Third Gender/Sex

Started by Apple Juice November 14th, 2009 5:24 PM
  • 2206 views
  • 25 replies

Apple Juice

who are you

Male
Seen July 15th, 2014
Posted October 13th, 2013
1,219 posts
13.6 Years
After hearing bits of conversation of Oprah on my mother's television, I've looked up and found out what the third gender is. (fixed because I need to read wikipedia better :x) Is that you are a set gender, but can't be described as male or female. (thank you cookie) (better description here)

I was wondering what your thoughts were on this topic.

I personally think I would not like to meet such a person in my life.

Feign

Clain

Seen January 24th, 2023
Posted March 12th, 2011
4,293 posts
14.4 Years
"You got close too fast and he hasn't called again, did you make one of these 3 big mistakes with him? Find out"

The ever so present google ad knows what is best...

Anyway... the third gender is the neuter (or neutral gender), which some nouns have been classified as.

Also you can be a guy or girl, without libido or physical parts... Just takes a DNA test (like those people that find out they are XXY or something).

Apple Juice

who are you

Male
Seen July 15th, 2014
Posted October 13th, 2013
1,219 posts
13.6 Years
That's pretty incorrect. You are a set gender, however, you have qualities that are undefined/cannot be defined as exactly male or female, and I'm sure this is more personality-related than there being an actual third gender.
Err, thank you Gilgamesh. Sorry about the that. I shall try to look up the topic I am writing more in the future. ):

I say that I wouldn't want to meet a person fo this type because it would just strike me disturbing, personally.

However, thank you for the fix again, cookie.
Age 31
Female
a series of tubes
Seen August 6th, 2010
Posted December 24th, 2009
47 posts
13.5 Years
There's genetically no such thing. If you have a Y chromosome, you are genetically male. It doesn't matter if you have extra X chromosomes; you are biologically male and those characteristics are at least partially expressed, even if you are unable to reproduce. Similarly, if you have only an X chromosome, you are genetically female, and those characteristics are expressed. So physically at least, there isn't a third gender per se.

Personalities, though, don't necessarily come in one gender or the other. So even though a person may be biologically one of two genders, they can be whatever they want to in their own minds. Live and let live, I guess.

tl;dr: there is no physical third gender, but people don't necessarily have to identify with one or the other and I don't judge either way
"I once talked to a rose while tripping in 1974."


Bulbasaur's Explosion: Now with 20% less suck!

Apple Juice

who are you

Male
Seen July 15th, 2014
Posted October 13th, 2013
1,219 posts
13.6 Years
say that to oprah XD

Again, in my own way, which would take awhile to discribe, it would indeed seem quite different to me, and my shyness does not help. ;x

I guess you could say there is no such thing, and yes, most people probably wouldn't identify a person in this specific way.

Charizard★

Age 28
Female
Seen January 28th, 2019
Posted November 13th, 2018
13,369 posts
13.8 Years
There's genetically no such thing. If you have a Y chromosome, you are genetically male. It doesn't matter if you have extra X chromosomes; you are biologically male and those characteristics are at least partially expressed, even if you are unable to reproduce. Similarly, if you have only an X chromosome, you are genetically female, and those characteristics are expressed. So physically at least, there isn't a third gender per se.

Personalities, though, don't necessarily come in one gender or the other. So even though a person may be biologically one of two genders, they can be whatever they want to in their own minds. Live and let live, I guess.

tl;dr: there is no physical third gender, but people don't necessarily have to identify with one or the other and I don't judge either way
Still there are loop holes around that. Nature can create amazing things...


Esper

California
Seen June 30th, 2018
Posted June 30th, 2018
What's there to say? Some people aren't distinctly female or male - in a biological sense or a social sense.

A former classmate of mine was born with male chromosomes but developed as female physiologically. You'd never know if she didn't tell you. Another classmate looked and acted in some stereotypically male and females ways and if you saw him you couldn't be sure if he was a masculine looking girl or a feminine looking guy. At some point you have to start asking yourself how terms like 'male' and 'female' stand up to the realities of life and whether or not everyone is a mixture of both.

