# What is meant by "I identify as X" gender? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [February 21, 2017, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-meant-by-i-identify-as-x-gender/780394 "2017-02-21T16:56:27Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Helena330](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/helena330/32/531_2.png) [@Helena330](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Helena330)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2017, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-meant-by-i-identify-as-x-gender/780394/21 "2017-02-22T19:02:12Z")
Actually, gender X is intersex: > [@](#): > > “Intersex” is a general term used for a variety of conditions in which a person is born with a reproductive or sexual anatomy that doesn’t seem to fit the typical definitions of female or male. > **[What is intersex? | Intersex Society of North America](https://isna.org/faq/what_is_intersex)** > > Intersex is a general term used for a variety of conditions in which a person is born with a reproductive or sexual anatomy that doesn’t seem to fit the typical definitions of female or male. For example, a person might be born appearing to be... [Incredible documentary.](https://vimeo.com/118671236) ---
**Author:** ![Nawth\_Chucka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/c57346/32.png) [@Nawth\_Chucka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nawth_Chucka)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2017, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-meant-by-i-identify-as-x-gender/780394/22 "2017-02-22T19:28:46Z")
A thought process I run into is when one wants to be clear they’re a person who’ll respect the identity and rights of whomever they’re speaking to; that’s not a thing to be broached in a specific way or w/ a specific person w/o being presumptuous. One simply has to live their life as a person respecting others as they present themselves, one person at a time rather than a human embodiment of generalizations/assumptions/stereotypes. It’s time-consuming at first to build habits that ignore the inbuilt ideas many cultural traditions hold as facts; but living more simply makes up for it. None of us have standing to tell \*\*\*others \*\*\*what anything in their identity should mean to them - not Real Men, Real Women, Real Catholics or anything within the enormous spectrum of the human experience. Our personal opinions are hot air escaping our lungs at best, no matter how strongly we hold them. ---
**Author:** ![Una\_Persson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/una_persson/32/346_2.png) [@Una\_Persson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Una_Persson)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2017, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-meant-by-i-identify-as-x-gender/780394/23 "2017-02-22T19:31:53Z")
> [@Nava](#): > > I can see why to someone who hasn’t been automatically recognized as female since babyhood, it can actually be important to be treated as badly as other women. But to me, it’s yet another asshole too many, so my understanding will never go beyond the intellectual level. Correct, I mean OMG I don’t want ANY woman to experience ANY of those things. But at the same time, if I get the privilege of being a woman, that means I take the crap associated with being a woman. No free rides, no shortchanges. I’ve turned my experience into a lecture series that I’ve given to more than 3,000 people now, highlighting the daily discrimination in STEM fields that we women face. I’m doing my part in a small way. ---
**Author:** ![Helena330](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/helena330/32/531_2.png) [@Helena330](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Helena330)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2017, 11:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-meant-by-i-identify-as-x-gender/780394/24 "2017-02-22T23:23:54Z")
> [@Una\_Persson](#): > > Correct, I mean OMG I don’t want ANY woman to experience ANY of those things. But at the same time, if I get the privilege of being a woman, that means I take the crap associated with being a woman. No free rides, no shortchanges. > > **I’ve turned my experience into a lecture series that I’ve given to more than 3,000 people now, highlighting the daily discrimination in STEM fields that we women face. I’m doing my part in a small way.** I’ve heard horror stories. ☹ Is there video or a transcript online of your lectures? I’d love to see them. ---
**Author:** ![Hilarity\_N.Suze](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hilarity_n.suze/32/6223_2.png) [@Hilarity\_N.Suze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hilarity_N.Suze)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2017, 2:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-meant-by-i-identify-as-x-gender/780394/25 "2017-02-23T02:42:45Z")
> [@Una\_Persson](#): > > … > 3a) Folks would never dream of going up to a co-worker and saying “are your boobs real?” … Yes, yes they would. In fact total strangers will do it. ---
**Author:** ![Una\_Persson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/una_persson/32/346_2.png) [@Una\_Persson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Una_Persson)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2017, 5:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-meant-by-i-identify-as-x-gender/780394/26 "2017-02-23T05:35:30Z")
> [@Hilarity\_N.Suze](#): > > Yes, yes they would. In fact total strangers will do it. Well, not at my workplace. Basically one who did it would be severely reprimanded at best, terminated a possibility. I’m not sure if there’s a video of one of my lectures available. I had one once but it was like 700 MB. ---
**Author:** ![TokyoBayer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tokyobayer/32/13989_2.png) [@TokyoBayer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TokyoBayer)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2017, 6:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-meant-by-i-identify-as-x-gender/780394/27 "2017-02-23T06:49:11Z")
> [@Amateur\_Barbarian](#): > > Or: 21st century gender identity vs. 19th century etiquette and roles… choose _one_, please? Isn’t this a strawman? Are any transgender or others demanding 19th century etiquette and gender roles or is this a nonissue? ---
**Author:** ![AHunter3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ahunter3/32/368_2.png) [@AHunter3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AHunter3)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2017, 1:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-meant-by-i-identify-as-x-gender/780394/28 "2017-02-23T13:42:20Z")
> [@TokyoBayer](#): > > I > > [QUOTE=Amateur Barbarian] > > Or: 21st century gender identity vs. 19th century etiquette and roles… choose one, please? sn’t this a strawman? Are any transgender or others demanding 19th century etiquette and gender roles or is this a nonissue? [/QUOTE] I can sort of see the chain of logic there. Let’s say that you believe that in the modern world most of us treat people as people instead of treating people differently depending on whether we perceive them as men or women, and you believe a 21-century attitude sort of requires that (ignoring the knuckle-dragging folks who aren’t onboard with that for the moment). Along comes these gender-variant people and they ask to be treated as the gender with which they identify, and implicit within that is the notion that it would make a difference, which in turn implies that folks _do_ treat people differently depending on whether they’re perceived as men or as women. My answer would be: folks _do_ treat people differently. Things like standing up with a woman enters the room or only hugging women hello and goodbye at parties while shaking the guys’ hands or holding the door open for a woman, _that_ stuff may be largely dissipated, some of it to the point that it looks like period actors doing 19th century reenactments, sure enough. But it’s a long way from true that the same behaviors are expected of people regardless of sex. It’s a long way from true that the same behaviors are given the same interpretation regardness of sex. Assumptions are made about people’s intentions and priorities. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-meant-by-i-identify-as-x-gender/780394.md?page=1)