Transgender

@kevin-eleven said
Too bad that despite your age and wisdom you have not learned that the Muellerian and Wolffian ducts do not always differentiate in the strictly binary ways that your culturally indoctrinated expectations might expect. But that is not the only aspect involved here.

If the physical expression follows its own course, why not also respect each person's wish to follow the ...[text shortened]... course?

Do you value the physical more than the spiritual?

Or do you oppose personal liberty?

"you have not learned that the Muellerian and Wolffian ducts do not always differentiate in the strictly binary ways that your culturally indoctrinated expectations might expect."

If an exception to a rule did not prove the rule, it would not be an exception.
It's amazing how many arguments here rely on the idea that exceptions are (in and of themselves) a lone standard of proof.
Aside from that the bulk of your argument is simply you presuming to know anything about me personally.

@kellyjay said
If there are more than two genders, why do we have only two gender sports? If we accept transgender as just as valid? Why not have men, women, and transgender sports?

Sports are silly. Why do we even have sports?

Problem solved.

@kilroy70 said
"you have not learned that the Muellerian and Wolffian ducts do not always differentiate in the strictly binary ways that your culturally indoctrinated expectations might expect."

If an exception to a rule did not prove the rule, it would not be an exception.
It's amazing how many arguments here rely on the idea that exceptions are (in and of themselves) a lone standard ...[text shortened]... de from that the bulk of your argument is simply you presuming to know anything about me personally.

Okay, so maybe you're young and/or foolish. I don't see how that would invalidate the rest of my post. 😉

@kevin-eleven said
Okay, so maybe you're young and/or foolish. I don't see how that would invalidate the rest of my post. 😉

It's invalid because it is sheer speculation.
You are pretending to know things about me personally, like an artist painting a portrait of someone without any knowledge of that persons appearance. Indulging in personal speculation does not invalidate my argument.

You said:
"you have not learned that the Muellerian and Wolffian ducts do not always differentiate in the strictly binary ways that your culturally indoctrinated expectations might expect."

Even if you were correct in assuming I can be easily swayed by "culturally indoctrinated expectations", this does not invalidate the generally accepted truism that 'exceptions prove the rule'.

If you are unclear as to what this means, another example of 'the exception proves the rule' could be "with age comes wisdom". As a rule this is generally true (a truism) although there are exceptions. If there were no exceptions this truism would not be a rule, it would be an unerring (always true) fact of life.

So, as a rule there are two genders. If you say there are exceptions then you are validating rather than invalidating that rule.

@kilroy70 said
It's invalid because it is sheer speculation.
You are pretending to know things about me personally, like an artist painting a portrait of someone without any knowledge of that persons appearance. Indulging in personal speculation does not invalidate my argument.

You said:
[i]"you have not learned that the Muellerian and Wolffian ducts do not always differentiate in the ...[text shortened]... genders. If you say there are exceptions then you are validating rather than invalidating that rule.

Please define "rule" as you are using it here, and also inform us regarding arbitrary ways such a "rule" would be relevant or used against other people who do not conform to the "rule".

Meanwhile, we could also say that "as a rule" people have two arms and two legs. So do you mean to imply that we should discriminate against, shun, mock, or murder people who do not have two arms and two legs? If so, please show your work and lay out your reasoning step by step.

@kevin-eleven said
Please define "rule" as you are using it here, and also inform us regarding arbitrary ways such a "rule" would be relevant or used against other people who do not conform to the "rule".

Meanwhile, we could also say that "as a rule" people have two arms and two legs. So do you mean to imply that we should discriminate against, shun, mock, or murder people who do not have two arms and two legs? If so, please show your work and lay out your reasoning step by step.

Oh good grief. It should be self explanatory, but if you still don't get it then google "the exception (or an exception) proves the rule".

If it makes you feel any better, I didn't get it the first time I saw it.

"Marcus Tullius Cicero (106–43 B.C.), in one of his marvelous speeches delivered during the defense of Lucius Cornellius Balbus, stated: “exceptio probat regulam in casibus non exceptis”, the literal translation of which would be “the exception proves the rule in cases not excepted”.

"The exception that proves the rule" is a saying whose meaning is contested. Henry Watson Fowler's Modern English Usage identifies five ways in which the phrase has been used, and each use makes some sort of reference to the role that a particular case or event takes in relation to a more general rule.

"Two original meanings of the phrase are usually cited. The first, preferred by Fowler, is that the presence of an exception applying to a specific case establishes ["proves"] that a general rule exists. A more explicit phrasing might be "the exception that proves the existence of the rule". Most contemporary uses of the phrase emerge from this origin, although often in a way which is closer to the idea that all rules have their exceptions. The alternative origin given is that the word "prove" is used in the archaic sense of "test". In this sense, the phrase does not mean that an exception demonstrates a rule to be true or to exist, but that it tests the rule, thereby proving its value. There is little evidence of the phrase being used in this second way."

"...the presence of an exception applying to a specific case establishes ["proves"] that a general rule exists."

@kellyjay said
If there are more than two genders, why do we have only two gender sports? If we accept transgender as just as valid? Why not have men, women, and transgender sports?

I had a good friend who started as a hermaphrodite and chose a female identity (therefore feminine). I have no axe to grind.

I like your idea KJ as it removes controversy and actually could lead to a wider acceptance of those caught in this dilemma, which causes such anguish for those trapped in the wrong body .

Those born in a male body engaging in female sports usually have a clear advantage because of size and strength, which is a point that Caitlin Jenner (bless her) makes.

● Ants are smart enough to know if an ant belongs to the same colony or not.
● People aren't smart enough to know the difference between a man and a woman.

● Ergo, ants are smarter than people.

@kilroy70 said
● Ants are smart enough to know if an ant belongs to the same colony or not.
● People aren't smart enough to know the difference between a man and a woman.

● Ergo, ants are smarter than people.

So

* Ants are smart enough to know if an ant belongs to the same colony or not.
* People are smart enough to know their families/friends,

* so people are as smart as ants, at least in that respect.

@ponderable said
So

* Ants are smart enough to know if an ant belongs to the same colony or not.
* People are smart enough to know their families/friends,

* so people are as smart as ants, at least in that respect.

I should have said 'all' ants and 'some' people.

Ants do not possess an innate ability to deceive themselves, whereas people do possess that trait. The reason why we don't see ants bragging about being smarter than humans is because they don't have enormous Egos...
so they are smarter by default.

@kellyjay said
If there are more than two genders, why do we have only two gender sports? If we accept transgender as just as valid? Why not have men, women, and transgender sports?

Which gender would you say God has?

Please feel free to refer to Jewish scriptures and commentary before you answer. 😉