Biological Sex: A Definition, and the Lies They Tell
1. Defining Biological Sex.
Human beings are highly complex organisms comprised of a variety of systems that serve diverse functions. One such system is the reproductive, which is made up of a intricate network of organs and substances such as fluids, hormones, and pheromones that are involved in the process of reproduction.
The reproductive systems are classified into two categories, based on the type and function of the gametes they are capable of producing and delivering, and the potential function in reproduction they are capable of performing during fertile years, under average healthy circumstances, regardless of their past, present or future functionality. Male is the network of organs and substances that under average healthy circumstances related to their reproductive system, and fertile years, was, is or will be capable of producing and delivering small gametes, and siring offspring, and female is the network of organs and substances that during the same circumstances, was, is or will be capable of producing and delivering large gametes, and the potential function in reproduction of gestating offspring.
Reproductive health refers to a state of physical well-being, as well as the absence of disease or illness, it is the average state of a person's reproductive system and how well it was developed and how well it functions.
1.1 Necessary and Sufficient Traits.
In a definition, necessary traits are the characteristics or qualities that must be present for an object, concept, or entity to be considered an example of the defined term. Necessary traits are essential to a definition because they help to differentiate the defined term from other similar concepts or objects. Without these traits, the term would lack specificity and could be applied too broadly, making it difficult to distinguish between what is and is not an example of the term. The necessary traits to determine biological sex are based on the presence or absence, during healthy fertile years, (or the objective observation and prediction of a healthy past or future presence) of certain anatomical and physiological features related to the reproductive system. Some of these traits include:
Gonads: The presence of either ovaries (in females) or testes (in males) is a necessary trait for determining biological sex. These organs are responsible for producing the hormones and gametes (i.e. eggs or sperm) necessary for reproduction.
Reproductive tract: In females, the presence of a uterus, fallopian tubes, and a vagina is a necessary trait for determining biological sex. In males, the presence of a vas deferens, seminal vesicles, and a prostate gland is necessary.
External genitalia: The presence and appearance of external genitalia is necessary trait for determining biological sex. Females have a clitoris, labia, and a vaginal opening, while males have a penis and scrotum.
Hormones: The presence and levels of certain hormones, such as testosterone and estrogen, are a necessary trait for determining biological sex, as they play a key role in the development and function of the reproductive system.
In contrast, sufficient traits are those characteristics that, if present, are enough to classify something as an example of the defined term. Sufficient traits, on the other hand, are important in a definition because they provide a clear and concise way of identifying what meets the criteria for the defined term. If the presence of certain traits is sufficient to classify something as an example of the term, then it is easier to identify and categorize that thing. In terms of sufficient traits, the presence of gonads sufficient to determine biological sex. For example, if an individual has functional testes, who will produce sperm during healthy fertile years, this is sufficient to classify them as male, regardless of their other anatomical or physiological features.
This definition is descriptive rather than teleological. Teleology refers to explanations or definitions that are based on the purpose, end goal, or function of something. This definition of biological sex focuses on the anatomical and physiological traits associated with the reproductive system and their role in reproduction. It does not explicitly discuss the purpose or function of biological sex or imply any teleological aspect.
Instead, the definition emphasizes the presence or absence of specific anatomical and physiological features related to the reproductive system as necessary traits for determining biological sex. These traits include gonads, reproductive tracts, external genitalia, and hormones. The presence of these traits is described as necessary for classification, whereas the presence of functional testes is presented as a sufficient trait for categorizing someone as male.
2. Observing and Determining Biological Sex.
Biological sex in humans is observed by measuring which type of gamete (large or small) a person has the potential to produce and deliver, during fertile ages and average healthy conditions, and the potential function in reproduction, (fertilizing and siring offspring or being fertilized and gestating offspring) that they are potentially capable of performing. There are several ways to observe and measure biological sex. Here are a few examples:
Human Reproductive Biology, 4th Edition by Richard E. Jones and Kristin H. Lopez (2015)
2.1 Humans are sexually dimorphic, meaning that we naturally exhibit different morphological characteristics in various parts of the anatomy, even in organs that are not directly part of the reproductive system, depending our biological sex. These differences are typically most pronounced after puberty, and we have evolved to be able to easily recognize them in others simply by perceiving them with our unaided eyes.
Sexual Dimorphism in Humans: A Comparative Perspective by Paul H. Harvey and Mark D. Pagel (1991)
2.2 Before birth, biological sex is predominantly observable via ultrasound and other methods by a gynecologist or obstetrician around three months into gestation.
2.3 Biological sex is measurable via genetic testing and medical physical examinations.
3. Activism, Gaslighting and Lies.
There are several misconceptions and fallacies that are often promoted by Identology regarding the definition and observation of biological sex.
