Hacker News Reader

Comment by dtagames | Hacker News Reader

Talk about a loaded question! I'll take the bait... As a gay man whose life coincided with the gay liberation movement -- and also as a scientifically-minded person, I think there are two answers.

Biologically, a woman is a human with two X chromosomes. This would be the best scientific answer I would give if someone asked me that question.

Socially, a person can choose to be perceived in any role they wish and which is accepted by those around them -- or not! In other words, social gender roles like other roles are varied around the world and over time. If someone feels more comfortable in a different role, I'm certainly ok with that.

I don't think one is able to change one's biological status but society has accepted that people can live in a different role than their biological status.

* Edit: I should add that I have two trans family members.

View on HN

So maybe the best answer is to respond with a question: "Do you mean woman as a biological classification, or as a social construct?"

And I think that most people who ask the question are asking it as a "gotcha" question, and they either deny that "biological classification" has any validity, or they deny that "social construct" has any validity.

> Biologically, a woman is a human with two X chromosomes. This would be the best scientific answer I would give if someone asked me that question.

But science knows better, as will you, after reading https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Klinefelter_syndrome, which says:

“Klinefelter syndrome (KS), also known as 47,XXY, is a syndrome where a male has an additional copy of the X chromosome. The primary features are infertility and small, poorly functioning testicles. Often, symptoms are subtle and subjects do not realize they are affected.”

The sex of an organism is defined by the type of gamete an organism produces (or will produce, or used to produce, or would produce if it was healthy, etc.) If an organism produces relatively large gametes that don’t move much, if at all (i.e eggs), it is female. If it produces small motile gametes (i.e. sperm) it is male. This holds true for all animals and plants that reproduce sexually, as it is the basic biological distinction between the sexes.

Chromosomes themselves aren’t sex, and only some animals’ sexes are “programmed” by their chromosomes. For example, alligator embryos’ (future) sex is determined by their incubation temperature.

People with Klinefelter syndrome are male because they have testicles, underdeveloped as they may be.

Edit: typos

There is also Androgen Insensitivity Syndrome: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Androgen_insensitivity_syndrom...

In Complete Androgen Insensitivity Syndrome affected individuals have XY sex chromosomes but appear female because their body does not respond to naturally occurring male hormones.

So, essentially, the word has become a homonym? Just like "left" has multiple meanings depending upon context, now so "woman"?

That makes sense to me, but then still the question is unanswered, what is the definition of "woman" in a social context? We have the biological definition, but the other definition is still seemingly ephemeral.

Edit:

Small spelling errors. Also, what makes this a loaded question? I agree it's difficult to answer, but on the surface at least asking for the definition of a word doesn't seem loaded to me.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com