Charizard★

Age 28
Female
Seen January 28th, 2019
Posted November 13th, 2018
13,369 posts
13.8 Years
What's there to say? Some people aren't distinctly female or male - in a biological sense or a social sense.

A former classmate of mine was born with male chromosomes but developed as female physiologically. You'd never know if she didn't tell you. Another classmate looked and acted in some stereotypically male and females ways and if you saw him you couldn't be sure if he was a masculine looking girl or a feminine looking guy. At some point you have to start asking yourself how terms like 'male' and 'female' stand up to the realities of life and whether or not everyone is a mixture of both.
But that wouldn't be considered a third gender right? But what would the third gender even do?


Esper

California
Seen June 30th, 2018
Posted June 30th, 2018
But that wouldn't be considered a third gender right? But what would the third gender even do?
Do? What do the first and second genders 'do'? And which one gets second place?
Seen March 13th, 2022
Posted December 28th, 2018
12,504 posts
19.7 Years
That's pretty incorrect. You are a set gender, however, you have qualities that are undefined/cannot be defined as exactly male or female, and I'm sure this is more personality-related than there being an actual third gender.
Um, no. Your sex is defined by your genetalia BUT your gender ain't.

So don't pull that kinda crap with me. Gurrrrrl.

If I could choose. I'd probably choose to be third gender. Because. Women have such hawt clothing choices. And I don't. And like. Chibi discrimatinates against me. Because I wear nail polish. Soooo

WHERE DOES THAT EVEN LEAVE ME;.

HUGH

Sydian

fake your death.

Age 30
they/them
Georgia
Seen May 22nd, 2022
Posted November 29th, 2021
33,354 posts
15.2 Years
(like those people that find out they are XXY or something).
Just want to clarify that that's a genetic disorder, but this could also be linked to that. Just my two cents. Not gonna come back to this thread and discuss it, so don't whine at me for what I'm saying.
BURY ME SIX FEET DEEP COVER ME IN CONCRETE
twitter | twitch | youtube
Male
Seen November 2nd, 2013
Posted May 31st, 2013
958 posts
13.9 Years

Um, no. Your sex is defined by your genetalia BUT your gender ain't.

So don't pull that kinda crap with me. Gurrrrrl.

If I could choose. I'd probably choose to be third gender. Because. Women have such hawt clothing choices. And I don't. And like. Chibi discrimatinates against me. Because I wear nail polish. Soooo

WHERE DOES THAT EVEN LEAVE ME;.

HUGH
I think the point stands, because it is still a set gender. Its not like one who'd want to identify with that group of people's actual mental gender is wavering back and forth as we speak (though they could be confused on it), so its still set, just not identifying with male or female completely

Agent Cobalt

Proud U.S. Army Soldier

Age 33
Male
New Jersey
Seen December 11th, 2009
Posted December 10th, 2009
191 posts
14.9 Years
Gotta love this new age world we live in where your gender no longer means your sex, but something you want to be identified as as part of your alternative lifestyle or whatever you want to call it. They're the same thing. Words don't even mean anything anymore because everyone wants to change them so as not to offend their sensibilities. This world just keeps getting weirder by the second. The meaning of the word gender is suffering the same fate as "rights," "intolerant," "fascism," "genocide," "fair," "equal," and everything under the Sun.
XP

Pokeyomom

Hoenn no you didn't...

Oregon
Seen January 13th, 2013
Posted April 17th, 2011
743 posts
14.1 Years

I personally think I would not like to meet such a person in my life.
Thats kinda harsh O^0.




