Trans issues, etc are not something I spend an enormous amount of time thinking about.
That said, something like 0.5% of humanity are hermaphrodites. It is odd that such people no longer officially exist.
I am also the sort of person who likes the confusion that conversation about gender causes people. Joel Spolsky popularized the term "leaky abstraction" in programming. It applies to most, if not all, of the categories we humans apply to the world.
I see the war against "nonbinary" sex codes as a war against sophisticated thinking. It will make Americans a little bit dumber.
saubeidl•2h ago
> Trans issues, etc are not something I spend an enormous amount of time thinking about.
I am not trans and not impacted by this in any way. Nonetheless, this worries me as trans people are just a small, convenient group to use to normalize state repression.
"First they came for the trans people and I didn't speak out, because I wasn't trans"
thomassmith65•1h ago
You're right, of course, but considering how uncomfortable so many Americans are about these issues (eg: they may have decided the presidential election), I have mixed feelings about what to do about it.
ben_w•40m ago
Since shortly after I graduated, I have been surprised by quite how many trans people I have known. So for me, I do spend a decent amount of time thinking about it.
But as a deeper question: why is gender even listed on a passport in the first place? Why does it matter for the thing a passport does, letting you pass through a port?
Picture: yes, is the person standing in front of me authorised to travel in general? Name: yes, is the person standing in front of me connected to this specific non-transferable ticket with a name on it?
Gender: who cares, it's not like planes and trains have separate male and female seating and toilets.
thomassmith65•2h ago
That said, something like 0.5% of humanity are hermaphrodites. It is odd that such people no longer officially exist.
I am also the sort of person who likes the confusion that conversation about gender causes people. Joel Spolsky popularized the term "leaky abstraction" in programming. It applies to most, if not all, of the categories we humans apply to the world.
I see the war against "nonbinary" sex codes as a war against sophisticated thinking. It will make Americans a little bit dumber.
saubeidl•2h ago
I am not trans and not impacted by this in any way. Nonetheless, this worries me as trans people are just a small, convenient group to use to normalize state repression.
"First they came for the trans people and I didn't speak out, because I wasn't trans"
thomassmith65•1h ago
ben_w•40m ago
But as a deeper question: why is gender even listed on a passport in the first place? Why does it matter for the thing a passport does, letting you pass through a port?
Picture: yes, is the person standing in front of me authorised to travel in general? Name: yes, is the person standing in front of me connected to this specific non-transferable ticket with a name on it?
Gender: who cares, it's not like planes and trains have separate male and female seating and toilets.