Apparently I get to write yet another thread on this, on why I find the concept of a bimodal spectrum harmful. I'll try to avoid telling my life story and keep it to the point.

To start with I'll talk about intersex genital mutilation, or IGM the very thing any and all intersex people advocate against. Dating all the way back to the ancient ages, intersex people have been seen as an "other" and as a result classified as hermaphrodites.

IGM is often caused by the implication of the genotype being perceived not to match the phenotype or if I may be blunt, when the genitals and sexual parts don't match the expected product. This is when why I speak out it's in opposition to sexual characteristics as classification

Yes, it is no surprise that dating back to ancient history we have been othered based on the differences in our sexual characteristics that offset what'd be considered the "average" of those who are endosex, or rather born without CCSD/VSDs.

To those of ancient and primitive times, a child born without a vagina was less of a female as a result and had to be operated on, she had to be "fixed." Or if the urethra is placed on the base of the penis in an infant boy, he must be corrected.. or "reassigned."

Genderists quote Anne Fausto-Sterling a lot who openly has said there are essentially five sexes, Male, Male Pseudo-Hermaphrodite, True Hermaphrodite, Female Pseudo-Hermaphrodite, and Female. Not only is this reductionalist, it's a misleading title and insulting at that.

Not only does human biology not support the function of a hermaphrodite we are being based on what is perceived to be the average, or "normal." Therefore anyone who falls outside of the norm, intersex or not would be classified as "not right" and in need of "correction."

Into more modern times we have a new issue arising where we are not utilizing what tools and research science has brought involving the nature of biological sex, particularly in humans. We are still obsessed with the outward appearance, the phenotype if you will.

As humans we are focused on the fact that a phenotype must be male or female, which is understandable why we do so. The issues start falling into place when we start to conflate sexual characteristics average as the model for sex itself, discounting there are numerous factors.

Sex determination is based on five things, yet as humans we seem to be focused on two particular things. In order...

[Karyotype] [XY/XX]
[Presenting Genitalia]
[Gonadal Tissue]
[Hormone Production]
[Internal Reproductive Structures.]

In 99.8% of cases you can easily tell someone's biological sex off karyotype alone. In 99.98% of cases you can tell someone's biological sex off of presenting genitalia, yet the gonadal tissue gets conflated here.

So what about that .02%? Is sex a spectrum due to them?

No. See, we still have two determination factors and they're the most overlooked ones of all. That is hormone production and internal reproductive structures, or rather what gamete function a body can support. So in humans it can be stated with a fact that sex can be determined.

It is true that in the majority of cases you can judge based on someone having a XY genotype[Male], and XX genotype[Female] but there are exceptions. Things can happen with the body that leads to the SRY not working properly/being gone, or being there when it shouldn't.

However you have CCSDs where the rest of the five determination factors come into play. Like I said above, in the majority of cases the first two can do the job just fine.

The issue isn't that sex isn't binary and that the system is oppressing intersex bodies.

So as we know sexual characteristics are determined by the result of all five of these factors, well arguably four.. Let's be honest, karyotypes don't have much of a role there, you don't see someone's karyotype but you can observe their genitalia and features.

Obviously as humans none of us really look alike, some women actually are quite masculine and have male-average traits, same with men having quite feminine and female-average traits. We as as mammals are very diverse and rarely will end up with a similar outcome naturally.

I know everyone's sick of me pulling up this graph, but this is a favorite of genderists. They claim that due to intersex people, even people with hormonal differences that sex isn't binary. It's a spectrum, a bimodal distribution at that.

They argue that such a spectrum doesn't lead to the issue of implying one is lesser, or more of a specific sex then another.. Yet we have a bimodal structure "supposedly." Also intersex == Inbetween Sexes, which is a harmful misnomer. I'm sure you see where I'm going here.

So what is this spectrum based off of? Well, if you ask a genderist you won't get anywhere. They argue off physical appearance namely, which means that one has to look a certain way to be male or female which.. doesn't really fly these days for numerous reasons.

Reason 1? We're in 2020, almost 2021 people. We have the ability to artificially alter our bodies through sex hormones to line them up more with a desired phenotype if applied in youth. We also have the ability to surgically carve away bone and change development through surgery.

You're literally reaffirming the negative stereotypes that a woman has to look a certain way, or a man has to. Where does it stop? Well with genderists some of them insist even behaving a certain way makes them more female then those born female.. Which is extremely reductionist.

So what if we apply genitals to this? Well it has a new and a big issue that persisted with certain "scientists" since the 1950s. I'll demonstrate THAT graph here.

So where do we even begin with how this is wrong? Well to start with, we're once again judging on one sole factor. We're implying that these complicated conditions, congenital or not make one less male, or less female.. or more male, more female.

On top of that the 0.02% classification: or otherwise once known as "true hermaphrodite" are othered to such a degree that doctors will try to force them in one of two categories, or stigma will be placed on them to just be normal or accept they're different and "wrong."

Generally speaking, this is nothing new. This is literally the same ignorance about intersex bodies being repackaged as progressive and "queer."

This is nothing new from ancient times, it still others intersex people but also insists we should "accept them" but as neither sex.

How is that a step up? I mean I suppose in the eyes of those who are told they're wrong based on the first three determination factors of sex that being "lesser" is more ideal then being considered for only a single factor that played no real role in your life, or who you are.

That used to be me after all, learning I had XY chromosomes.. and not just certain cells shook me. It made me just take anything I could to be accepted "as my sex" even if it meant being lesser, it's why the bimodal spectrum is enticing for XY females and why they support this.

When the real solution is so much simpler, stop being backwards and regressive about what male and female has to look, or be. Utilize all the sex determination methods on the cases that are 0.02% and don't raise them in a manner that others them.

I know I say and repeat this a lot, but we should normalize VSDs and CCSDs as members of their biological sex who are just atypical in certain regards. We're not some other, we're not wrong.. and we don't need corrected. All cosmetic approaches should be scrapped.

Our care should be focused and centered on the fact that we need certain treatments to reduce the side effects of having these conditions, these differences.. or variations. However no intersex child, or adult should be forced to alter their appearance, genitals or otherwise.

Hormone treatment is necessary when one is born with streak gonads/ovaries because the endocrine profile can't be supported. It is not necessary when one just has a bit more testosterone then normal. We need to stop being superficial and at the same time regressive.

Anyways, I think this thread's long enough. Hopefully I made my point on how I feel on this whole thing.. why I believe the binary isn't what's hurting us but rather how it's used and conflated with sexual characteristics.