The End of Gender by Debra Soh

Pg 17 Biological sex is either male or female. Contrary to what is commonly believed, sex is defined not by chromosomes or our genitals or hormonal profiles, but by gametes, which are mature reproductive cells. There are only 2 types of gametes: small ones called sperm that are produced by males, and large ones called eggs that are produced by females. Sex is therefore binary. It is not a spectrum

Pg 21 Sexual orientation influences gender, but gender is not synonymous with ones sexuality. Research has shown that people who are gender-atypical (who look and behave more like the opposite sex that people who share their sex) are more likely to be gay

Pg 31 The sex and gender binaries are considered not only pseudoscientific and wrongheaded, but also oppressive, due to the belief that they force people into stereotypical gender roles. But there is no reason why someone who was born female cant behave or present herself in a masculine way, and push back against these stereotypes while identifying as a woman. The same can be said for feminine men

Pg 52 It isnt sexist to acknowledge sex differences. Whats sexist is assuming that women must be the same as men in order to be treated as equals

Pg 68 The gender-neutral title “Mx” is increasingly being used to address nonbinary people

Pg 72 if a person says that they are both genders or neither, this still depends on the concept of gender being binary. Even for those who identify as ender-nonconforming, it means they are less like one gender and more like the other

Pg 73 Queer: defined as experiencing sexual attraction in away that does not fit into dominant norms

Pg 76 Transgender people transition because they want to live as the opposite sex. To ask a trans person explicitly about their pronouns can be offensive, because it suggests their gender wasnt obvious. When non-trans people put their pronouns in the bios and email signatures, et cetera, in an attempt to be more inclusive, this can make it harder for trans people to find other members of their community

Pg 80 The concept of gender fluidity argues against trans adults right to transition

Pg 82 Others have argued that you can be a “nonbinary lesbian”, which doesnt make sense. In order to be a lesbian, by definition, one needs to be a woman

Pg 111 Research has shown that childhood gender nonconformity is one of the strongest predictors of being gay in adulthood

Pg 125 Autogynephilia means “love of oneself as a woman”

Pg 160 A study from 2014 found that 41% of adults who identify as transgender have attempted suicide at some point in their life

Pg 198 It is certainly trendy nowadays for gay people to refer to themselves as “same-gender attracted” instead of being same-sex attracted in order to be more inclusive of trans people

Pg 200 In a sample of more than 900 ppl, including gay, straight, bisexual, and trans individuals, close to 90% of respondents stated they would not consider dating a transgender person

Pg 203 Gender neutral spaces are more dangerous for women and girls because they pose an opportunity for sexual offenders to gain access to victims. Recent stats show that almost 90% of complaints about sexual assault , voyeurism, and harassment in the UK swimming pools happen in unisex changing rooms

Pg 232 A new double standard has developed more recently, wherin beauty rituals that uphold femininity like shaving ones legs and wearing a pushup bra are criticized and frowned upon, but any steps to appear gender-nonconforming like wearing mens clothes and dying ones hair unusual colors, which may be just as time-consuming, are celebrated

Pg 251 Parents enroll their boys in ballet class and girls in rough sports like football in an effort to encourage the widest range of interests possible. But pushing otherwise gender-typical kids to pursue gender-atypical activities is the same line of erroneous thinking evident in parents who think giving gender-atypical toys to a child will alter their sexual orientation

Pg 263 If we want the world to be more accommodating to women, we need to stop pretending that he sexes are identical. Telling ourselves that sex differences are inherently meaningless hinders progress that would actually help women

Pg 267 I could not believe the number of ppl who were vehemently rallying against President Donald Trumps climate science denial, but had nothing to say about left-leaning denial of biology

Pg 270 There is a 36:1 ratio of liberals to conservatives in academia

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