Ecology Letters, which I thought was a reasonably respectable journal, has now accepted a “viewpoint” article arguing that there is no consensus on biological sex, and that a definition based on gamete size—a consensus if ever there was one—is just viable as “multivariate” definition that incorporates a combination of chromosomes, genetics, and morphology.One of the paper's more ridiculous arguments is that female hummingbirds sometimes have bright colors, making them look more like male birds. No, bird colors do not refute sex being binary.They’re wrong and misguided in many ways, ...
But they add that the “rigorous research” they propose be done “also challenges simplistic and harmful ideologies of the sex binary”.
Wednesday, March 18, 2026
No Harmful Ideologies of the Sex Binary
Biology professor Jerry Coyne writes:
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
1 comment:
A normal human has two arms and two legs. I'm sure you could find someone born without arms or legs, but that would not in any way redefine what a normal human is born with. The same is for those born blind or deaf, I'm sure no one would claim such a condition should redefine how humans are normally.
Now we come to the entire gender issue. It is true that a tiny number of people are born intersex, this however has no bearing whatsoever on how humans function normally, at least biologically. The only sexes that exist are functionally capable of reproduction, there are no 'other' imaginary sexes or genders except in fiction. A birth defect outlier does not redefine a gender or a biological norm.
Sexually speaking, there are male and female within humanity. Neither a crazy castrated man nor an insane woman with a mastectomy changes this, just as anorexia and bulimia do not redefine healthy people. I also acknowledge some people are schizophrenic or with bi polar disorders, this does not redefine sanity or psychological norms.
To anyone who remains confused about their own gender, they are either an incredibly small minority with a birth defect, seriously mentally ill in need of treatment, or so ideologically contrary any logical discussion is pointless...or maybe they have somehow never noticed what they have between their own legs. Go figure.
Post a Comment