Six biological sexes

I'd want to know what the third, fourth, fifth and sixth gametes are called and how does anyone know if they have them or not. Or should have them but don't.

One comment said that sex is not binary but is a social construct with six biological sexes currently identified. Sex doesn't materially exist, we made them up and then applied them to naturally occurring phenomena

But by that definition, nothing else with a name materially exists and is just a "social construct", including the purported six sexes and all the "genders". Why would one interpretation of reality suddenly lose all value and be wrong, but other less evidence-based, more ideologically driven ideas somehow be "right"?

It's classic "ooh I know better than you you're out of date and this new idea is right because it's not what you think". That's not how science works.

I would ask for info. “I’ve never heard this idea of 6 human sexes before, what are they? Is this from recent research? I thought at a chromosomal level it was just XX or XY?” And then when they send you a load of gobbledygook back just respond “Oh dear I think I’m going to ‘follow the science’ on this one 🤣”

And you absolutely are a player in the Emperor’s New Clothes. This kind of behaviour is not a new thing, it’s precisely what the fairytale was warning about. Sometimes everyone repeats the same false idea to each other until someone, usually a child, says “but that’s not true!” and then people join in saying “oh yeah I thought this was nonsense but I didn’t like to say.”

The only defence against mad points of view dominating is to call them out.

Can you ask them what the humans look like who result from the mating of two of the sexes who are not male or female?

How do they differ from the humans resulting from the mating of males and females and what is the evolutionary purpose of this?

And how have we managed to not know about this until Gender Studies was a thing?

If sex is a social construct then how would you ever explain reproduction. Our very existence is proof of sex.

There are six karyotypes that humans can have, and survive with. That's a fact. It's impossible for sex to be a social construct because it comes from science, not society.

He seems to have decided that women with Turner's Syndrome are not women because they only have one X chromosome.

On the same planet, people with Down's Syndrome presumably aren't human.

just found this, which is interesting. Sex most definitely is biological though...

Yes, *both *sexes are definitely biological.

‘Sex doesn't materially exist, we made them up and then applied them to naturally occurring phenomena (not even sure what that last bit means)’

By this definition nothing exists and everything is made up, including the person making the remark.

I am not sure how that is a useful definition of existence.

This is quite a relevant thread OP:

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/womens_rights/a3827093-Fausto-Sterling-5-genders-I-was-ironic-Its-called-scholarship

Briefly, Anne Fausto-Sterling asserted there were 5 sexes and after decades of it having become accepted and established in certain areas of academia, she then said she was having a bit of a laugh.

Could you ask for a flow chart showing the results of those 6 sexes reproducing in various combinations?

Maybe ask them if we made up mountains, grass, and elephants too?

I just found this, which is interesting. Sex most definitely is biological though...

www.joshuakennon.com/the-six-common-biological-sexes-in-humans/

If it's about karyotypes and they're opining that women with Turner syndrome aren't female and men with Klinefelter syndrome aren't male then they're on a very sticky wicket re VSDs, shockingly ignorant and disrespectful.

I really wish people would learn a tiny bit of philosophy. Just a little bit of epistemology or theory of concepts. So the word or label “sex” is obviously a social construct, it being an arbitrary set of noises. But the concept of sex is not made up by humans - it is not a social construct. As your friend points out, sex refers to natural phenomena out there in the world. We have noticed this natural phenomena (the fact there are two sexes with two reproductive roles) and applied the label “sex” in order for easier categorisation. Your friend will surely be astonished to learn this applies across the board to all concepts. We have observed a certain natural phenomena and labelled them “cats”. This doesn’t mean cats are made up.

They're making the mistake again of thinking that sex = chromosome combinations. But sex = male or female bodies designed to produce either sperm or ova. There are no sexes in humans other than male and female. Chromosomes are the starting point of sex differentiation, which is why you can have XX-males and XY-females. But the end point even in those cases are male and female bodies.

Sex is all about reproductive categories. If there are only two gametes, there are only two sexes.

Are there 6 possible sex chromosome karyotypes, maybe that's what they meant?
XX, XY, XO XXY , are there 2 other viable variations? ... but those other than the vastly commonest first two occur in people with VSDs who are still either female or male.

Difference between a bimodal pattern and a spectrum. Might help.

I'd be sorely tempted to answer along the lines of 'I can't argue with that... because I can't argue with stupid'.

Can you say what subject you're studying? Hopefully nothing that relies on knowledge of biology...

With six sexes, nearly 2000 genders and unlimited pronouns, I'm not looking forward to the drop down boxes on forms. Good luck anyone who is zin gender scrolling through the rest of them.