The Guardian does it again: trans, gender, and sexism.

Wonder how I should interpret “reverse ferret” now 🤔😃

Not half as glad as you are you're not a hyena.

I'm really, really glad I'm not a ferret.

My ex boyfriend (he of the blue balls) used to keep ferrets before I met him. Maybe he caught this phenomenon from them?

Ah I see Pumbaas got in there with the correction first 😄 Thanks. I had neutering on the brain.

There's also a small risk when you spay or neuter a ferret that it'll develop a hormonal disorder that, among other things, makes it INCREDIBLY RANDY.

Sorry, not a neutered male, a vasectomised one.

Yep, you either need a vasectomised male or a Jill jab 😆

If your female ferret comes into heat and you don't want baby ferrets (I can't think why anybody wouldn't want baby ferrets, but apparently that's a thing) you can either find someone with a neutered male ferret to… er… sort her out, or if you're a killjoy you can take her to the vet for a hormone shot to take her out of heat.

Basically, she stays in heat until she's bred, and if she doesn't get any, her body can't cope with being in hormonal overdrive for that long, meaning she'll develop aplastic anaemia and die.

But I don't think blue balls works quite the same way.

One of my other favourite fun animal sex facts is that hyenas give birth through their clitorises. Though I suspect it's not so fun for the hyena.

You learn something new every day

Whereas female ferrets will quite literally die if they go into heat and don't get laid.

I didn't quite believe that, so I looked it up.

The vast majority of ferrets are spayed or neutered before 6 weeks of age. This is primarily because females come into heat when they reach sexual maturity and will remain in heat unless bred. This condition can lead to a fatal infection or cause a drop in blood cell production, which also can be fatal.

www.msdvetmanual.com/all-other-pets/ferrets/breeding-and-reproduction-of-ferrets

I'm not aware that any man ever actually died from their bollocks exploding due to lack of sex.

Whereas female ferrets will quite literally die if they go into heat and don't get laid.

I'd agree that sexual chastity and even celibacy is something people are far more capable of than our society admits, we have all kinds of bizarre ideas about the necessity for sex for both men and women. But that doesn't really tell us the effects of hormones socially constructed

There are complex interactions between nature and the environment. Also, we are not beasts - we are whole humans and have a reason as well as bodies and hormones and so on. Desire (and what we desire) is socially constructed. It's not as simple as hormones. There is cross-cultural and historical evidence to suggest that the rampant male sex drive is a convenient myth.

Later on, it was thought that only men could feel real friendship and love whereas women were more like animals acting on instinct. This stereotype only switched as recently as the Victorian age where women were characterised as chaste angels of the house

Aye - and of course in Ancient Greece real love was between men.

I don't think so.

I think this is right up there with the idea that women are the same as men physically in things like sports, it's an well-intentioned but ill-conceived attempt to show women as "equal" to men.

I'd agree that sexual chastity and even celibacy is something people are far more capable of than our society admits, we have all kinds of bizarre ideas about the necessity for sex for both men and women. But that doesn't really tell us the effects of hormones socially constructed.

Indeed, and male entitlement also plays a part. Despite what men would have us believe I'm not aware that any man ever actually died from their bollocks exploding due to lack of sex

If it did I'd pay to see the movie.

On the topic of the social construction of sex drives: in the Medieval period women were seen as uncontrollable, voracious, sex mad beasts who would shag anything they could get their hands on. Men on the other hand, were closer to God so were more civil and controlled. Later on, it was thought that only men could feel real friendship and love whereas women were more like animals acting on instinct. This stereotype only switched as recently as the Victorian age where women were characterised as chaste angels of the house.

In our era marketing and culture constantly sells images to men to make them horny and promotes always being up for it as a mainstay of 'real' manhood.

Indeed, and male entitlement also plays a part. Despite what men would have us believe I'm not aware that any man ever actually died from their bollocks exploding due to lack of sex.

I wonder if the whole "blue balls" thing is entirely psychosomatic?

I'm not sure that is really the problem. Women do seem to have lower sex drives, certainly hormones effect that, and plenty of women can attest to that. Breastfeeding, menopause, even just the normal menstrual cycle can clearly affect our sex drive. And yes it affects our emotions

That's a social construct too. Male chastity and restraint is and has been practiced among many cultures and during different historical times. In our era marketing and culture constantly sells images to men to make them horny and promotes always being up for it as a mainstay of 'real' manhood.

Actually if you read the blog - which I did and now wish I hadn’t - the tampons up the bum thing isn’t about being womanly, it’s because lovely Cadance is trying to learn how to enjoy anal play in order to derive some pleasure from sexual contact, and progresses from fingers, to tampons, toys etc. 🤮

But you know, give the Guardian money, because this is exactly the sort of person you want to hear more from. 🤨

Stop reading The Guardian and try Conservative Home.

www.conservativehome.com/thecolumnists/2020/07/radical-an-open-letter-to-liz-truss-we-urge-you-to-see-through-your-commitment-to-protect-single-sex-spaces.html?utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Tuesday%2021%20July%202020&utm_content=Tuesday%2021%20July%202020+CID_98b9888879f177f134ac622cedba0d1f&utm_source=Daily%20Email&utm_term=Radical%20An%20open%20letter%20to%20Liz%20Truss%20We%20urge%20you%20to%20see%20through%20your%20commitment%20to%20protect%20single%20sex%20spaces