Question

There are only two genders.

Answer 1

According to MedicineNet, this is untrue. In fact, gender is a social construct (Oxford), and isn't used on any official documents, it's sex that is used on official documents. Socially, anyone can be anything, and this shows true in MedicineNet's 72 genders list, all genders covering just about everything anyone could be. Additionally, in the World Health Organization article on gender, it si presented as "the characteristics of women, men, girls and boys that are socially constructed". In the end, since gender is a social construct, there is no control or limit on it. By putting a limit on gender would be like putting a limit on religion, which is a world wide social construct.

https://www.medicinenet.com/what_are_the_72_other_genders/article.htm

https://languages.oup.com/google-dictionary-en/

https://www.who.int/health-topics/gender#tab=tab_1

Comments

You've done a great job getting into the main points of your response right away, defining the *important* difference between gender and biological sex and clarifying that gender is in fact a social construct. You used a wide range of stories that all do a fantastic job of backing up each of your points, using both statistics and quotes from all of them to solidify your statements. Additionally, it is essentially impossible to argue against the evidence you've given because they are legitimate facts that are effectively indisputable. Well done!

Answer 2

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.

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This is a really solid fact check. I like how you use a reliable source to cite definitions of both gender and sex in order to disprove the claim. In contrast, the source they used is very unreliable. Since it's from a social media post and doesn't give any further details, your argument is far stronger.

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I really liked the way you presented yourself and your sources/information here. You clearly defined the differences between sex and gender, and provided reliable substantially backed research to support. Your argument was assertive and clear. I would note that the original creator seemed to have no credible sourced information beyond a social media post that appears to simply be looking to get a reaction, rather than state a fact. With this is mind, your argument is much more comparably substantiable.

Answer 3

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. 

Answer 4

Many who make this claim are under the belief that sex and gender are the same concept, when this is not true. Sex is defined as "either of the two main categories (male and female) into which humans and most other living things are divided on the basis of their reproductive functions." Gender is defined as "the characteristics of women, men, girls and boys that are socially constructed. This includes norms, behaviors and roles associated with being a woman, man, girl or boy, as well as relationships with each other." The argument could be made that there are only two sexes, male and female, based on reproduction abilities. But gender, being a social construct, has the ability to grow and expand based on changing times and norms. Therefor, the number of genders is not limited on the basis of sex.

Sources: 

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5824932/

https://languages.oup.com/google-dictionary-en/

https://www.who.int/health-topics/gender#tab=tab_1

Comments

Your response provides a well-structured and informative explanation of the difference between sex and gender, and you used sources to support your point. The distinction made between sex as a biological category and gender as a social construct is accurate and aligns with current scientific understanding. I would like to expand on your point about sex being binary. While it's true that sex is often categorized as male or female based on reproductive functions, it's worth noting that biological sex itself can be more complex. Intersex conditions, where individuals are born with sex characteristics that don't fit typical binary notions of male or female bodies, demonstrate that even biological sex exists on a spectrum. Your explanation of gender as a social construct that can "grow and expand based on changing times and norms" is particularly insightful.  Overall, your response effectively challenges the original claim by providing clear definitions, logical reasoning, and credible sources.

Answer 5

This claim comes from a trump supporter’s Blue Sky account and has no evidence to back it up. There is, however, a lot of research that proves this wrong. Because this post says “There are only two genders” , and gender according to the Cleveland Clinic is  “a social construct based on societal or cultural beliefs about how people should act based on their sex”, we can deduct that this claim is false. Because the concept is socially constructed there is no limit to the amount of genders constructed. One could make the claim that society constructs two main genders, however this person is likely combining sex, gender, and gender identity, which are different concepts. The national library of medicine says “sex can be considered in terms of three categories: genotypic sex, phenotypic sex, and gender”. Sex is what you are assigned at birth based on genitalia. Gender is a socially constructed concept based on cultural norms. Gender identity is how you see and often present yourself in relation to gender, within or outside of the gender binary. If this person confused gender and sex, meaning there are only two sexes, they would still be wrong. Right wing, religious, and traditional people always come back to that argument of biology and body parts, however they leave out the fact that many people have both reproductive sex organs. NPR says “Intersex is an umbrella term used to describe people with differences in reproductive anatomy, chromosomes or hormones that don't fit typical definitions of male and female.” Therefore there are more than just two sexes or genders. 

