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> Sex is binary even if we have a hard time seeing it or measuring it sometimes, or even if the answer is different in two places (Chimerism) etc. Aren't inter
by nicoburns 4y ago
> Sex is binary even if we have a hard time seeing it or measuring it sometimes, or even if the answer is different in two places (Chimerism) etc.
Aren't intersex people the canonical example that sex is not binary? If it were, there would be no intersex people. I agree that we shouldn't conflate intersex with transgender as they're entirely different things. But it seems to me that neither is binary.
- Ygg2 4y agoThat's like saying canonically people don't have two eyes. Some are born with one less or more. It's an edge case. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12476264/ https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12476264/
- nicoburns 4y agoSure it's an edge case. But I think we've definitely gotten to the stage of this debate where we need to be considering edge cases. Better to say "sex isn't binary, but it's close enough that it's a useful simplification" than doggedly insist that it is when technically it isn't.
- Ygg2 4y agoSo by same token you would say people don't have two eyes but in practice they mostly do. How is that more useful of a sentence than saying "People have two eyes, except in rare circumstances". It's obvious from article language is causing problems for the author. And by optimizing for the edge case, you impose problems for the most common case.
- LawTalkingGuy 4y agoNo, because sex is ultimately about the type of gamete you produce, sperm or egg, and there are only the two. People with DSDs still fill the same role in reproduction. A male person with ambiguous external genitalia who appears female to a quick exam could still father a child for instance.