the USA) to operate immediately and assign a sex to the poor child. I *hope* the doctors are doing genetic testing prior to these assignments, but that may not be much of a help if a child has certain genetic syndromes which present as neither XX (female) or XY (male) but as XXY or some other combination. It causes problems. I am aware of a lawsuit where parents adopted a foster child from the state who had been born with ambiguous genitals. Now the child is growing up and is not acting as the sex she or he (sorry, don't remember the story, don't intend any disrespect) was assigned by the doctors at birth. The parents think the state should be on the hook for fixing the issue since the state was so hot on getting a gender assignment immediately after birth.

Beyond mere biology, I know that some conservatives don't really like to hear about the cultural arguments, but seriously, what's considered masculine and feminine in our culture is not so in other cultures. Yet so many conservatives think American culture is the God-given culture and we must import our cultural mores to other countries, otherwise they're not really male or female as we consider male and female.

It's not as clear cut as you'd think, but I suspect if you met me, you'd consider me a "shemale," which is what I was called at age 17 by kids at church. Kids can be so cruel, even if you're keeping all the conservative standards: long hair, no makeup, no jewelry, etc.

[ILG]

Originally Posted by SiblingRevelry

I'm serious. There are babies born every day with ambiguous genitals. The practice has been (and continues to be in a lot of places here in the USA) to operate immediately and assign a sex to the poor child. I *hope* the doctors are doing genetic testing prior to these assignments, but that may not be much of a help if a child has certain genetic syndromes which present as neither XX (female) or XY (male) but as XXY or some other combination. It causes problems. I am aware of a lawsuit where parents adopted a foster child from the state who had been born with ambiguous genitals. Now the child is growing up and is not acting as the sex she or he (sorry, don't remember the story, don't intend any disrespect) was assigned by the doctors at birth. The parents think the state should be on the hook for fixing the issue since the state was so hot on getting a gender assignment immediately after birth.

This is indeed medically true.

[Evang.Benincasa]

Originally Posted by SiblingRevelry

It's not as clear cut as you'd think, but I suspect if you met me, you'd consider me a "shemale," which is what I was called at age 17 by kids at church. Kids can be so cruel, even if you're keeping all the conservative standards: long hair, no makeup, no jewelry, etc.