"Assigned at birth"

[LightofaSilveryMoon]

This phrase really gets on my tits. It is terribly strange use of language.

"Assigned at birth".

I've given birth three times. No-one "assigned" my children as anything at birth. My various midwives had a quick look and told me a fact: girl or boy. (I am leaving intersex out of this, since I have no experience of it.)

"Assigned at birth" conjures up people employed to go around labour wards with clipboards, saying, "Yes, well, we've had ten births today. We've assigned six of them to be male already. This one just has to be female, in order to fulfil my quotas, there we go."

It is just a weird use of language, to say that babies are "assigned" their sex at birth, rather than just observed to have female genitals or male genitals.

I had the harmony test at 11weeks. The sex of my unborn child is quite clear. I have no idea what gender they'd prefer; given gender doesn't really exist it's irrelevant.

The harmony is now on the nhs; not sure who qualifies or for if every one. I could choose to know the sex as this then tested for sex linked anomalies. I think some of which are intersex.

So this may highlight the difference between sex and gender a bit more in social consciousness. Especially as the form says "sex" quite clearly.

So as soon as everyone, on the basis of what sex the child is observed at birth, stops assigning sex roles stereotypes to that individual child, gender no longer exists. Problem solved!

I believe assigned is properly only used of intersex babies: it's not clear so you make a decision. Its use generally seems to be saying that's the common experience, which it clearly is not. Therefore maybe someone got it wrong? Feeding into the 'being in the wrong body' scenario. Sex is observed at birth for most. I was once a midwife and sex is usually blindingly obvious, as we all know. The only time I had uncertainty was at 22 weeks gestation or thereabouts: was it an over-developed girl or under-developed boy? But hardly the most pressing concern at such an early birth anyway.

As to 'For the GRA the body is irrelevant ...' quoted above ???? Where can that lead us?

Well, if gender is some sort of ineffable feeling unrelated to sex or sexual orientation, honestly, why bother arguing that it's got anything to do with being a woman or not? It would be so much easier.

I use "...assigned at birth" as a term, but I won't stick "coercively" on the front. I find that pointlessly aggressive and hostile.

I agree with AncientLights above:
I believe assigned is properly only used of intersex babies: it's not clear so you make a decision. Its use generally seems to be saying that's the common experience, which it clearly is not.

"Assigned at birth" is gobbledegook in the vast majority of cases. Most babies are not "assigned" their sex - they are observed to have either female genitals or male genitals. No guesswork or further tests necessary!

Sex is biological reality, fact. Gender is a social construct.