7 Comments

I think a big part of this problem is the separation of the 2 words, sex and gender. This is new in the last 50 or so years, and seems to follow modernism and post modernism. They originally were synonyms. Many forms we fill out ask our gender, and they *mean* biological sex. So when we separate them it gives legitimacy to someone who says their gender is one sex when their biological sex is the opposite.

The legitimacy comes from the fact that these two words are then competing for recognition when they never should have been separated. "Gender affirming care" is in reality I don't accept my biological sex. That's a problem. (I'm not speaking here of abnormal medical issues affecting specific situations, which are an extremely small percentage).

If we want to ask "do you have any unique personal identity", this makes clear what that really is, but when we separate sex and gender in our identities, allowing gender to be the opposite of our biological sex (or similarly disconnected), it creates only confusion, I believe. And I am not referring to personality bents or preferences. We can't use gender for that. If I as a male enjoy cross stitching that does not make me female in any way.

We've allowed conflating of these two terms to create significant issues.

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Please keep these articles and resources coming.

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I believe one can follow the traditional viewpoint that sex and gender are the same thing, but keep an open mind to differing viewpoints and above all a loving listening spirit!

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You, I think are missing a major point. To many on the left facts do not matter. It is all how you “FEEL”. How do you argue with someone feelings.

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To be fair, “feelings” over “facts” is not unique to the left. I think it’s a feature of extremists and true believers on both left and right who want non-complex answers to complex problems.

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You have a very valid point. You need a flexible mind, but you should look at the facts, even if you don’t like them. I was quoting my sister. One of the most closed minded people I know.

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That is too bad and frustrating. I think family dynamics can often make “fact” based discussions challenging - have to avoid it with about half my relatives.

Also I’ve learned that often when people can’t seem to grasp facts, you gotta take a step back and listen to their story and try to understand the experience that got them to where they are at.

Learned a lot from reading Jonathan Haight’s “The Righteous Mind” and how all of us form opinions a lot less objectively and fact based than we like to think. We are all more influenced by experience and relationships and emotions than we realize, even when we think we are prioritizing facts.

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