Can sex and orientation change?

[KarateCowboy]

Can orientation change? Can you change your physical sex?

 

[Inkachu]

Nope. You can disfigure yourself and pump yourself full of synthetic hormones, but all that produces is an impersonation of the other gender. You can't change your chromosomes, which will forever declare either XX or XY; female or male.

 

[KarateCowboy]

Nope. You can disfigure yourself and pump yourself full of synthetic hormones, but all that produces is an impersonation of the other gender. You can't change your chromosomes, which will forever declare either XX or XY; female or male.

You're quick!

You responded before I finished adding the poll. Feel free to vote, if you wish.

 

[Armoured]

None of the above.

Gender is malleable. Genetic biological sex is not malleable, but not always clearly defined, either. For some people, orientation may be malleable, for others, it may not.

Short version, stop trying to force the spectrum of human sexuality into a handful of tick or cross, either/or boxes.

 

[kermit]

Can orientation change?

I believe it can, but that's not to say it's a choice. When I was in my 20's I didn't generally find women over 40 attractive. Now that I am 40 I do find them attractive. I never made a conscious choice to make this shift. Similarly, I think that a person could have the the things they find attractive change drastically enough to include people of a different gender.

Can you change your physical sex?

For the purpose of intercourse, yes. For the purpose of procreation, no.

 

[Billnew]

You can change your appearance, cosemtically or surgically, but the chomes don't change. A man is still a man, a woman is still a woman.
Politics*:This does not mean that society has to use these as guidelines. Society must decide how to handle people that feel they are not their original sex.
-I believe anyone that has been surgically altered should be alowed in the altered bathroom or dressing room. Unaltered remains in the origin rooms.
-I believe no person shall participate in female athletics to compete for a prize, if they were altered after puberty, or possibly 10yrs after surgery to avoid the unfair advantage. Unless doping is allowed, then there is no limit.

I also believe sexual orientation can change, by chemestry changes(hormonal changes), by mental changes, and by external stimuli.

I think I answered your question. Not sure with such a short post.

*to establish the reason this is posted in Politics.

Kermit: I would agree with you on choice to some point. There is a little choice. Say, most women in their 20's would find someone 40-50 as creepy if they were hit on, so we adjust to be realistic. Not saying gay, straight or bi is a choice. But we do have a little influence on attitudes. I also believe that people can stray across gay, straight or bi lines too. Again with a little choice but mostly just what your mind has decided it likes.

 

[Joykins]

Can orientation change?

Unlikely, but orientation is not at all a binary.

Can you change your physical sex?

It is only possible to change the outward and hormonal manifestations of your biological sex; chromosomal level changes are not possible.

My impression is that it is more possible to change gender than orientation, but that an orientation can itself (but doesn't always) encompass more than a little fluidity.

 

[trunks2k]

It should be noted that gender, sex, sexual behavior, and sexual orientation are all different things.

Physical sex? No. That requires surgery and hormone therapy.

Gender one identifies as? Possibly, though of all the transexuals I have known they have all said they've known since they were kids that they didn't feel like they were the same gender as their physical sex.

Sexual orientation? I would say yes, it's malleable (though I think "fluid" is a better word) to a certain extent. Not by any conscious decision. I identify as bisexual. When I was younger I was attracted to both genders fairly equally. Now, I'm more attracted to women than men. I'd say as time goes on, your orientation can change some, not that it necessarily does, but it's possible..

 

[Cute Tink]

You can't change your chromosomes, which will forever declare either XX or XY; female or male.

XX and XY are not the only options. Not by a long shot.

Can orientation change? Can you change your physical sex?

It's my understanding that sexual preferences can change somewhat over a lifetime. It can be very fluid for some people.

I'd also like to point out that being in a m/f relationship doesn't mean you are straight, necessarily, just in a straight relationship.

SRS isn't a full and complete change of physical sex. Currently there is no way to include a functional uterus or testes in the operation. What we have is the best we can get with current technology. For all intents and purposes, short of reproduction, yes you can change your physical sex.

And that is my explanation for my poll vote that both are "malleable"

 

[KarateCowboy]

None of the above.

Gender is malleable. Genetic biological sex is not malleable, but not always clearly defined, either. For some people, orientation may be malleable, for others, it may not.

What's the difference? We only have male and female 'genders' because we have male and female sexes. Why and how can they be divorced?

Short version, stop trying to force the spectrum of human sexuality into a handful of tick or cross, either/or boxes.

Why? Isn't that exactly what you do when you say gender/sex/male/female/etc?

 

[DaisyDay]

Nope. You can disfigure yourself and pump yourself full of synthetic hormones, but all that produces is an impersonation of the other gender. You can't change your chromosomes, which will forever declare either XX or XY; female or male.

Unless, of course, you are XXY.

 

[KarateCowboy]

Unlikely, but orientation is not at all a binary.



