Sex, gender and clearly defined terms

I appreciate Randi Lui’s mostly respectful letter to the editor in response to my earlier submission. First, I stand corrected, biologic sex is not 100% binary. It is estimated that between one in 1,000 to one in 4,500 births experience Disorders of Sexual Deviance (National Institutes of Health, Aug. 2023). I agree that these individuals’ treatments should be held in confidence between the patient and their doctor.

However, Randi’s letter illustrates my point about the importance of clearly defined terms in a discussion. Randi’s letter was titled “Gender” but what followed was superb information about biological sex.

Gender and sex are not synonyms. Sex is biological and gender is a social/cultural construct. It is not just splitting hairs over dictionary definitions. The Yale School of Medicine (2021) has an excellent discussion of the importance of this distinction in the treatment of patients. Again, a private issue between patients and doctors.

This becomes a public issue when individual actions and demands affect other people. 

It is an important public discussion when it comes to health education, the rights of parents, the use of public facilities, government contract preferences, and athletic competition. For instance, the Biden Administration attempted to change women’s rights under Title IX by including gender identification in a law that specifically referred to biological sex. In ruling against the attempted change, the judge writes a compelling explanation.

It's my opinion that, when separate facilities or rights are warranted, it should be based on biological sex and not gender identification. 

STEVE BLASKA

Sagle