Pronouns???

[Caurcas]

I mean humans are binary (outside of an extremely rare medical condition, but that is usuall corrected in short order).

[MilkieTea]

I mean humans are binary (outside of an extremely rare medical condition, but that is usuall corrected in short order).

Not really. Concepts behind gender conformity didn't start becoming a thing until relatively recently in human history. And even then, gender conformity has always been fluid (the man didn't always wear pants, the women didn't always have the most elaborate gowns, the high heel used to be considered masculine, the wig and makeup used to be seen as gender neutral.) Fitting things into a binary was something we came up with and we haven't always been able to keep up with that.

[SturmChurro]

Not really. Concepts behind gender conformity didn't start becoming a thing until relatively recently in human history. And even then, gender conformity has always been fluid (the man didn't always wear pants, the women didn't always have the most elaborate gowns, the high heel used to be considered masculine, the wig and makeup used to be seen as gender neutral.) Fitting things into a binary was something we came up with and we haven't always been able to keep up with that.

They say gender is a social construct, but sex isn't. We aren't slugs or whatever, we are humans. Male or* female.

[squidmonarchy]

They say gender is a social construct, but sex isn't. We aren't slugs or whatever, we are humans. Male or* female.

That would be news to intersex people. They're rare, but they exist. Nothing is quite as simple as we'd like to believe, including sex and gender.

[MilkieTea]

They say gender is a social construct, but sex isn't. We aren't slugs or whatever, we are humans. Male or* female.

Gender doesn't equal sex. And sex isn't a binary either. [Redacted this bit for misinformation that I was too tired to catch. Beat me up for it, do it. If you want context feel free to scroll through the rest of the thread]

Ari Berkowitz Ph.D. - "For a variety of biological reasons, many of us have external gen****s that are intermediate between a c******s and a p***s and intermediate between l*bia and a scrotum. Others have typically male chromosomes but typically female gen****s. Still others have intermediate gonads, called ovotestes. Collectively, all these situations can be described by the umbrella term, inters*x."

PhD Candidate Darren Incorvaia - "It’s certainly true that there are two types of human s*x cell, sperm and egg, produced by testes and ovaries respectively. But the issue at hand isn’t whether gametes occur in a binary; it’s whether s*x does. And in humans, it is possible for an individual to possess both ovaries and testes, and to produce both types of s*x cells (or neither). Historically these individuals have been called “true hermaphrodites,” and today they’re generally classified under the broader umbrella term of inters*x. If we’re classifying humans into male or female s*x categories on the basis of possessing certain gametes, two categories isn’t enough. S*x isn’t binary.

Okay that was way too easy. Maybe you’re thinking, “Well what about chromosomes? There are only two types of s*x chromosome arrangements: XX or XY! If we define sex using chromosomes, isn’t it binary?” And the answer is: no. XX and XY are not the only s*x chromosome arrangements humans can have: there’s also X, XXX, XXXX, XXXXX, XXY, XXXY, XXXXY, XXYY, or XYY If we’re defining s*x on the basis of s*x chromosome arrangements, two categories isn’t enough. S*x isn’t binary.
BUT WAIT, maybe you’re thinking or saying aloud like a weirdo. “Isn’t Y the male chromosome and X the female chromosome? Isn’t that a binary?” And oh, my poor misguided imaginary friend, the answer is again no. Obviously the most common “male” s*x chromosome arrangement is XY, which means X isn’t uniquely a “female chromosome.” But there’s also the added fact that possessing a Y chromosome doesn’t always mean an individual develops traits we traditionally consider male, like testes and a p***s. The gene that primarily controls development of these traits (or genes that control this gene), sry, can sometimes be non-functional or jump off the chromosome entirely (this is an oversimplification of course but you get the gist). In these cases the individual usually develops traditionally “female” traits, like ovaries and a v*gina, or some combination of male and female traits. S*x isn’t binary."

[Vyrerus]

Sex isn't binary

Gonna stop you right there.

So, why do you think it's called intersex? To be intersex is to be in-between the two sexes. There is no third sex that develops in intersex people.

Sure, we get all these different iterations of XY and XX, like XXY XYY XXX XYX. etc.

It's the same in binary code with 0s and 1s. To be a binary, means to consist of two parts. Two parts in any winning combination is still in a binary. 0001 is not 1001, and they represent different numbers in the code, but they're still in that binary code.

The analogy isn't perfect, but I think you get my meaning. There's no new chromosome that comes about in intersex people allowing them to reproduce in new manners, if they are able to reproduce. There is no third gamete.

[Rinhi]

In the 1950s the psychologist John Money [...]

...forced a male child with a botched circumcision (lol america) to live as a girl and had him and his brother play out sexual situations as "therapy"
despite being a normal, healthy woman after therapy (according to money), the girl 'transitioned' to become a man (again) and later both brothers committed suicide due to the experienced trauma they had at the hands of him
how this deplorable human being is seen as anything but a psychopath I don't understand
please don't use him if you're talking about trans issues