"Gender critical" people claim that someone's sex cannot be changed, not even using surgery and hormones. So what is sex then? Obviously not one's hormones as t

"Gender critical" people claim that someone's sex cannot be changed, not even using surgery and hormones. So what is sex then? Obviously not one's hormones as those can be replaced just fine. That leaves chromosomes, primary and secondary characteristics. They also claim that gender is more important than sex. When they, for example, address someone as "Dear Mr. Smith", they must be referring to their sex then. Which means they mean something like: - "Dear Smith, who has XY chromosomes" - "Dear Smith, who has a natural grown penis" - "Dear Smith, who has a penis that works well enough that I consider them a man - "Dear Smith, who can grow a beard" - "Dear Smith, whose shoulder width is typical for a human male" All of these are either bafflingly irrelevant, fucked up or inaccurate. So how exactly is one's sex relevant to anyone except their doctors and partners? > In February, when Donna Hughes, a professor of women\u2019s studies at Rhode Island University, published an article critical of gender ideology, petitions sprouted calling for her to be fired. The article, which the Economist didn't bother to link to: https://4w.pub/fantasy-worlds-on-the-political-right-and-left-qanon-and-trans-sex-beliefs-2/ https://4w.pub/fantasy-worlds-on-the-political-right-and-lef... It's more of a pamphlet filled with lies, sexism and conspiracy theories. I think academic freedom is too important to fire her over this, but I understand the petitions. > In February Holly Lawford-Smith, a professor of philosophy at the University of Melbourne, launched a website which invited women to describe their experiences of sharing female-only spaces with trans women. It is not a research project and its reports are unverified. Most describe a feeling of discomfort rather than any form of physical assault. So? I'm sure some women feel uncomfortable around black women. Or lesbians. Someone feeling uncomfortable around people of a given group is a common cause of discrimination and bigotry. > If Maya Forstater, a British researcher who lost her job because of her gender-critical views No, Mr. Forstater lost his job not because of his views but because "It is a core component of her belief that she will refer to a person by the sex she considered appropriate even if it violates their dignity and/or creates an intimidating, hostile, degrading, humiliating or offensive environment".[1] [1] https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-50858919 https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-50858919