Link to the article the image is from since I don't know how to internet well enough to make the image expandable. TL:DR genetics/biology show it's complex and there are many intersex possibilities on and the gender spectrum.
many intersex possibilities on the gender spectrum
Sex and gender are different, although often conflated because a lot of the times they're still used interchangeably, as in most contexts sex and gender do align, but not all.
Sex is usually categorized as female or male but there is variation in the biological attributes that comprise sex and how those attributes are expressed. (That's the part your article and image talk about; sex.) Gender refers to the socially constructed roles, behaviours, expressions and identities of girls, women, boys, men, and gender diverse people
no offense but why did you phrase this as though you disagreed lol the graphic in the comment clearly lays out the same distinction just in a different way
In an additional layer of complexity, the gender with which a person identifies does not always align with the sex they* are assigned at birth, and they may not be wholly male or female.
I'm absolutely a trans ally but what I don't understand about how science defines the sexes without reproduction. If those mushrooms have thousands of sexes, must they participate in gigantic fungal orgies every time they reproduce? Of course given that fungi are in an entirely different kingdom than mammals, I wouldn't be surprised if how sexes are defined is entirely different and irrelevant to how they're defined in animals.
My biology education ended at high school and unfortunately it was a high school that taught that the earth was 6000 years old so to say it was lacking would be an understatement.
The concept of binary and static gender is as much "basic biology" as three states of matter are basic physics or numbers being one-dimensional is basic maths.
Itโs an extremely simplified and archaic breakdown because 13 y/o usually arenโt smart enough for the actual uni-level stuff and the way weโve seen these things for centuries usually are a good introduction to the topic.
Transphobes coming with the "itโs basic biology" just shows that theyโve mentally never progressed further than the 7th grade; that theyโre either unwilling or incapable of grasping the fact that the world is more complicated than we tell teenagers.
Damn, we learned about intersex people in biology class. Probably sex ed. Although not explicitly transsexuality. That was in the late 90s or early 2000s.
You can have different genitalia than your chromosomes would indicate. Is it that hard to believe that you could have a different brain structure as well? I do believe that permanent changes should only happen once the individual is in their mid 20s, but at the end of the day I don't want governments making decisions on what others can and cannot do to their own bodies. Trans (and LGBTQ) people have been documented in history since language was first written, but somehow when the science is more definitive on these matters people become more phobic to reality.
I agree that it's a decision that should be made by the individual and their support network. (family, friends, doctors and psychologists.) And I'm behind those that need to change to salvage their mental health. I had to get lasik when I was 19 because I was having vision induced migraines. The recommendation is to wait until late to mid 20s to get the surgery, but my doctor knew I couldn't wait until my body was fully "developed". Your situation is far more complicated but I understand. It's none of my business what you do with your body! End of story สโฟส
homosexuality has been seen in nature as well, we only dont see trans animals because gender is itself something only humans have
also, it doesnt matter what the body, dna or whatever says your gender 'should be'. the gender is defined by how a person thinks and nothing can change that
Evolutionary biologist here. Iโd argue that, in the same sense as we see homosexuality in animals, we see trans animals.
Some animals physically transition - there are fish that will change their physical gender based on the current gender mixture in their local environment. Some behaviorally transition, with males taking on female roles. Sometimes a whole species is trans - like the female hyena developing male appearing genitalia.
Sexual orientation in the animal kingdom is not strictly analogous to that among humans (which has a much stronger social construct), and the same is true of gender (that is, human gender is a social construct). Because the range of adaptations are so diverse and so widespread, Iโm very sure of the fact that they have different causes from each other as well as from humans, but the same is true of animal sexuality.