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> "sex" in legal terms (for identity documents, etc.) is rarely necessarily tied to genitals or chromosomes, and more often is tied to a set of expectations abo
by TruthAndDare 10y ago
> "sex" in legal terms (for identity documents, etc.) is rarely necessarily tied to genitals or chromosomes, and more often is tied to a set of expectations about how the designated person will appear or behave.
When you put it that way, it really becomes unclear to me why it should be there at all. If we're not describing what type of biological creature a person is, and simply how they can be expected to behave, it seems like we might as well write down if the person is ill-tempered or meek, and if he or she likes to dance the waltz or the tango.
- ubernostrum 10y agoIf we're not describing what type of biological creature a person is Can you think of a reason why every single document about a person needs to note "what type of biological creature" they are? I'll give you a hint: there aren't a lot of good reasons for it :)
- TruthAndDare 10y agoThat wasn't what I was arguing. Regardless of whether or not we're documening sex, why document gender if it is only "a set of expectations about how the designated person will appear or behave"?
- dllthomas 10y agoWe care a lot about how we expect other people to behave - in many cases, completely appropriately.