From: "Steve Harris" <sbharris@ix.netcom.com>
Newsgroups: sci.med.nutrition,misc.fitness.weights
Subject: Re: Humans as Omnivores (Was: vegetarian friend ate beef. -- lost   
	headaches.)
Date: Fri, 18 May 2001 13:34:18 -0700

....
>"Steve Gallagher" <jeng_steveg@NOmsn.SPAMcom> wrote:
>
>> Gotta ask. Don't wanna, but I gotta.
>>
>>     Umm ..... beyond the obvious binary gender system, what-all, emm,
>> are we
>> talking about here, hemm ....?
>>
>>    Livestock? I mean, what else IS there ...?



There's a difference between sex, gender, and sexual orientation.  Your
genetic sex is what your chromosomes say. For humans, if you have a Y
chromosome you're genetically male, even if you have one or two more X's.
If you don't have a Y, you're biologically female, even if you only have
one X.

Your phenotypic sex is what you look like. It can be completely opposite
of genetic sex, even without intervention. For instance, in TF or testicular
feminization, genetic XY males lack critical receptors for testosterone and
come out phenotypic females. They lack internal female organs,
but have a short vagina and otherwise look perfectly normal
female. Often such girls aren't identified until they go to the
doctor wondering why they hadn't had a first period.

Gender is what sex you identify with-- what sex you think
of yourself as. It's not the same as sexual orientation. Most
lesbians don't think of themselves as men trapped
in a woman's body. They think of themselves as women (female
gender) who are attracted to women. A woman who did think of herself
as a man in a woman's body would have a MALE gender.

You can see that all mixes of these things are possible. TF people, just
as an example, are XY males, but they are female gendered and generally not
homosexually oriented (i.e., they feel like women and are attracted to men).
Most male homosexuals are male gendered-- they feel like men, but are
attracted to men. A minority feel like women trapped in male bodies, and
these are the men who get surgical correction. Just to make things
complicated, some of these feel like LESBIANS trapped in a man's body.
They are genetically and phenotypically male, female gendered, and
sexually oriented as males.

To make things more complicated, most cross dressers are not transsexuals,
though some are. A fair number of male cross-dressers, however, are
both male gendered and heterosexual. They just like to dress up as women.

SBH

From: "Steve Harris" <sbharris@ix.netcom.com>
Newsgroups: sci.med.nutrition,misc.fitness.weights
Subject: Re: Humans as Omnivores (Was: vegetarian friend ate beef. -- lost  
	headaches.)
Date: Fri, 18 May 2001 12:49:10 -0700

Big Lee wrote in message
<6meN6.27415$p33.471613@news1.sttls1.wa.home.com>...
>
>"Kathy Marie" <kpmarie@mailbag.com> wrote in message
>news:9e3ohq$vq0$1@grandcanyon.binc.net...
>> Steve Gallagher wrote and Kathy Marie stupidly replied:
>> > Gotta ask. Don't wanna, but I gotta.
>> >     Umm ..... beyond the obvious binary gender system, what-all, emm,
>> > are we talking about here, hemm ....?
>> >    Livestock? I mean, what else IS there ...?
>>
>> See the May 12th _New Scientist_, cover article:  GENDER Why two sexes
>> are not enough. pp 26-45.
>>
>> It's actually a pretty common birth defect, having something go wrong
>> with gender/genital formation (up to 1 in 500).  Unfortunately, most
>> parents aren't prepared and so what happens a lot is these folks get
>> surgically remade into women (it's simpler).  These kids are growing
>> up, getting mad (it's not like they had a choice, is it?) and
>> organizing politically. BTW, the broadest correct term is
>> "transgendered".
>
>I think it goes to the "Doctors Are God" issue. A lot of people are
>getting very angry by what they consider unauthorized mutilation. We as a
>nation are very upset by the genital mutlilation taking place in Africa
>and the Arab world. But no one talks too much about the genital
>mutilation taking place right here is good ole US of A.


These kids get born with a micro-penis. Historically they've usually been
converted to phenotypic females. The alternative is to send out birth
announcements saying "IT'S A WE-DON'T-KNOW-WHAT!!" , name it Pat or
Marion, and let the kid make a decision for what kind of corrective
surgery (s)he wants to opt for, sometime in junior high. It's gunna be
genital mutilation no matter what you do, unless you do nothing. Which is
a possibility which I suppose you should leave the kid in the best of all
possible worlds. I'm sure it would contribute to the diversity of your
average gym class.

SBH

From: "Steve Harris" <sbharris@ix.netcom.com>
Newsgroups: sci.med.nutrition,misc.fitness.weights
Subject: Re: Humans as Omnivores (Was: vegetarian friend ate beef. -- lost   
	headaches.)
Date: Mon, 21 May 2001 11:24:38 -0700

Gordon Held wrote in message <3B094681.EB63901C@thegrid.net>...


>Been in San Francisco doing a little research, Steve? :-)




You'd be surprised how much of this you see in standard medical
practice anywhere.  Goes with the trade.