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK10943/

https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/articles/16324-intersex 

https://www.npr.org/2021/06/02/996319297/gender-identity-pronouns-expression-guide-lgbtq#intersex 

Answer 6

Sex and gender are not interchangeable terms, at least in peer reviewed journals and scientific communities for homo sapiens, as these terms are defined by the World Health Organization and the National Institute of Health. The World Health Organization says that gender refers to characteristics of people that are socially constructed, whereas sex refers to the genitals a person is born with. Since the beginning of time, there have been intersex people (who have genitalia that suggest they are neither female nor male) and transgender people who feel that their genitalia doesn't represent their gender identity and expression. These are key differences in the uses of these terms, and your claim specifically uses the term gender, which makes your claim incorrect.

Answer 7

The claim that “there are only two genders” is rooted in a misunderstanding of the distinction between biological sex and gender. While sex is typically classified based on reproductive anatomy, intersex variations complicate the binary notion (De Loof, 2018). Gender, however, is a social construct, meaning its definition shifts across cultures and historical contexts (World Health Organization, 2024). West & Zimmerman (1987) argue that gender is something we do, not something we inherently are, reinforcing the idea that gender is performative rather than biologically fixed. The binary view persists largely because dominant groups shape societal norms in ways that maintain existing power structures. But cultures worldwide recognize more than two genders, proving that the binary is not universal but socially imposed. While gender is often mistaken for sex, reducing it to only two categories ignores both scientific evidence and the realities of social construction.

Answer 8

After researching your claim, I am able to see that there is more than just two genders because there has been many other claims that have stats and information that comes to the conclusion that there are many genders.

https://www.who.int/health-topics/gender#tab=tab_1 Shares about how they discovered that there is more than just one gender because everyone can choose to be who they are and they might not identify with what sex they were at birth.

Answer 9

This claim is inaccurate and does not reflect the current scientific understanding of gender. Sex is typically assigned at birth based on biological characteristics (chromosomes, hormones, anatomy) and is often categorized as male or female, however gender is a social construct that encompasses identity, expression, and roles. Gender is a spectrum and is not binary. The idea that there are only two genders is based on a binary understanding of sex and gender, which is overly simplistic and doesn't account for the diversity of human experiences. It's important to note that some individuals and groups may hold different perspectives on gender based on cultural, religious, or personal beliefs. These perspectives should be acknowledged, but it's crucial to distinguish between personal beliefs and scientific consensus. 

The APA states that "Gender refers to the attitudes, feelings, and behaviors that a given culture associates with a person’s biological sex. Behavior that is compatible with cultural expectations is referred to as gender-normative, while behaviors that are viewed as incompatible with these expectations constitute gender non-conformity...Gender is a nonbinary construct."  

https://www.apa.org/topics/lgbtq/transgender-people-gender-identity-gender-expression  

The WHO acknowledges that gender exists on a continuum. "Gender is used to describe the characteristics of women and men that are socially constructed, while sex refers to those that are biologically determined. People are born female or male, but learn to be girls and boys who grow into women and men. This learned behavior makes up gender identity and determines gender roles." 

https://www.who.int/health-topics/gender#tab=tab_1 

The assertion that there are only two genders is not supported by current scientific understanding or the lived experiences of many individuals. Gender is a complex and multifaceted aspect of human identity that exists on a spectrum. 

Answer 10

The claim that there are only two genders is false. This claim is often made as a result of confusion between the definitions of both gender and sex. According to the Council of Europe, sex refers to "the different biological and physiological characteristics of males and females, such as reproductive organs, chromosomes, hormones, etc.," which suggests that there are only two sexes from a biological standpoint. However, gender is defined as "the socially constructed characteristics of women and men – such as norms, roles and relationships of and between groups of women and men," which suggests that gender is a social construct without a clear biological definition or classification, in contrast to sex. MedicineNet expands on the idea of gender, classifying and explaining the 72 different socially constructed genders defined by relational, hierarchical, institutional, and social influences. In summary, there are only two sexes, which are classified biologically, but gender is a fluid, socially constructed concept that exists on a spectrum, rather than being limited to just two options.

https://www.coe.int/en/web/gender-matters/sex-and-gender#:~:text=Sex%20refers%20to%20%E2%80%9Cthe%20different,groups%20of%20women%20and%20men.

https://www.medicinenet.com/what_are_the_72_other_genders/article.htm

https://www.city-journal.org/article/are-there-more-than-two-sexes