Anonymous asked: The idea of biological sex is false. It equalizes genitals with gender when in reality it's just that they have certain genitals, such as a penis or vagina. If you need to know something about a person don't ask what's your biological sex, just ask what chromosomes or genitals the person has, because those things don't determine gender. Stop using the term, it's harmful to trans people and unnecessary in the first place.
I assume you’re referring to this post and I understand your point, anon. I will even acknowledge that I could have phrased that better, but I wasn’t sure how. I personally am not trans, but please realize that I realize that dysphoria can be incredibly destructive to trans/nonbinary individuals. If my wording was insulting or hurtful to you in some manner, please know that I am genuinely sorry for my error and was coming from a place of concern for people’s physical health, and I will do my best to explain the reasons that I used the wording that I did in the hopes that you will understand.
First and most simply, most of the trans/nonbinary people I know find asking about their genitalia incredibly invasive and exceptionally rude (not to mention rather exclusive of intersex individuals), which makes sense, doesn’t it? It makes sense to me, at the very least, and as a result I would make an effort to avoid such a question in a medical situation unless absolutely necessary.
And the idea that genitalia is defined by chromosomes is also quite problematic from a medical perspective, because (contrary to what your high school biology class might have said) chromosomal alignment does not necessarily determine genitalia/physical sex at birth. A good example of this would be Swyer syndrome, or (more technically) XY gonadal dysgenesis. What this essentially means is that a person is born externally and internally female (although lacking ovaries), but has the normally-male chromosomal arrangement XY, which can have effects ranging from relatively minor (lack of breast/hip development, lack of menses) to potentially highly dangerous (adrenal failure). This link will take you to the Wikipedia page, which is rather brief but includes more helpful links at the bottom of the page. Swyer syndrome affects approximately 1 in 80,000 people, and there are a number of other chromosomal conditions involving a mis-arrangement of sex chromosomes. These include such things as Turner syndrome (one X chromosome, child will be designated female at birth), Klinefelter syndrome (XXY chromosomes, child will be designated male at birth), or even XXXY syndrome (child will be assigned male at birth). So, yes, for many people asking their chromosomal arrangement would answer the necessary question, but beyond the strictly medical issues, it can be very intimidating to start asking about their genetics, particularly someone in pain or in the midst of a panic. People suffering from an acute medical issue tend to already be very afraid, and it’s human nature to jump to the worst case scenario, which, when you start throwing around words like ‘chromosome,’ could be many a terrible thing.
The final reason I used the phrasing ‘biological sex’ is because sex and gender are fundamentally different, although through the vagaries of the English language the two concepts often become confused and conflated. In the strict definitions, gender refers to someone’s identity–man or woman; binary or nonbinary; him, her, them, or another pronoun. Sex, on the other hand, refers to what you were discussing, genitals and (in all likelihood) chromosomes, the category to which an individual was assigned at their birth.
I intended for it to be a more gentle way of asking that question, and if I was wrong I’m deeply sorry and invite any trans/nonbinary individuals to suggest a better one. In retrospect, I possibly should have phrased it as ‘what sex were you assigned at birth.’ The reason I would ask someone that question in a medical crisis is because if I’m speaking with a woman who has stubble and a bass voice, I don’t want to ask “did you used to be a man” because maybe she never was, or maybe she’s a man some days and a woman on others. I don’t want to ask “what is your genitalia” because if they have had gender reassignment surgery that question won’t be helpful, and if they haven’t then I don’t want to trigger a bout of dysphoria. I could ask “what are your chromosomes”, but I don’t want to scare them in the event that they would infer that I think they have a genetic disorder. In a high-pressure situation, I know myself well enough that I prefer direct questions over beating around the bush, because sometimes time really is of the essence. So I would probably say, “I’m sorry that I have to ask you this and I assure you that I will use whichever pronouns you prefer, but I need to know which biological sex you were born with.” Again, if this is a harmful way to phrase the question, I would gladly take any other suggestions from trans or nonbinary individuals, but there really are some times when that information is necessary for the patient to receive the best care possible. The system has many flaws related to the issue of gender, yes, from professionals who refuse to use the correct pronouns to the lack of distinction between ‘gender’ and ‘sex’ on many intake forms/patient records, but I do not intend to let that stop me from caring for people as best I can. Thank you very much for your input, anon, and I hope you understand where I was coming from.
