Sex versus gender and a few thoughts

A recent exchange on these pages presented differing opinions regarding the transgender issue. 

Informed debate requires clarity of terms. Recently folks have conflated sex and gender as the same thing. They are not synonyms.

Sex refers to the biological attributes that distinguish male and female organisms, including chromosomes, hormone levels, and reproductive anatomy. Sex is binary.

Gender refers to the social, psychological, cultural and behavioral aspects generally associated with men and women. Gender is a spectrum.

People cannot change their sex. It is a biological fact from birth. 

However, a person can display gender to varying degrees of compliance with the stereotyped roles/dress/mannerisms different societies generally associate with a particular sex.

Difficulties arise when a person believes their biology and gender are in conflict.  It is a conflict imposed on that individual by culture and societal norms. Society can help reduce an individual’s conflict through tolerance. Women can be beauty queens, truck drivers, or political leaders. Men can be soldiers, fashion designers or child caregivers. Men who wear skirts are still males. Women who wear pants are still females. Strict gender roles should change.

However, societal decisions based on biology should be maintained. This is especially important when an individual’s behavior impacts other people.  Assignment to sports teams, locker rooms, and bathrooms are in this category.

Our education goal used to be to teach that boys and girls are equal. We don’t achieve that goal by suggesting to them that they may be in the wrong body.

STEVE BLASKA

Sagle