Gotta love this new age world we live in where your gender no longer means your sex, but something you want to be identified as as part of your alternative lifestyle or whatever you want to call it. They're the same thing. Words don't even mean anything anymore because everyone wants to change them so as not to offend their sensibilities. This world just keeps getting weirder by the second. The meaning of the word gender is suffering the same fate as "rights," "intolerant," "fascism," "genocide," "fair," "equal," and everything under the Sun.
XP
This thread is already heading for tragedy...
Seen March 13th, 2022
Posted December 28th, 2018
12,504 posts
19.7 Years
Gotta love this new age world we live in where your gender no longer means your sex, but something you want to be identified as as part of your alternative lifestyle or whatever you want to call it. They're the same thing. Words don't even mean anything anymore because everyone wants to change them so as not to offend their sensibilities. This world just keeps getting weirder by the second. The meaning of the word gender is suffering the same fate as "rights," "intolerant," "fascism," "genocide," "fair," "equal," and everything under the Sun.
XP
Dude. While you're working at making sure everyone has a fair shot in a ceiling-less capital market, why not try to make sure everyone has equal rights?

Is it that hard to just accept other types of people? Gah D: I don't really feel like locking horns with everyone at the moment, but seriously, how does third gender/sex or transsexuality hurt or even affect you?

Obviously you were born with a penis and consider yourself male, so I don't know how you can make judgments about people who were born with a penis and consider themselves female.

Agent Cobalt

Proud U.S. Army Soldier

Age 33
Male
New Jersey
Seen December 11th, 2009
Posted December 10th, 2009
191 posts
14.9 Years
Dude. While you're working at making sure everyone has a fair shot in a ceiling-less capital market, why not try to make sure everyone has equal rights?
How did this get to be about equal rights? I said nothing about that. I said words are losing their meaning because people want to apply them to things they have no relation to. If you got opposition to the 13th, 14th, 15th, or 19th Amendments from my post, then wow.
Is it that hard to just accept other types of people? Gah D: I don't really feel like locking horns with everyone at the moment, but seriously, how does third gender/sex or transsexuality hurt or even affect you?
This was never about people with alternative lifestyles hurting me; I never even said that. This is not about me at all, actually. If anything, my post could be applied to you, for purposely trying to change a word's definition to suit your stance on something. I mean, really? You're making this about accepting people? Six posts up you actually made the claim that sex and gender are determined differently, which they're not. Your gender isn't what you want to be; it's what your sex is. This isn't about your feelings or mine; this about a definition. You can't just change what words mean just because you want to broaden their meanings to include your world view or whatever your reasons are. That's why I posted what I posted.

Jeeze, why so serious?
Obviously you were born with a penis and consider yourself male, so I don't know how you can make judgments about people who were born with a penis and consider themselves female.
Wow, if you found judgments on people in my post then they should hire you to find the Holy Grail, because your eyes can evidently see things nobody else can. Yeesh. >_<

Male
Seen November 2nd, 2013
Posted May 31st, 2013
958 posts
13.9 Years
Gotta love this new age world we live in where your gender no longer means your sex, but something you want to be identified as as part of your alternative lifestyle or whatever you want to call it. They're the same thing. Words don't even mean anything anymore because everyone wants to change them so as not to offend their sensibilities. This world just keeps getting weirder by the second. The meaning of the word gender is suffering the same fate as "rights," "intolerant," "fascism," "genocide," "fair," "equal," and everything under the Sun.
XP

No, its because the idea does agree with you is why it seems odd to you. Gender refers to a personal mental status (definition out of the dictionary is, the behavioral, cultural, or psychological traits typically associated with one sex), and a person's sex refers to the physical status of a person.

Its been like that for a long time now, get over it. Its the modern day and just because you grew up never knowing the difference does not make it weird.
Seen March 13th, 2022
Posted December 28th, 2018
12,504 posts
19.7 Years
I'm not the only one who saw your post as criticizing the trans community for changing the 'definition'.

Gender is determined from your sex, social roles, etc. Even though we use it interchangeably with biological sex... it really isn't. I guess that's the only word change that is going on, our society has dumbed down and doesn't know the actual meanings of words.

Agent Cobalt

Proud U.S. Army Soldier

Age 33
Male
New Jersey
Seen December 11th, 2009
Posted December 10th, 2009
191 posts
14.9 Years
No, its because the idea does agree with you is why it seems odd to you. Gender refers to a personal mental status (definition out of the dictionary is, the behavioral, cultural, or psychological traits typically associated with one sex), and a person's sex refers to the physical status of a person.
LOL, where'd you get that definition, from a medical dictionary? Genders are the properties that distinguish organisms on the basis of their reproductive roles; sex is either of the two categories, male or female, into which most organisms are divided.

