neon's recent activity
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Comment on <deleted topic> in ~lgbt
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Comment on 69-year-old Dutch man seeks to change his legal age to forty-nine in ~life
neon (edited )Link ParentWhile I agree that it's important to recognize the difference between the two, hard disagree on that description of sex. You would need an unfairly reductive definition for either of those two...- Exemplary
While I agree that it's important to recognize the difference between the two, hard disagree on that description of sex. You would need an unfairly reductive definition for either of those two traits to hold up.
Objective fact
It makes sense to recognize patterns, but pretending that edge cases don't exist is silly. Nature is sloppy, and classifications of sex start fraying quickly with even small breaks from what is considered standard. Some people either have or were born with nonstandard genitals: partially formed, bits of both, non-reproductive, etc. Others have had significant surgery on their genitals, such as post-op trans people or unconsenting intersex infants forced to "fit in". Some unsavory folks insist the results of this type of surgery don't even qualify as genitals. Really, classifying from genitals (or, for similar reasons, internal sex organs) is far from objective.
Now you may think, "what about hormones?" Although hormone measures themselves are -- while variable -- objective, categorizing them requires cutoffs that simply don't exist on the bell curve of all human population. How do you label someone with either high levels or low levels of both estrogen and testosterone? Someone with typical testosterone levels but low DHT, which plays a strong role in the development of typically male characteristics? And what about conditions such as Androgen Insensitivity -- that is, someone whose cells respond weakly or not at all to testosterone?
Even using chromosomes gets dirty trying to account for all manner of intersex conditions. People with Klinefelter's can have a wide range of autosomal chromosome combinations including XXY, XXXY, XXXXY, and XYY. People with Turner syndrome are born XO, with the O representing a whole or partial loss of the other chromosome. It's even possible to have an XY karyotype lacking an SRY gene and develop typically female, or vice versa with XX.
Nature presents us with sex anatomy spectrums. Breasts, penises, clitorises, scrotums, labia, gonads -- all of these vary in size and shape and morphology. So-called sex chromosomes can vary quite a bit, too. But in human cultures, sex categories get simplified into male, female, and sometimes intersex, in order to simplify social interactions, express what we know and feel, and maintain order. So nature doesn’t decide where the category of “male” ends and the category of “intersex” begins, or where the category of “intersex” ends and the category of “female” begins. Humans decide. source
Cannot be altered by current medical science
I'm trans. I've been on hormones for years, more than enough time for some very major changes in both my biology and my attitude towards people trying to gatekeep me. I have virtually every female secondary sex characteristic, as well as a very respectable number of female primary sex characteristics. Calling me "biologically male" is very outdated if not an outright lie, but there are still people who insist on doing so. (A frightening number of them occupy government positions.)
It's widely accepted that some animal species are capable of changing their sex. Yet, those animals don't change their sex chromosomes when they do, so logically I shouldn't have to either. Lots of cis women are infertile, so I shouldn't have to be. But it's turtles all the way down. Honestly, if I touched a stone that turned every atom of my body female, whatever that means, I would still deal with transphobes protesting that they didn't need a stone.
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Comment on Microsoft announces first paid-for $20 Linux Distro for Windows 10 October 2018 update in ~tech
neon Link ParentThe article is fairly misleading. While forked from Microsoft code, WLinux is neither developed nor endorsed by Microsoft. See https://www.whitewaterfoundry.com/The article is fairly misleading. While forked from Microsoft code, WLinux is neither developed nor endorsed by Microsoft. See https://www.whitewaterfoundry.com/
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Comment on Should there be a tax on red meat? in ~food
neon Link ParentIt seems like you're conflating protein with meat, and discounting plant protein as a viable alternative. In particular: oats, beans, lentils and chickpeas are some of the cheapest sources of...It seems like you're conflating protein with meat, and discounting plant protein as a viable alternative. In particular: oats, beans, lentils and chickpeas are some of the cheapest sources of protein available.
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Comment on Should there be a tax on red meat? in ~food
neon LinkI think before proposing a tax, we should address the tens of billions spent yearly on subsidizing the meat and dairy industries. In addition to incentivizing shoppers to buy meat in the same way...I think before proposing a tax, we should address the tens of billions spent yearly on subsidizing the meat and dairy industries. In addition to incentivizing shoppers to buy meat in the same way taxes would do in reverse, those funds mostly go to big corporate farms -- which push small farmers out of business and tend to have exceedingly cruel methods of raising and killing their animals.
There was a US House Act proposed in 2017 to limit these subsidies, but it hasn't gone anywhere since. (WaPo says it received bipartisan opposition and was defeated by a House Appropriations subcommittee.)
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Comment on Twitter is considering removing its "like" button in ~tech
neon LinkI can't say I understand his reasoning. As I see it, the most toxic part of Twitter "debates" is harassment from hundreds or thousands of pilot fish, not the number of likes on the shark's tweet.I can't say I understand his reasoning. As I see it, the most toxic part of Twitter "debates" is harassment from hundreds or thousands of pilot fish, not the number of likes on the shark's tweet.
Aren't you opting out of queer because you don't feel like it? I think that's a perfectly fine justification, but it doesn't seem fair in combination with a rigid definition. Maybe it's better to think of it as a community: membership is just a handshake between current members and prospective members.