Sex: The biological category

Femaleness, maleness, & everything in between Prepared by Noelle Leslie dela Cruz, Ph.D. Philosophy Department, De La Salle University

Key points
Human sexual reproduction

Female sex organs

Male sex organs Intersexuality Asexualism Transsexualism

Human sexual reproduction

Sexual reproduction is the creation of offspring

through the combination of the genes of two parents Each parent donates a gamete (sperm or egg) which combine to create a new organism

Human sexual reproduction

Organisms that produce sperm are male, those that

produce eggs are female. In some species, an organism can produce both sperm and eggs simultaneously. Such an organism is known as a hermaphrodite, after the Greek gods Hermes and Aphrodite.

Human sexual reproduction

Gametes are haploid, meaning they contain half the

number of chromosomes (twenty-three) in a somatic cell. During fertilization, a haploid sperm and haploid egg join to produce a diploid zygote. The zygote undergoes mitosis, reproducing its forty-six chromosomes as it grows.

Human sexual reproduction

Most cells in the human body

contain forty-six chromosomes (twenty-three from the mother and twenty-three from the father), arranged in twentythree pairs. The twenty-third pair are the sex chromosomes, which determine whether a person is male or female.

Human sexual reproduction

They are made up of an X

chromosome donated by the mother and either an X or Y chromosome donated by the father. In normal development, if the male contributes an X chromosome, the offspring will be female (XX), and if it is Y, the offspring will be male (XY).

Human sexual reproduction

If sexual differentiation goes

well, the zygote will develop into a fetus with typically male or typically female characteristics. However, things can go wrong at any time during development, which can later influence the persons biological sex or the persons own sense of whether they are male or female.

Sex organs: Female

Sex organs: Female

Sex organs: Male

Sex organs: Male

Intersexuality
A hermaphrodite is born with fully formed ovaries

and fully formed testes, which is very, very rare. Most people called hermaphrodites are actually pseudohermaphrodites, whose external genitals resemble to some degree the genitals of both sexes.

Intersexuality
The term intersexual has come to be used in

medical practice since the 20th century. It is also used by the identitary-political movement to criticize medical protocols in sex assignment and to claim the right to be heard in the construction of a new one.

Some common intersex conditions

X/Y 46, XX Name Congenital Adrenal Hyperplasia (CAH) Description The most common cause of sexual ambiguity is an endocrine disorder in which the adrenal glands produce abnormally high levels of androgens. In genetic females, this leads to an appearance that may be slightly masculinized (large clitoris) to quite masculine.

Some common intersex conditions

X/Y 46, XY Name Androgen Insensitivity Syndrome (AIS) Description In complete androgen insensitivity syndrome ("CAIS"), the body reads no "male" hormones. In partial androgen insensitivity syndrome (PAIS), however, the body reads some androgens, so virilization occurs to a certain degree. Ambiguous genitalia most frequently appear as a large clitoris or a micropenis. Individuals have testes, as well as vagina and labia, but with a small penis capable of ejaculation instead of a clitoris (this penis, however, appears to be a clitoris at birth). These individuals are normally raised as girls. However, come puberty, their testes will descend, their voice will deepen and they often will develop a male sexual identity. They develop only limited facial hair.

46, XY

5-alphareductase deficiency

Some common intersex conditions

X/Y 47, XXY Name Klinefelter Syndrome Description Individuals with Klinefelter Syndrome are genetically 47,XXY and live as men. Small penis and testes, low androgen secretion, and possible female breast development are characteristics of this syndrome.

45, XO

Turner Syndrome

While Turner women have female external genitals, the individuals lack properly formed ovaries. Without estrogen treatment, no breast growth occurs. Other possible features of Turner Syndrome include short stature, webbing of the neck, and misshapen internal organs.

Other

Mosaicism A mix can occur, where some of the cells of the body have and the common XX or XY, while some have one of the less chimerism usual chromosomal contents above. Such a mixture is caused by either mosaicism or chimerism. In mosaicism, the mixture is caused by a mutation in one of the cells of the embryo after fertilization, while chimerism is a fusion of two embryos.

Asexualism
On occasion, usually due to the mother taking hormones, a child is born without sexual organs of any kind. This means that the child has no ovaries, uterus, or vagina, has no penis or testicles, and usually has only a bladder and a urethra ending in an aperture for the elimination of urine. Though such a child has a genetic [sex] (i.e. it has XX or XY chromosomes) the child has no biological [sex]. Most are assigned a [sex] in childhood, are given hormones, and live as male or female (Carroll and Wolpe 1996: 178)

Transsexualism: Key terms

Transsexualism - Extreme gender dysphoria that has persisted without fluctuation for at least one or two years
Gender dysphoria - The state of feeling and believing that one is not really a member of ones anatomical sex Sex reassignment surgery - Surgery for transsexuals, designed to re-form male genitals into female genitals or female genitals into male (Carroll and Wolpe 1996: 175)

The process of sex reassignment

1. Psychological counseling to confirm the gender dysphoria 2. Living as a member of the other sex, and later the administration of hormones to masculinize or feminize his/her appearance 3. Sex reassignment surgery or SRS
(Carroll and Wolpe 1996: 177)

Male-to-female SRS
1. The scrotum and testicles are removed 2. The penis is removed 3. The sensitive penile skin remains attached and is used to form the inside of the vagina 4. A vagina and a set of labial lips are constructed 5. Silicone implants create breasts
(Carroll and Wolpe 1996: 177)

Images of M-F transsexuals

Female-to-male SRS
1. The female internal sex organs are usually removed 2. Testosterone therapy usually enlarges the clitoris 3. An artificial penis may be constructed from the skin of the abdomen 4. A scrotum is made from the labia, into which are placed prosthetic testicles
(Carroll and Wolpe 1996: 177)

Images of F-M transsexuals

Sources
Sexuality and Gender in Society by Janet Carroll and

Paul Root Wolpe A Question of Gender by Martha Nussbaum, Http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1511/is_1_21/ai _58398807 Two Sexes Are Not Enough by Ann Fausto-Sterling, http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/gender/fs.html My Life As an Intersexual by Max Beck, http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/gender/beck.html