Quote:
Originally Posted by Itse
"Biologically, it's a spectrum"
Not exactly news, but a lot in this article was new to me, so what the heck. Longterm, this line of research might have some pretty significant legal ramifications.
Sex Redefined |
I see more that significant legal ramifications involved. This article, in my opinion, raises the critical importance of gaining a better understanding of gender identity. This is fascinating to me because it seems to be a purely social construction. Late in the article, there is an argument made for designating sex according to gender identity:
Quote:
|
"My feeling is that since there is not one biological parameter that takes over every other parameter, at the end of the day, gender identity seems to be the most reasonable parameter," says Vilain. In other words, if you want to know whether someone is male or female, it may be best just to ask.
|
Can we even imagine a world with more than two genders? What possible precedent can we draw from in order to create a socially realistic reflection of this biological reality? I find it interesting that in the end, it is likely that this fundamental criterion of human identity will remain a social construction.
Could this sort of recognition about the power of gender identity also potentially provide more problematic influence to those who are fundamentally opposed to "non-traditional" models of human sexuality? As I read this—and from a religious perspective—it seems to me that these discoveries tend to undermine the idea that sexual orientation is completely involuntary. What is the process for establishing gender identity in the first place?
On the other hand—and also from a religious perspective—these discoveries also are bound to cause even more problems for "traditional" models of human sexuality, since clearly God did not create a binary gendered species (Gen 1:27 . . .
זָכָר וּנְקֵבָה בָּרָא אֹתָם).
This is all really fascinating stuff. Thanks.