Sex — Gender — Sexuality … WTF???

As atheists, non-believers, it is perfectly natural and mutually beneficial to form alliances with the LGBTQ community. More often than not we are challenging the same monster — resisting the imposition of ancient ignorance and superstition on our communities and society.

As humanists, we naturally seek to protect the most vulnerable members of our communities. Fifty years ago, we might have been speaking out in defence of gay and lesbian rights. Today the transgender community is under attack, and needs our understanding and support.

As skeptics, we look to science for answers.

With that in mind, I invite you to click this YouTube link and watch the video titled Sex and Sensibility. Give yourself enough time. The video is 1 hour and 40 minutes.

Forrest Valkai, is a biological science educator. He has a Master’s degree in Biomedical Sciences, a Master’s degree in Anthropology, and a Bachelor’s degree in Interactive Biology with a concentration on Evolutionary Biology. He is currently working on his PhD in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology with a concentration on Neuroendocrinology, Behavior, and Learning.

In this video Forrest walks us through the science of Sex and Gender in incredible detail, and touches briefly on Sexuality.

As an intro to this learning experience, please understand that

• “Sex” refers to biological sex, typically assigned at birth (female/male)
• “Gender” is a social construct that refers to how an individual identifies (woman/man)
• “Sexuality” refers to an individual’s attraction to or preference in sex partners

Forrest’s take home message is that Sex, Gender and Sexuality, are NOT binary. His closing argument:

“Life is incredibly diverse, and humans, as living things, are incredibly diverse as well. We don’t come in just one or two sizes, shapes, colours, styles, sexes or genders. We are a product and a reflection of the multi-dimensional beauty that is life on this planet. And we should respect and appreciate each other as such. Just as the rainforest teems with tens of thousands of species and the oceans sparkle with vibrant colours of every hue, humanity adorns the world with expressions of gender, love and what it means to be alive. Our diversity highlights the beauty of nature and the way we embrace and celebrate that diversity highlights the beauty of our species. The more we explore ourselves and each other, the more we enrich our lives and societies.”

Also please note that Forrest includes a list of the 377 experts he consulted and publications, papers and books he referenced in preparing this video.

Sex and Sensibility Youtube video link

In fairness it is important to note that there is considerable opposition to this view of sex and gender, most often in a religious context, but some prominent skeptics and “scientists” insist that biological sex is binary…you are either male or female, and that gender doesn’t exist or is simply an expression of your assigned sex at birth.

Names like Richard Dawkins and Jerry Coyne come to mind.

I recently watched a conversation between Lawrence Krauss and Dawkins on the topic, and was surprised to hear them consistently conflate sex and gender. At one point, they laughably stoked societal fear by talking about underage girls having their breasts cut off so they can become boys. Dawkins then went on to say that he never refers to human gender. He only uses the term “gender” in reference to the French language, because French nouns are gender-specific (le vs la). It is sad, but perhaps is simply a commentary on the intellectual frailty of our species, that someone who has given so much to the secular world, can take such a hardened and ignorant position.

Be a skeptic. Leave room for doubt in your thinking. Question your sources and their motives. Use critical thinking skills to filter out the BS, so that you believe as many true things and as few false things as possible.

And always, have empathy for others, whatever their ethnic or geographic origin, and wherever they fall on the sex-gender-sexuality spectrum.

By Doug Skeggs