How many genders are there?

Question

normalice · Accepted Answer

The question is a little bit like a wavefunction in quantum mechanics in that it means nothing without an "operator" providing context. In some people's minds there are infinite genders. In genetecs it is probably some finite number, probably 2, but I'm not a geneticist. In polite conversation the topic is mostly just not brought up because gender isn't supposed to affect how we treat people.

All in all, the thing to do is figure out how the question affects your life personally. If some guy in a dress is going to cry if you don't call him a man, it's up to you if enduring the wailing is better than just saying "ms." once. I would probably choose the latter. Or if some guy in a dress will get upset if straight men don't find him attractive, I have to break it to him that we think he's a dude. The situation matters to the question. And because it is kind of a new question I think those who oppose and those who want to go all in are fighting over where the boundaries ought to be. Those who oppose keep trying to come up with examples where no one would ever say there are more than two genders, no matter how unrealistic those examples are, while those who want to go all in are mostly just ignoring them.

But I do think it's important to identify the root of the opposition. Any time someone endorses being rude in situations they themselves will never be in, it's almost never for any reason they'd ever admitted to or even thought about. And I think the reason is just that women are more pleasant to be around. Like how one approaches a conversation differently if the know someone is going to try to understand them versus someone who is going to try to misunderstand. Men are instinctively competitive with one another and so approach each other with far less social grace than with women. One could almost say men allow certain vulnerabilities to show when around women that they wouldn't dare show around men, lest they be used against them - that is, when talking to women, men tend to "puff out their chest and suck in their gut" metaphorically (making effort to display what they imagine to be their features while hiding defects) if not literally. And so this confusion over gender puts many men in the mind of how embarassing it would be to let those vulnerabilities show only to find they were showing them to a guy. Or even if not a guy then at least someone who wasn't a woman.

And while it's easy to say we should just treat everyone the same then, the problem is thats just not how our society is set up. All the service roles (nurses, waitresses, secretaries..) are dominated by women because women are considered more pleasant to interact with. You can't just say "no, men are pleasant, too" because saying it doesn't make it so. So even if equal treatment is the goal, it's not a switch we can just flip and suddenly the whole industries dedicated to treating each other differently will be repurposed.

And so what is most likely is what has always happened. The newer generations will decide the older generations are wrong. And the older generations will cling to all the relevance they built out of being right until they fade out, thus delaying the time the newer generations have with it for the sake of propogating the older generations' value. In so many words people will fight over the line until it is sufficiently blurry to cause most of the world to lose interest and 100 years later they'll pick it up again and say "wow, what primates. The solution was right in front of them all along. It was obviously to just ______," as we do for slavery and witch burnings.

Havthrills · Accepted Answer

Two. This site even proves it.

Ember666 · Accepted Answer

There are types
Physical and mental
Physical gender is based off of your reproduction organs, only has Male and female, and only matters in medical
Mental gender is based off of what you identify as, has male female nobinary etc..., and matters everywhere

Rosexøxø · Accepted Answer

I lost track :O is it 2023 yet? lol

NamerOfStars · Answer

At least 500- but that's among certain species of slime mold. Humans just have 2.

Berethor · Answer

Mainly only two, and there is hermaphrodite like slaanesh. :)

mrmonogamous · Answer

That’s a simple question with a very simple answer: two. The argument over sex and gender is one that has been constructed by a socialist society and perpetuated by celebrities, media, magazines, etc. You are born with a penis and testicles or a vagina and ovaries. That is the definition of who you are. Anything else is a severe, psychological problem, which requires counseling. The fact that, there are areas of society, promoting, gender, fluidity, or changing your actual physical sax to match what you “identify with” makes me absolutely sick!

talka20 · Answer

2 only... that is it

FunkyMonkee · Answer

Three: male, female and hermaphrodite.

sirderpsalot123 · Answer

Two genders. Male and female.

beernbacon69 · Answer

There is only two.

JPresidente · Answer

Only two.

BobbieBoy666 · Answer

Two male's one female. 💞

Hispanic-Cool-Guy · Answer

Only two. Always two.

Passing_by · Answer

Just 2.

Aiko_E_Lara · Answer

Only 2 REAL genders

nudeNhorny · Answer

to me two and only two

EaterPeter · Answer

2 and a half men 😉

LimitedBenefits101 · Answer

Only 2.

Gooddaze · Answer

there are two.

QuietRunner · Answer

2 and 2 only

Anonymous · Answer

Four in all species; only two in humans.

Anonymous · Answer

81 Read them here -

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