Other How many genders?

[Catori]

I think sex and gender aren't synonyms, but they are very closely related-- Your sex determines your gender. Since there are only two sexes, there are only two genders. Now, there's many different gender expressions, but there's only two /genders/. Like if someone dresses androgynous, they're still either a man or a woman. There's no in between..

 

[Korvin]

I believe in the possibility of there being three genders, though I don't believe in identites such as genderfluid or demigirl/boy to exist (or at least as genders). The reason I say this is because the associations tied to it are mostly things everyone experience and I feel don't need a specific label. The same goes for pretty much every MOGAI identity.

I see a lot of similar genders to either be gender expressions or things not related to gender at all.

 

[BasiliskVeranda]

Gender is prescribed. Sex is biological. Different cultures have different codifiers for what men and women are / how they behave / dress / whatever. Thailand has a buttload of different gender identities, so this is not just some Western Trend thing. Intersex people are also people that exist, so...that's something to think about in terms of people in this thread who think there's a binary even in biological sex. It's a lot trickier than that.

I'd argue that biological sex is also...kinda all over the place. Y'all can go do some research into white / gray matter in the brain, and the XXY and XYY chromosomal expressions. And if you want to think about the animal kingdom, some animals are literally both sexes, so...IDK. It's not quite as simple as Girl vs Boy.

I think, basically, if someone isn't hurting anyone else, they can really say and do whatever they want with their own bodies. Feel like you're a demiboy? Go for it. Doesn't really affect, or should not affect, anyone else. Do what makes you happy. Be your best self / be true to you!

In my case, I'm too lazy to identify as a transman / I don't trust the surgeries yet / I don't like the idea of taking hormones / I don't HATE being a girl.
So I just say genderfluid for the most part, because I don't particularly feel like a woman, but nor am I a masculine-presenting person.

In reality, whatever someone wants to classify themselves as, is whatever.

I'd appreciate, overall, if people were less hung up on the labels other people—who are not you—prescribe for themselves, and more into being actualized peoples.

 

[ApfelSeine]

I agree with BasiliskVeranda that people are too hung up on labels that people use for themselves. Language isn't a tangible thing that existed before we came upon it. It was developed over time. If people create new words that work better for them, why get worked up about it? That's just how language works.

A good friend of mine doesn't identity with any gender group. They prefer neutral pronouns but they once told me that it doesn't make a huge difference to them personally what people call them. They really just want to exist as themselves, and feel like lables are restrictive and not really worth dealing with.

In contrast to that, another one of my friends is genderfluid, and they find solace in having a name for it and being part of a group. It's clear to me that identifying oneself is a very personal thing.

I find it strange that people are so determined to tell other people what they are, or be in control of how society sees someone else. Every person has to live with themselves. Why try to keep them from being who they are and want to be seen as?

 

[BasiliskVeranda]

Why try to keep them from being who they are and want to be seen as?

Answer: going against the normative makes people uncomfortable AF because they have to step outside what they know. Easy to understand and easy to define categories, that are not complex, make humans happier. It takes less noodley-brain-work.

IMHO: live and let live.

It's not going to kill anyone to use someone's preferred pronouns. It's literally one of the weirdest first world problems I've ever seen in my life (refusing to use them and being offended by the very idea of them). Words change, like you said. That's etymology 101.

 

[TanteRegenbogen]

If gender is a social construct, then how can it be a spectrum? If gender is unscientific like race, then gender doesn't exist.

 

[Horsefeathers]

I can't remember which friend told me this but, it was something they studied in one of their sociology classes years ago. I'm unfortunately to lazy to look into it more but, I thought it was interesting and pertains to your question. (I'm not very knowledgeable in this area either, though there are others who I'm sure have more informed answers and views.) There was a person who said there should be five genders: 100% male, mostly male with some female, 50%male 50%female, mostly female with some male, and 100% female.

 

[ApfelSeine]

I think the fact that gender is so often viewed as a spectrum is the result of having societal expectations for what the terms "male" and "female" mean. With the parameter of two genders, people who don't fit into the ideals are placed somewhere on a sliding scale based upon the opinions of those around them. But doing things this way is a human invention. A spectrum is in itself a type of construct after all. It's a set of ideas meant to explain a phenomenon which really has no good explanation. While it can be reassuring to be able to categorize people as a means of better understanding them, categories will never be perfect, and language is evolving to reflect that.