If sex and gender are different why do we use the same words for them?

[testing987654321]

This came out of a conversation at work.

"She's a girl"

"Why can't you respect that she identifies as a boy?"

"Because she's not a boy, she doesn't have a penis"

"you're talking about sex not gender"

"So what is gender? Why use the same words as sex?"

It's the heart of the problem. We're using words in such a way that allows nonsense to appear meaningful.

The guardian recently had an article about dick pics. A woman started researching and received lots more diverse images "women with penises". That phrase only works if you use "women" to mean gender identity whilst referring to the actual sex parts of a man.

Coy-tus, or Co-it-Us?

It's pronounced qwa-tus :-)

I cross out gender where I can.
Actually at work I consistently corrected it on an online form and the next time I looked it said “sex” yay
I love the term weasel words. I have trained myself now to pick up weasel words, stop, think, query it..apply critical thinking. The whole point of queering is to make you doubt reality. I deal in reality only.

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Like this?

The porn mags of the fifties made sex a wink wink nudge nudge dirty word to the point where The Notorious RBG had to argue against discrimination on the basis of sex by using the term gender in her argument so the all male judges and opposing counsel wouldn't snicker and giggle every time a woman spoke the word sex in the Supreme Court of the United States.

like to think of sex = noun - what your are, biologically
Gender= adjective, how you feel

So I am a boy = means a biological boy.

My gender is boy = I feel like a boy, either because I have a penis or because I like boys toys.

I am not sure why having a gender helps.

I am not sure why having a gender helps.

It doesn't.

But people like to feel part of a group, a tribe. Us and them. People always label themselves as something.

My gender is boy = I feel like a boy, either because I have a penis or because I like boys toys.

The idea of feeling like a boy because you like boy stuff is so ridiculously old-fashioned & stereotypical though.

I think that having the same word, sex, for biological sex and for sexual intercourse is good and useful because is grounds sexuality directly in relation to biological sex... same as the words homosexuality, heterosexuality and bisexuality.

I have been very purposeful recently about using term like sexual inequality, sex based rights, sexual oppression, sexism, sexual politics, because the oppression of woman is sex based. It helps steer my thinking and my conversations more clearly.

I think the danger is definitely the confusion between sex and gender, not a 'confusion' between biological sex and sexual intercourse.

I agree Empress, but what else is gender?

I used to think I must be more male than female because I don't like shopping, makeup, heels etc and those were apparently things which were typically what women enjoyed. As I got older I realised that feeling alienated from female gender stereotypes didn't make me male.

Shoesea, Douglas Murray is quite interesting on this issue. He is associate editor of The Spectator and has just written The Madness of Crowds. I haven’t read it yet, but watched a couple of interviews with him and he is very explicit about the way in which trans rights are in direct conflict with women’s rights and gay rights

I realised that feeling alienated from female gender stereotypes didn't make me male.

This is gold.

and actually when I have a good hard think about all of the women I know and have known throughout my not short life, not a single one is a fit for the female stereotype.

I conclude the stereotype is a unicorn.

I agree Empress, but what else is gender?

The definitions I can think of are polite euphemism for sex, social hierarchy or sex-role stereotypes linked to social constructs. None of which I like much.

Gender is actually the arbitrary assignment of nouns to a grammatical class, which causes the nouns and associated verbs and adjectives to be inflected in specific ways. European languages and Semitic languages are gendered in this way. English is not gendered, and is virtually uninflected, too.

That is the only purpose of 'gender'.

It would be much better if we never used that word outside its grammatical use, but it's a bit of a complicated mouthful to say "My behaviour fits the societally-imposed stereotypes associated with women". So much easier to say "My gender is woman".

It would be much better if we never used that word outside its grammatical use, but it's a bit of a complicated mouthful to say "My behaviour fits the societally-imposed stereotypes associated with women". So much easier to say "My gender is woman".

Or even easier... "I am a woman".

Unless you are a man of course.

"I am a woman" does not mean the same as "My gender is woman".