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Feminism: Sex and gender discussions

Feminism: chat

Original poster

I am a woman! Please remind me how

69 replies

Booblessbeauty · 17/01/2023 09:29

I have a genetic form of cancer which means female body parts have been removed and female hormones suppressed. So I have had a full hysterectomy, including cervix, ovaries, etc. ANd a radical double mastectomy. And will be taking tablets to suppress female hormones for the rest of my life. O yes, and I am bald because of chemo. And I often wear mens clothes. They are practical and cheap

So. please confirm for me what makes me a woman.

I do have my own little list, which I will post shortly, but I would like to hear your ideas first

I am not fragile, in any way, so you are very welcome to be as honest as you want

OP posts:
midgetastic · 17/01/2023 09:32

Depends on what you mean by women

I'd say you are one because your body is of the type that we would expect to have all the bits that you have have removed

Since you had the bits removed you have the only type of body that could have had those bits removed

Nothingandnowhere · 17/01/2023 09:32

Only a female can have a hysterectomy

BinturongsSmellOfPopcorn · 17/01/2023 09:33

You became a woman at the moment of conception. It is encoded in every cell of your body, and every bone in your skeleton. Nothing can change that.

ArabellaScott · 17/01/2023 09:33

OP every cell in your body is, and always will be, female. Flowers

AndyWarholsPiehole · 17/01/2023 09:33

Having all those parts removed proves you are a woman..

growinggreyer · 17/01/2023 09:33

Hmm, have you looked at your underwear? If there are little bows sewn on, you are definitely a woman.

Original poster
Booblessbeauty · 17/01/2023 09:34

Nothingandnowhere · 17/01/2023 09:32

Only a female can have a hysterectomy

Ha! love that!

OP posts:
picklemewalnuts · 17/01/2023 09:35

The cancer you have only affects women. It's genetic.
If you had had no idea whether you were a woman, the cancer you got clarified it.

RudsyFarmer · 17/01/2023 09:36

If they dug up your skeleton in one hundred years they would know you were a woman.

Twizbe · 17/01/2023 09:36

growinggreyer · 17/01/2023 09:33

Hmm, have you looked at your underwear? If there are little bows sewn on, you are definitely a woman.

Lol at this

TheFeistyFeminist · 17/01/2023 09:36

The bits that you needed to have removed were female bits, that grew there during normal development.

The hormones you need to have suppressed are those female hormones that your body produces naturally as a result of your normal development.

If you were to conduct genetic testing, your biological sex would most likely be identifiable from any and every cell in your body.

It isn't what you wear, a hairstyle, a particular shade of lipstick or the type of handbag you carry.

MillicentTrilbyHiggins · 17/01/2023 09:37

You were born female.

And if you weren't a woman you couldn't have had a hysterectomy.

poshme · 17/01/2023 09:37

If you walked across a room facing away from me I would be able to tell you were a woman.

You are. XX in every cell. Female

ChazsBrilliantAttitude · 17/01/2023 09:37

I am sorry to hear about your condition.

You are biologically female - being a woman isn't about how you look. You were born female, your cells are female, all the organs you had removed relate to being female, you will always be female.

You are an adult human female - you are a woman

LaughingPriest · 17/01/2023 09:44

Anyone born female gets to be a girl/woman.
It's a shame that people want to restrict this to people who think a certain way, act, behave, prioritise, feel a certain way. (They won't say what way, because they are fully aware it would look ridiculous and misogynistic).

Rubidium · 17/01/2023 09:47

If you met with a group of other women who had also had hysterectomies/ mastectomies, you would be able to discuss and compare your experience with these women. Someone male would not be able to participate in that conversation.

ArabellaScott · 17/01/2023 09:48

Your heart is female: www.nature.com/articles/s41467-022-31544-5
Your liver is female: swhr.org/exploring-the-role-of-sex-and-gender-differences-in-liver-health/
Your kidneys are female: www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7745509/

We could keep going, and there would be sex differences in every part of your body. We've not even got onto how you were raised as a girl and lived as a woman all your life!

Basically every part of you is coded female, and that can't ever change.

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK9967/

nilsmousehammer · 17/01/2023 09:51

Do you have a gold lame handbag? Wink

So sorry with all you have to deal with OP. But whatever happens to your body, it will be happening to a female body. There is nothing at any point that stops it being female, or could. Centuries from now it will still be identifiable as female. Even the DNA traces you leave behind are identifiable as female.

SunThroughTheCloudsAt6am · 17/01/2023 09:54

I have a genetic form of cancer which means female body parts have been removed and female hormones suppressed

There you go. You are a woman, and with the worst luck possible, this is proven by the cancer you have.

And I'm very sorry OP for everything you're going through.

Boiledbeetle · 17/01/2023 09:56

I've purposely not looked at the responses so apologies if I repeat others thoughts.

Off the top of my head:

The very fact you had the bits there in the first place to remove is the obvious clue as to your femaleness of the species.

from the moment you were conceived you were always going to be an adult human female

It's in every bit of your body. chromosomes, bones, etc.

🍫and🌹for you whilst you ponder. I hope things are as well as they can be for you now.

FemaleAndLearning · 17/01/2023 09:57

The short answer is a woman is an adult human female. The female sex is determined at conception and is encoded in every cell of your body. Your body may have had the capability to produce and use large gametes to reproduce with a male who has small mobile gametes. There are a couple of other things that make your sex Prof Winston outlined them but I can't find the quote.

Mostly our sex is observed at birth by looking at our secondary sex characteristics penis or vulva, often by a parent or midwife.

How you feel as a woman is not what makes you a woman you just are.

Georgeskitchen · 17/01/2023 10:06

Your chromosomes are female. They can't change x

Beowulfa · 17/01/2023 10:11

I hope you are not feeling too shit from the chemo, OP.

I have a (female) friend facing a similar decision, and a hereditary (male) cancer in my family. It's almost as though pronouns and gender stereotypes make no difference to biological reality.

Imicola · 17/01/2023 10:12

XX

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