The American Heritage Dictionary, Encarta World English Dictionary, Cambridge International Dictionary of English, Webster's New World Dictionary, The Wordsmyth English Dictionary, and so on agree with me.

But even then, this cherry-picked definition is actually true in its original and correct context. You think it's supportive of your stance because of how you read it, but in all actuality it backs up my claim. The definition says out in the open that it's associated with one sex. And the "behavioral, cultural, or psychological traits" portion of the definition is, I'm sorry to say it, but sexually divisive in its actual meaning. What do I mean by that? Simple- all the definition is telling you is that men and women are different, that they act differently, live differently, and think differently, not that gender is something you can change based on your surroundings or mental status. That's inane.

Dictionaries, even ones that use language we want to view as supporting us, rarely give in to popular opinion, the counter-culture, or special interest groups and rarely change the meanings of their words because their purpose is after all to retain and preserve information and not continually revise and rewrite it. Notice that the definition of liberalism has largely gone unchanged from its original classical meaning from the 1700's despite being warped in meaning since Woodrow Wilson's time.
Its been like that for a long time now, get over it. Its the modern day and just because you grew up never knowing the difference does not make it weird.
I wasn't referencing the "third gender" idea, but the twisting of the meanings of words idea. That's what I found weird (odd, bizarre).
I'm not the only one who saw your post as criticizing the trans community for changing the 'definition'.
Really now? Please highlight my criticisms of this "community." I was critiquing anyone that outright fibs about a words meaning to fit their purpose. If you're part of this group or whatever you want to call it, you being critiqued doesn't necessarily reflect on your whole unit.
Gender is determined from your sex, social roles, etc. Even though we use it interchangeably with biological sex... it really isn't. I guess that's the only word change that is going on, our society has dumbed down and doesn't know the actual meanings of words.
It kind of is. Gender contains sex. Gender is the description of sexes, and sex is either of the two divisions therein.
Age 31
UK, England, Leeds. Simple.
Seen January 5th, 2013
Posted December 22nd, 2010
2,203 posts
18.2 Years
Will people stop twisting Agent Cobalt's words? He merely stated that that there is no such thing has a 'third' gender, because the very definition of the word 'gender' makes such a thing impossible, no matter how many people feel offended by this and want to change it. He wasn't judging anyone's lifestyle choices or anything of the sort. And as he already put better than me, the definition of a word rarely changes, (officially, not pop culure terms and the sort) no matter how much pressure is applied by the people who deem the word offensive or out-of-date.

The whole concept of the 'third' gender seems idiotic to me anyway. I'm assuming that people want a 'third' gender because they do not fit directly into the two existing genders, but how would a third category help? Using 'gender' to mean someone's mental state, a person's gender is a varying mix of male or female, meaning you cannot have a set amount genders to categorise such a thing. Once again, as Agent Cobalt already said, the word gender does not mean that and cannot be used in that context. I don't understand why only have two genders is so offensive anyway. If you don't fit directly into one of those two set genders, who cares? Stop being pedantic and live your life the way you want to.

Datra: 1804 8720 6653

Esper

California
Seen June 30th, 2018
Posted June 30th, 2018
:/ Do you guys mean hermaphrodites? :////
No. The topic is about transgendered or intersexed people under a somewhat old term of 'third gender.' Hermaphrodite is an antiquated term when referring to humans.

I think we need to distinguish the word 'gender' from 'gender role' to make things a little clearer. Yes, gender can simply refer to biological sex, but not always. Gender role is about socially common or accepted traits assigned to the sexes, like aggression for males

You know what, nevermind. Forget about it. I'm either preaching to the choir or my words are falling on deaf ears.

Uecil

Unknown.
Seen 2 Days Ago
Posted May 7th, 2021
2,567 posts
13.5 Years
yeah i see that on jerry springer and maury is that a transvestite?



o