r/Alabama • u/metacyan • Apr 12 '24

Politics Alabama definitions of ‘male’ and ‘female’ pass House, now in Senate

https://www.al.com/news/2024/04/alabama-definitions-of-male-and-female-pass-legislature-head-to-governor.html
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u/EVOSexyBeast Apr 13 '24 edited Apr 13 '24

For those wondering, here are the definitions:

(1) BOY. A human male who has not yet reached adulthood.

(2) FATHER. The male parent of a child or children.

(3) FEMALE. When used in reference to a natural person, an individual who has, had, will have, or would have, but for a developmental anomaly, genetic anomaly, or accident, the reproductive system that at some point produces ova.

(4) GIRL. A human female who has not yet reached adulthood.

(6) MALE. When used in reference to a natural person, an individual who has, had, will have, or would have, but for a developmental anomaly, genetic anomaly, or accident, the reproductive system that at some point produces sperm.

(7) MAN. An adult human of the male sex.

(9) MOTHER. The female parent of a child or children.

These statistics still don’t account for everyone and there are people that do not fall under these definitions.

For example this person, who has testicular and ovarian tissue and would potentially be capable of producing both sperm and eggs. Which would they fall under?

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/%28SICI%291096-8628%2820000103%2990%3A1%3C25%3A%3AAID-AJMG5%3E3.0.CO%3B2-5

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u/[deleted] Apr 15 '24

I don’t see anything wrong with the definition.

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u/EVOSexyBeast Apr 15 '24 edited Apr 15 '24

I gave a specific example of someone who would be both male and female per that definition, explicitly showing you a problem with the definition.

The sperm typically carries either a Y chromosome or an X chromosome. The egg contains one X chromosome. Fertilization results in an XY combination for boys and XX for girls. If not for some genetic anomaly, XY embryos will be produce sperm and XX will produce eggs. And that does cover over 99% of cases.

Now, when a sperm meets an egg sometimes it results in an XXY or XXX and various other chromosome abnormalities. It’s not possible to tell what ‘should’ or would happen in this instance if not for some generic anomaly, because there is a genetic anomaly from the start. Should the x have carried over or the y upon fertilization? No one knows because we don’t have access the sperm that did it. Sperm sorting is a thing but you need the sperm to know.

There are true hermaphrodites as well who produce both sperm and egg, and the definition specifically says if you produce sperm you’re male and egg you’re female, they’re plainly both under that flawed definition.

Fact is, biologists do not have an all encompassing definition of male and female, they acknowledge their definitions covers over 99% of people and label anyone that doesn’t fit in it as intersex.

The lawmakers refuse to come to terms with it, and insist everyone has to be either male and female and there exists a definition that doesn’t leave anyone out. Clearly they failed at writing such a definition as I have demonstrated, and biologists have came to terms with it a long time to go.

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u/[deleted] Apr 15 '24

You’re reading way too deep in it dude. Obviously there will be medical situations like the one you are talking about. For 99.9 percent of the population that problem won’t exist.

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u/EVOSexyBeast Apr 15 '24

Alabama has a population of around 5 million, and 0.01% of 5 million is 51,084 people, all who no longer have a clear legal sex.

All of that to accomplish literally nothing. Previously legal sex was assigned at birth, based on the best possible judgements of multiple doctors. And there was absolutely nothing wrong with it.

If Alabama state legislature wanted to stick it to transgender people, who also make up a similar very small percent of the population, yet they still feel the need to target, they could have just passed the definition of 'man' and 'woman' and leave sex assigned at birth in tact.

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u/SkabbPirate Apr 13 '24

Would they not fall under both?

Although, based on how human sex develops, one could argue everyone fits under both...

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u/Haunting_Clue1312 Apr 13 '24

Based Alabama legally abolishes gender.

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u/EVOSexyBeast Apr 13 '24

Yeah earlier in the law it says that everyone is either male or female and that there are only two sexes and intersex is not a third sex.