For me it would be homosexuality if it was a straight out choice in later life The kids born with both genders, but one being chosen, not sure how that would be
I really don't want to get religion into this thread. As it's been really good. My notions of heaven and hell, god and the devil are not defined as you have posted. For another day??
Absolutely. And this is where a lot of people struggle to tell the difference. It is ok not to agree with same sex on religious grounds or even personal views or beliefs. As long has they are not treated differently or abused because of their choices. As you have said, what people do in their personal life is their choice and like wise, I don't want to see a hetrosexual couple playing tongue tennis in the street either.
I'm talking about sex. Gender is a whole different issue, as I've mentioned. There are plenty of cultures across the world where the idea of 'masculine' and 'feminine' genders are part of a more diverse set of definitions .
That's the point I'm making. Are they a woman if they've got tits and a fanny and identify as feminine (gender) and are legally classed as a woman, despite previously being a man ?
Not going to pretend I know all the cultures. But we did some stuff in sociology when I was still at college. I'm not sure I shared all the conclusions So the tribe where men "prettied" up and the women worked still had a notion of masculine and feminine. It was just different Also if what I've read about how marketing has changed our notions (so pink was a strong masculine colour, and blue was feminine see the colours worn by the Virgin Mary). So maybe the whole metrosexual thing is just us men reverting to the norm? And not "gay" as some would have it
One area i struggle with is the transgender transformation. From a psychological perspective, as you've probably guessed a great interest of mine, i can understand why a human may feel as though they are or want to be the opposite sex. Where i struggle with it, is why they feel the need to follow the path of gender change. If you call a transgender a male of female ie he/she, they may get offended, yet they are defining that themselves through the change. Argument could be it's a woman trapped in a man's body, I suppose unless you have that psychological experience it's a hell of a one to try and understand! An example i would be thinking of would be that Olympic athlete, can't remember the name.
Like I said, the idea of a '3rd' gender goes back to Mesopotamian times, and most continents have examples of cultures where people don't fit the definitions of 'masculine' or 'feminine'. Some are embraced and even revered and some are ostracised, but it's a common theme throughout history that human culture doesn't fit neatly into the definitions of one or the other. Transgender people in the sex trade is just another example of people who sell sex, whether they be male, female or transgender.
