Before you complain that only a tiny percentage of humans have abnormal sex chromosomes, I should point out that only a tiny percentage of humans identify as trans. (How much do they overlap? I don’t know.) Here are some numbers:
If there are 7.6 billion humans, and we simplify the sex ratio to 1:1, that breaks down like this:
XXX: 3.8 million
XXY: 3.8 to 7.6 million
XYY: 3.8 million
X: 760,000 to 1.9 million
total: 12.16 million to 17.1 million
These are just some of the types of cases that may or may not fit under the term hermaphrodite or intersex, depending on which definition you use.
The uncertainty is partly caused by the fact that these conditions often go undiagnosed. Humans have always been able to notice external abnormalities in infants (their own infants at least), but not the internal abnormalities revealed by modern genetics.
As for abnormalities in the gender identity the individual identifies with, some research indicates a biological basis, but it’s not entirely clear.
There have been many cases (often hushed up) of parents or doctors making the decision to perform that kind of alteration, with no input from the child. Now we’re increasingly hearing the child speak up, often as an adult.
Whether the individual should be allowed to make such a decision before the age of majority is one question. Whether the individual should be allowed to make that decision at all is another question.
If the state doesn’t allow it (which would require the state to get involved) what else should it also ban? Tattoos? Breast implants for women who just want to be bigger? Breast reduction for women who just want to be smaller? Horn implants for people who want to be Satan’s minions? Seriously, either you draw a line somewhere, or you don’t.
There’s a whole musical about that. Also a film by Milos Forman (of Cuckoo’s Nest fame).
Some feel differently. At least one Forumosan publicly identified as non-binary (but left the conversation because of perceived hostility).
For anyone who missed it, we had an interesting discussion in this thread:
) what else should it also ban? Tattoos? Breast implants for women who just want to be bigger? Breast reduction for women who just want to be smaller? Horn implants for people who want to be Satan’s minions? Seriously, either you draw a line somewhere, or you don’t.