Question

There are only two genders.

Answer 1

Hi there! Curious as to what your source is? According to the Canadian Institute of Health Research sex, "refers to a set of biological attributes in humans and animals" while gender, "refers to socially constructed roles, behaviours, expressions and identities." Sex is typically classified as female or male which is what you could be reffering to, although that doesnt leave room for possible biological variations during birth that might affect how biological attributes may present. However as gender is socially constructed, it is not confined to the same binary as sex is! So while technically there ARE "only 2 sexes," gender actually exists outside of the binary of male and female! Hope this helped!

https://cihr-irsc.gc.ca/e/48642.html

Comments

I really like your fact check. I like how you made a very important distinction between "sex" and "gender" and added supporting details as well. I also like that you included the link to where you got your information. One thing I would add to make it even better is pointing out that his original source is from a social media post where no outside sources or information is provided which makes it highly un-credible. Other than that great job!

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I agree with your evidence and I think you did a great job in breaking down why the claim is wrong. I think it is also important to note that the original post says not only the claim but also says "prove me wrong" indicating that it was not meant to serve as informational in the first place, but rather a basis for an argument.

Answer 2

The claim is completely false and has no evidence to back it up. It was posted by an X user with no identifying information on their account, and with only two posts. The National Institute of Health (NIH) website defines the term "gender" as "Gender can be broadly defined as a multidimensional construct that encompasses gender identity and expression, as well as social and cultural expectations about status, characteristics, and behavior as they are associated with certain sex traits" and it refers to the term "sex" as "Sex is a multidimensional biological construct based on anatomy, physiology, genetics, and hormones. (These components are sometimes referred to together as “sex traits.”)" A common mistake that people make is not understanding the difference between these two terms. Gender is defined by social constructs, which in theory, means that there could be any possible amount of genders. Sex is defined by biology, and according to biology, there are more than just two sexes. The United Nations Human Rights website says, "Intersex people are born with sex characteristics (such as sexual anatomy, reproductive organs, hormonal patterns and/or chromosomal patterns) that do not fit typical binary notions of male or female bodies. Experts estimate that up to 1.7 percent of the population are born with intersex traits." According to this research, there are neither only 2 genders or sexes, but instead a wide range of traits that can define how a person chooses to identify themselves.

NIH article gender and sex:

https://orwh.od.nih.gov/sex-gender 

UN definition of intersex:

https://www.ohchr.org/en/sexual-orientation-and-gender-identity/intersex-people#:~:text=Intersex%20people%20are%20born%20with,are%20born%20with%20intersex%20traits.