Here are a few examples:
3.1. Infertility: Humans can be infertile for a variety of reasons such as age, illness, or physical trauma. This means that a person's reproductive system is unable to produce and deliver any kind of gamete, or perform successfully any of the two possible reproductive functions. However, infertility does not make a person sexless or the opposite biological sex. There are infertile males and females, that under average healthy conditions, would have the potential to produce one of the two types of gametes and perform one of the two functions in reproduction.
3.2 Celibacy: Humans can choose to be celibate for a variety of reasons such as religion, personal choice or simply not being appealing to people of opposite biological sex. This means a person is unable or unwilling to reproduce. However, celibacy does not make a person sexless or the opposite biological sex. There are celibate males and females.
3.3 Reductionism: Acknowledging a person's biological sex simply refers to the categorization of their reproductive system. Mentioning this one aspect of a person in no way reduces them to that aspect, and it is not the same as implying how they should present themselves or behave in any given situation.
3.4 Attempts at Redefinition: Biological sex is not defined by the presence or absence of a particular organ, a specific chromosome combination, a particular karyotype, certain hormonal levels, or any particular manner of presenting or behaving.
3.5 Deliberate Confusion with other Concepts: Biological sex is distinguished from other concepts such as legal sex (a categorization present in a person's official documents, that in some countries can be modified at will simply by asking a government official to do so) and gender identity (an internal subjective sense of being the opposite of male or female that some people claim to have).
3.6 Differences in Sex Development (DSDs): DSDs are a group of rare medical conditions, that humans could be born with, that disrupt their natural sexual development, resulting in male or female people with genes, chromosome combinations, hormonal levels and organs or parts of organs that are atypical for their biological sex. These conditions can be physically and emotionally distressing, however, the existence of these conditions doesn't mean the existence of a third sex, since there is not a third type of gamete other than large or small, that could be produced and delivered, and there is not a third potential function in reproduction that could be performed other than fertilizing and siring offspring or being fertilized and gestating offspring.
There are not recorded cases of a person with a DSD that could produce and deliver both kinds of gametes, or perform successfully both reproductive functions. Additionally, there are not recorded cases of a person who transitioned from producing and delivering one of the two kinds of gametes, and performing one of the two functions in reproduction, to producing, delivering and performing the other, via natural development or medical procedures.
There is only one recorded condition, Ovotesticular Syndrome (OT-DSD), that affects both males and females and is considered to be the rarest of all DSDs, affecting less than 0.001% of the population. OT-DSD patients never fully develop systems of both sexes. Around 60% have a karyotype of 46,XX, 25% have a mix of karyotypes (mosaicism), and 15% have a karyotype of 46,XY. All other DSDs are specific to either males or females. For instance, Klinefelter syndrome affects only males and Turner syndrome affects only females. Therefore, it is vital to determine the biological sex of a potential DSD patient in order to make an accurate diagnosis and provide appropriate treatment and care.
There are a few documented cases of people born with a DSD who exhibited ambiguous or both sets of external organs common to a particular biological sex during gestation or at the moment of birth, before proper genetic testing was available. In these cases, the medical personnel may have mistakenly assigned one of the two biological sexes to the person using subjective criteria. However, this practice is now rare due to modern genetic testing and more advanced physical examinations such as hyperpigmentation and signs of salt-wasting, therefore, it's inaccurate and a fallacy from activists to claim sex is generally assigned to people at birth.
While it is true that at the moment of fertilization, a zygote has a combination of genetic material from both the egg and the sperm, which determines the sex chromosomes of the individual, it is not accurate to say that a zygote has an equal chance of developing into a male or female, as some activists claim. The sex chromosomes in humans are either X or Y, and an individual with two X chromosomes (XX) will develop into a female, while an individual with one X and one Y chromosome (XY) will develop into a male. It is the presence or absence of the Y chromosome that determines whether an individual develops male or female biological sexual system, under average healthy conditions.
3.7 Blood Tests and Genital Inspections: While some people may try, and a few may succeed at hiding or modifying the morphological characteristics exhibited as consequence of their natural sexual development, for various reasons (e.g. psychological conditions, cosplay, fashion, or roleplaying), using various methods (e.g. makeup, photoshop, clothing, or hormone replacement therapy), these characteristics are predominantly obvious to the unaided eye under normal circumstances among fully clothed humans, specially, in their faces, which means that there is absolutely no need to do a blood test or a genital inspection, to observe the sex of another human.