It is only possible to change the outward and hormonal manifestations of your biological sex; chromosomal level changes are not possible.

My impression is that it is more possible to change gender than orientation, but that an orientation can itself (but doesn't always) encompass more than a little fluidity.

Would you say, as far as orientation, that people are attracted to the sex or the gender? Is there a meaningful difference? For example, I heard about an aberrosexual couple where the male is female and the female is male, so to speak. Say the male-gone-female(mgf) is attracted to the opposite sex. If sex cannot change, but gender can, then wouldn't that mean the mgf is actually with the wrong person? Do you see what I'm getting at? That is: if gender can change but sex cannot, then doesn't that mean we should distinguish between, say, opposite sex attraction, and opposite gender attraction?(EG, the MGF in question is opposite gender attracted, and opposite sex attracted, and in essence is mixed gender-sex attracted). If so, I would say our failure to do so puts the lie to the claim that gender can really change, but sex cannot. I would say, then, that the two are ultimately inseparable.

 

[Armoured]

What's the difference? We only have male and female 'genders' because we have male and female sexes. Why and how can they be divorced?

Quite simply. Go look up "intersex", and "gender dysphoria"

Why? Isn't that exactly what you do when you say gender/sex/male/female/etc?

No.

 

[KarateCowboy]

Gender one identifies as?

As a point of clarity: It's worth noting that "identify as" is a phrase that, in practice, means "claim to be". EG, if I give you an ID card that says "Elizabeth, Queen of England", and tell you I am Queen Elizabeth, then I am identifying as Queen Elizabeth, regardless of the physical reality. Likewise, in essence, when I someone says "I identify as male", then he is claiming to be male.

 

[Cute Tink]

Would you say, as far as orientation, that people are attracted to the sex or the gender?

Depends on the person. Some are just attracted to people and not just parts.

I would say, then, that the two are ultimately inseparable.

I would say that every person has a sex and gender. Most of the time the are the same. Sometimes they are opposite.

Thing is, with treating what is now known as gender dysphoria, they tried initially (and for many years) to treat people by bringing the gender into alignment with birth sex. It failed. Now they do their best to bring the sex into alignment with gender and it is working as a treatment for the problem.

Gender doesn't seem to want to change (though it is not binary either), but sex can be adjusted.

 

[KarateCowboy]

Thing is, with treating what is now known as gender dysphoria, they tried initially (and for many years) to treat people by bringing the gender into alignment with birth sex. It failed. Now they do their best to bring the sex into alignment with gender and it is working as a treatment for the problem.

Yes, it's unfortunate. I think they should keep trying, now that they have better science and tools.

Gender doesn't seem to want to change (though it is not binary either), but sex can be adjusted.

I still have a hard time divorcing the two. Your sex is your biological body parts that you are. If you say "I'm changing my gender", and then remove your genitals, and then say "My gender is changed", then gender and sex really don't seem to be different things, right? I'm trying to figure out, according to this paradigm, where the line is, and what is what?

 

[Armoured]

Yes, it's unfortunate. I think they should keep trying, now that they have better science and tools.



I still have a hard time divorcing the two. Your sex is your biological body parts that you are. If you say "I'm changing my gender", and then remove your genitals, and then say "My gender is changed", then gender and sex really don't seem to be different things, right? I'm trying to figure out, according to this paradigm, where the line is, and what is what?

Your gender is in the mind. If the mind believes itself to be a different gender to that of the biological sex, you get problems.

 

[Targaryen]

None of the above.

Gender is malleable. Genetic biological sex is not malleable, but not always clearly defined, either. For some people, orientation may be malleable, for others, it may not.

Short version, stop trying to force the spectrum of human sexuality into a handful of tick or cross, either/or boxes.

Exactly

 

[Cute Tink]

Yes, it's unfortunate. I think they should keep trying, now that they have better science and tools.

The better science and tools haven't, as far as I've heard, lent a solution in the form of brain surgery to correct something that may have been that way since birth.

Why is it better, in your opinion, to mess with the brain of the individual than the body parts?

I still have a hard time divorcing the two. Your sex is your biological body parts that you are. If you say "I'm changing my gender", and then remove your genitals, and then say "My gender is changed", then gender and sex really don't seem to be different things, right? I'm trying to figure out, according to this paradigm, where the line is, and what is what?

Part of the problem may be that you are using the terms interchangeably.

Gender is between your ears, sex is between your legs.

 

[Joykins]

As a point of clarity: It's worth noting that "identify as" is a phrase that, in practice, means "claim to be". EG, if I give you an ID card that says "Elizabeth, Queen of England", and tell you I am Queen Elizabeth, then I am identifying as Queen Elizabeth, regardless of the physical reality. Likewise, in essence, when I someone says "I identify as male", then he is claiming to be male.

"identify as" does not mean "claim to be," it means "believe you are."