More Than Two Genders... Fight me (but read this first) #nottrans

The fervent dispute on the subject of gender and the associated gender dysphoria is an exercise in
the capacity to accept or tolerate without getting angry or upset. Both parties in the debate have failed miserably at this exercise. In one hand you have those that declare that gender is a spectrum and there is more than just the binary male and female genders all the while pushing that biological sex does not exist or has little to no value. In the other hand you have those that assert that there are only two genders and anything more is a mental disorder.
Now, it is perfectly plausible that both sides are simultaneously right and wrong; and, quite frankly, very foolish. Let's start with the words as their specific meanings and origins are paramount to making a reasonable argument and or assessment of what either party is expressing. The words 'sex' and 'gender' are, in some instances, interchangeable but only due to the fact that the colloquial usage of both has changed drastically over the years. For the sake of consistency throughout, I will use the Merriam-Webster definition.

gender- n.

1. a : a subclass within a grammatical class (such as noun, pronoun, adjective, or verb) of a language that is partly arbitrary but also partly based on distinguishable characteristics (such as shape, social rank, manner of existence, or sex) and that determines agreement with and selection of other words or grammatical forms b : membership of a word or a grammatical form in such a subclass c : an inflectional form (see inflection 3a) showing membership in such a subclass
2. a : sex (e.g. the feminine gender) b : the behavioral, cultural, or psychological traits typically associated with one sex

sex- n.

1 : either of the two major forms of individuals that occur in many species and that are distinguished respectively as female or male especially on the basis of their reproductive organs and structures
2 : the sum of the structural, functional, and behavioral characteristics of organisms that are involved in reproduction marked by the union of gametes and that distinguish males and females
3 a : sexually motivated phenomena or behavior b : sexual intercourse
4 : genitalia

The definition of 'gender' is peculiar. In one instance it refers to the usage in language and on the other we have the medical reference. Based on what we know about various languages, words may be masculine, feminine, or neuter. But where did this word originate and how did it come to being a sit in for 'sex'? The word 'gender' originates from the 14th century Old French 'gendre', 'genre' meaning; "kind, sort, class, a class or kind of persons or things sharing certain traits." This comes from the stem of the Latin word genus (see also: genitive, generis) meaning "race, stock, family; kind, rank, order; species, also (male or female) sex." If we address how we have to come to the current word from the Proto-Indo-European root 'gene-' meaning "to give birth, beget." Derivatives of the PIE root are generally referring to procreation and familial and tribal groups adding more confusion to the matter of this word.

The "male/female sex" usage did not come about until the 15th century and up until much later it was used as a catch all word to define any type of grouping. The word 'sex' began to take on erotic qualities in the 20th century at which point 'gender' began to be used as a reference to male or female and even then the usage of the word in that manner was considered to be colloquial. Further more, it can be reasonably assumed that the Latin words from which the word 'gender' originated can be traced further back to the Greek word 'genos'. The word 'genos' was used as a reference to lineage, especially in regards to nobility.

So, in a historically accurate sense, the word 'gender' is sociological and the word 'sex' is scientific. With that being said, there are two sexes and more than two genders.

If you enjoyed this article and found the information to be of value then please upvote and share. I would love to hear feedback from others. This is a heated debate and I have been in the camp of two genders up until I decided to be objective. Please fully read this before commenting.

Cheers,

Sean