GC: Why can't the words man and woman be defined as something other than "adult human male" and "adult human female"? And why is it false to say "men can have vaginas/uteruses/etc and women can have penises"?

submitted by AllInOne from self.GCdebatesQT

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[–]littlerbear 22 insightful - 1 fun22 insightful - 0 fun23 insightful - 1 fun -  (4 children)

Because words mean things. The rest of the world is perfectly cool with 'woman' meaning adult human female and 'man' meaning adult human male. We're also cool with 'female' meaning 'having the reproductive system that allows for producing eggs and being impregnated' and 'male' meaning 'having the reproductive system that allows for producing sperm and impregnating'. Why does everyone need to change the way they use language to accommodate people with gender identity issues?

And, if the definition of 'woman' is expanded to include men who think they're women, women's rights disappear. We lose our rights to privacy, free association and all the sex-based protections we've fought for.

As for the 'male uterus' thing, it's just nonsense. Only women have uteruses, if someone has a uterus that person is female. This has nothing to do with gender identity. And, think for a second, about people who aren't trans. Think of a kid just learning about their bodies and the names for parts. If we say 'people have uteruses' this is vague to the point of meaninglessness. If we say 'some men have uteruses' this is a LIE. If we say 'only women have uteruses' this is specific and this is the truth. If we say 'women who identify as men have uteruses and women who don't identify as men have uteruses' we're also telling the truth and acknowledging gender identity without creating any unnecessary confusion.

[–][deleted] 13 insightful - 1 fun13 insightful - 0 fun14 insightful - 1 fun -  (3 children)

Why does everyone need to change the way they use language to accommodate people with gender identity issues?

IME, this is where the whole thing goes off the rails, and it all seems to circle back to psychology:

In insisting that psychological realities (gender, in part) are literally biological realities (sex)

In the high prevalence of Cluster B PDs in TRA circles -- we can't ignore that, because it literally influences how TRAs conceive "reality." Even GD and AGP affect the patient's perceptions of objective reality -- to varying degrees, but the effects are there.

Not pathologizing QT or TRA -- just asserting that where there is an established cohort of mental disorders, disordered perception and cognition about consensual reality also follows. It can't be otherwise.

[–]littlerbear 14 insightful - 1 fun14 insightful - 0 fun15 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

Agreed. The only people who insist that their emotional reality MUST be completely true are toddlers and narcissists or other people with serious psychological problems. The rest of us understand that we have to make compromises and that not getting what we want does not literally kill us.

[–]littlerbear 5 insightful - 1 fun5 insightful - 0 fun6 insightful - 1 fun -  (1 child)

Yes. I believe narcissists have been found to have certain cognitive and intellectual deficits related to their lack of empathy. People with BPD definitely have cognitive processing issues, so do people who suffer from depression. I wouldn't be surprised if people with AGP or GD also have some cognitive problems.

Problem is, these people, whose reality orientations are skewed should not be dictating what and how the rest of us think, perceive, speak, etc. ...

[–][deleted] 4 insightful - 1 fun4 insightful - 0 fun5 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

Absolutely agree.