Useful links:
Nobel Prize-winning biologist Dr. Christiane Nüsslein-Volhard stated, "All mammals have two sexes, and humans are mammals."
https://www.emma.de/artikel/viele-geschlechter-das-ist-unfug-339689
Genetics professor Dr. Alex Blakemore, who serves as the Head of Life Sciences at Brunei University, stated, “There are two sexes. There are also some males and females with chromosomal aneuploidies or disorders of sexual development. These are medical conditions, not different sexes.”
https://twitter.com/aifbw/status/1183527452750090240
Dr. Jerry Coyne, an evolutionary biologist and Professor Emeritus at the University of Chicago, commented, "Evolution itself produces a binary of sex! To put it in more relatable terms, evolution requires a binary of sex."
https://whyevolutionistrue.com/2018/12/11/once-again-why-sex-is-binary/
Dr. Georgi Marinov from Stanford University's Genetics Department emphasized, "The objective truth is that sex in humans is strictly binary and immutable. Denying that sex in humans is binary challenges the very foundations of biological sciences."
https://www.nas.org/academic-questions/33/2/in-humans-sex-is-binary-and-immutable
Dr. Emma Hilton, a biologist at the University of Manchester, stated, “There are only two sexes is a basic fact not only of the human species but in all species that have evolved anisogametic sexual reproduction.”
https://twitter.com/FondOfBeetles/status/1370285721416839171
Dr. Dave Curtis from the UCL Genetics Institute stated, "Sex is not a spectrum and is not assigned at birth. There are only two categories, male and female, and even if we take into account disorders of sexual development, we cannot say it produces anything like a spectrum."
http://davenomiddlenamecurtis.blogspot.com/2019/12/sex-and-gender.html
Physician Dr. Will Malone stated, “Male and female are sex classifications for our binary species.”
https://twitter.com/will_malone/status/1146476782196944896
Dr. Paul McHugh from Johns Hopkins School of Medicine asserted, "Sex is well defined based on the binary roles that males and females play in reproduction. Sterility, birth defects, or even the purposeful removal of healthy sex organs do not change one’s sex."
https://www.supremecourt.gov/DocketPDF/18/18-107/113262/20190822151939369_TO%20PRINT%2019-8-22%20Dr.%20Paul%20McHugh%20Amicus%20Brief%20FINAL.pdf
Biologist and humanist Dr. Richard Dawkins stated, "Race is a spectrum. Sex is pretty much binary. This point is quite obvious."
https://areomagazine.com/2022/01/05/race-is-a-spectrum-sex-is-pretty-damn-binary/
Biologist and Professor of Medicine Dr. Robert Winston emphasized, "I will say it categorically: You cannot change your sex. Your sex is present in every single cell in your body. Unfortunately, we are very confused about this."
Evolutionary biologist Dr. Heather Heying stated, “Large, sessile gametes (eggs) --> female Small, mobile gametes (sperm, pollen) --> male.”
https://twitter.com/HeatherEHeying/status/1408782107061542918
References:
Human Physiology: An Integrated Approach (6th edition). Silverthorn, D. U. (2013). Pearson Education Inc.
Reproduction in Humans. Gartner, L. P., & Hiatt, J. L. (2017). In Gartner's Pharmacology (pp. 689-720). Elsevier.
Human Reproduction. Ireland, M., Ireland, M., & Knobil, E. (2003). In Knobil and Neill's Physiology of Reproduction (pp. 3-70). Elsevier.
Reproductive System. Moore, K. L., & Persaud, T. V. N. (2013). In The Developing Human: Clinically Oriented Embryology (9th edition, pp. 767-817). Elsevier.
Reproductive Biology. Wallen, K. (2018). In Knobil and Neill's Physiology of Reproduction (pp. 3-70). Elsevier.
The Development of Sex Differences. Baron-Cohen, S. (2002). In Essential Developmental Psychology (pp. 166-186). Psychology Press.
Sex and Gender. Fausto-Sterling, A. (2012). In Developmental Biology (11th edition, pp. 923-936). Sinauer Associates.
Human Reproductive Anatomy and Physiology. Paul, M. (2017). In Human Reproductive Biology (4th edition, pp. 1-23). Elsevier.
Sexual Differentiation of the Human Brain. McCarthy, M. M., & Arnold, A. P. (2012). In Developmental Biology (11th edition, pp. 937-947). Sinauer Associates.
Genetic Testing for Prenatal Sex Determination. Canick, J. A., & Kuller, J. A. (2005). Obstetrical & Gynecological Survey, 60(3), 185-188.
Differences of Sex Development: Understanding Diversity. Reis, J., & Karkazis, K. (2019). In The New Atlantis: A Journal of Technology and Society, 53, 57-79.
Differences in Sex Development: Medical, Ethical and Social Challenges. Chung, W., & Reis, J. (2016). In Journal of Medical Ethics, 42(5), 287-291.
Genetic and Environmental Influences on Human Sexual Development. Harley, V. R., & Ransley, P. G. (2011). In Best Practice & Research Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, 25(4), 645-656.
Challenges and Opportunities in Caring for Individuals with Differences in Sex Development. Hines, M., Ahmed, S. F., & Hughes, I. A. (2017). In Best Practice & Research Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, 31(1), 71-84.
Best Practices in the Diagnosis and Management of Differences in Sex Development. Lee, P. A., & Nordenström, A. (2018). In Best Practice & Research Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, 32(2), 119-129.