this post was submitted on 12 Jun 2024
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Moldy Monday continues.

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[–] Windex007@lemmy.world 6 points 3 months ago (11 children)

I think an argument could be made that since gender is a social construct anyways, the idea of "alpha", "beta", and "sigma" males are different genders.

[–] lady_scarecrow@lemmy.blahaj.zone 13 points 3 months ago (10 children)

I'll just copy-paste what I said last time:

The idea that gender is entirely socially constructed is easily the greatest misconception about gender that gets repeated time and again – almost always by cis people, who never think too much about it because they’ve never had to reconsider their own gender.

Gender roles and gender stereotypes really are socially constructed, like the idea that some clothes are feminine and others are masculine, just to name one example. Gender identity, however, is not. If that was true, like the previous commenter was saying, conversion therapy for trans people would work, when it’s been shown it absolutely doesn’t. Gender dysphoria isn’t a social construct either. Many trans people see their own lives improve considerably after taking HRT (hormone therapy) and having gender-affirming surgeries – how can that be explained socially? Also, we know there is a genetic component to being trans as well, because of twin studies. All of which shows there really is a biological component to gender – just not in the “gender = genitals” way that transphobes think.

[–] Windex007@lemmy.world 2 points 3 months ago* (last edited 3 months ago) (3 children)

Why does gender identity being a social construct mean conversation therapy would work? I don't follow the logic behind that assertion.

I see no reason why you can't be biologically predisposed to identify as things that are socially constructed.

[–] lady_scarecrow@lemmy.blahaj.zone 2 points 3 months ago (2 children)

The rationale that many people follow is that if gender is socially constructed, it can be socially changed as well (through conversion therapy) to make your kid align with their assigned gender at birth, which doesn't work in reality.

[–] Septimaeus@infosec.pub 3 points 3 months ago

Those people should probably read more. While a social construct does not have an absolute origin, that something is a social construct has never implied that it’s “fake.”

Especially at the level of the individual, where the gender “construct” becomes a monolith and internal and external perceptions belong to one person, it contains the entire definition for that individual at a point in time. So for the individual at a point in time, the construct is not only real, it’s literally all there is.

[–] Windex007@lemmy.world 1 points 3 months ago* (last edited 3 months ago)

Changing the social definition of the concepts of gender, and how people view themselves are completely distinct.

I can paint new directions on the face of a compass , but it's still going to point where it was going to point regardless.

North is a social construct, but no amount of conversation therapy is ever going to move the north star.

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