Summary

Representative Sarah McBride, the first out trans congresswoman, criticized Donald Trump’s executive order defining gender as strictly male or female.

McBride points out that biologically all embryos develop as female until the SRY gene activates weeks after conception.

The order, which ties gender to reproductive cells at conception, unintentionally categorizes all humans as female from conception based on biological facts.

McBride’s remarks highlight scientific flaws in the policy.

  • Jamablaya@lemmy.today
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    22 hours ago

    No, it really doesn’t. All ethical arguments aside, veterinarians/doctors/scientists/animal breeders often sex-select sperm for breeding purposes, very common as far as animals, I assume common enough in assisted human pregnancies. Anyways, bio sex is literally determined by the male input, not the female, it is quite literally decided at conception even if you can’t see it yet. (Why I know this? Farmer. You have no idea how violent and dangerous Holstein bulls are. Even before selected sex sperm was an option, dairy farmers went with artificial insemination rather than risking getting killed by one of those bastards. Most people, even farmers, have not seen an intact, full grown, Holstein bull. Jersey are the same way, but not quite as bad. For whatever reason, beef breed bulls, dangerous as they are, are much calmer than dairy breed). Ever met one of those guys with like 7 daughters? It’s quite often not a coincidence, think back to history class and medieval rulers getting divorced because their wife wouldn’t produce a male heir, and then the new wife wouldn’t either, nor the next wife, and the doctor who said something like “Maybe it’s you, your Majesty” was executed.

    • Mcdolan@lemmy.world
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      22 hours ago

      Huh, didn’t know they were sexing semen for artificial insemination. Do you know if they can catch intersex semen? Intersex individuals/animals do exist and have been well documented.

      • Jamablaya@lemmy.today
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        21 hours ago

        As far as I know, intersex is caused most often by a double fertilized egg, or that thing that happens when one twin absorbs the other in utero, chimeraism or mosaic. Something similar causes Down syndrome, an extra chromosome gets in there somehow.

        • Jamablaya@lemmy.today
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          16 hours ago

          I bet you throw an absolute fit at anti vaxxers, and yet here you are, thinking politics defines the reality when you want it to, same as.

          • Bytemeister@lemmy.world
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            15 hours ago

            I don’t think science is political. Neither are facts. The fact is that all human embryos develop as female until triggered to become male. Defining gender as immutable and at conception thusly defines every human as female. There is no shortage of conditions where genes get turned on and off, chromosomes get duplicated or damaged, and it affects what sex characteristics are developed. Defining sex at conception is entirely a political act, and without merit or basis in science or reality.

            FYI, you can go back and delete your posts anytime.

            • Jamablaya@lemmy.today
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              5 hours ago

              “I don’t think science is political” It is very, very obvious you do, otherwise you wouldn’t “know” this much and be intentionally ignoring the fact that sex selected artificial insemination of sperm (not embryo) exists. You’re choosing wordiness and obsufacation instead of a real argument. I was plain, you should try it.

              FYI, You can shut your politician ass up anytime.

              • Bytemeister@lemmy.world
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                3 hours ago

                …ignoring the fact that sex selected artificial insemination of sperm…

                Common misconception. We say it’s sex selected, but it’s actually chromosome selected, and the criteria is chromosomes that determine sex characteristics.

                Regardless, the order as written does not define sex as the presence or absence of the Y chromosome in humans. It defines it as “what type of reproductive cell (based on size of all things) a zygote would produce if unaltered at the time of conception”. At that time, without any other hormone changes, or activation/deactivation of genes affecting sex characteristics, the resulting organism would produce eggs instead of sperm.

                To make a long story shorter. Intersex people exist, and infertile people exist. What sex would they be, based on this XO? As written, there are only 2 options, and neither apply to those people.

                Also, this…

                …fact that sex selected artificial insemination of sperm (not embryo) exists.

                … doesn’t actually exist. Looks like you are using a misunderstanding of science politically.