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anemia & medical misgendering
…really frustrated with how i can’t say that i’m anemic without people in general– but especially doctors– automatically relating my anemia to the assumed fact that i have a uterus that makes my life hell once a month. like seriously, could you not? the socially established association of a medical condition with a specific gender, with a specific sex, with a specific bodily function is so inescapable that as an AFAB person who’s assumed to be a woman, the second i mention being anemic to a doctor their thoughts automatically go to assumptions about my gender / sex / bodily functions and my anemia immediately gets chalked up to anemia due to blood loss. so inescapable that here in Japan at least iron supplements are often marketed specifically towards women. so inescapable that if i mention being anemic to a woman and she’ll immediately offer up earnest words of empathy…
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Q&A: “Could it be possible that there really only are 2 genders?”
anonymous said: Hey, Vesper! I have a very serious question to ask. It’s about gender. It might come off as offensive, but in no means is it meant to be. Could it be possible that there really only are 2 genders? Hear me out: it can be argued that gender is not really determined by characteristics or genitals, instead more by chromosomes, XX or XY. For humans, biologically there is only male and female(no, i did not forget intersex), but gender identity can be a whole other deal! You see, gender identity can be how someone feels about their gender. Like, I was born female, but I did not feel like that fit. Male didn’t fit either, so I identify as agender. But, I didn’t really feel like it was an actual gender as much as an identity, a way for me to express myself. I may just be getting…
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QAC 46 – “Race / Gender Doesn’t Exist!” | The Argument of Social Constructs
all too often i see people making appeals to science— more specifically biology — to try and legitimize their argument that race, gender or whatever else doesn’t really exist. in fact, i come across such arguments so often that such arguments have become a pet peeve of mine. so yeah, you can bet i got really angry when someone recently tried to justify doing blackface to me with “but race is a social construct and doesn’t exist anyway. we’re all the same race— the human race!” and was praised by thousands for her “bravery.” *drops the “angry black person” mic*
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Q&A: “is it ever okay to ask someone what their biological sex is?”
anonymous said: sorry if this is a stupid question but is it ever okay to ask someone what their biological sex is? like maybe if you’re close enough or they’re open enough and you’re just curious or whatever would that be acceptable or is it considered rude? there is no “yes” or “no” answer to this question. how a person will feel about a personal question like that is entirely dependent upon the the person being asked, the relationship that the asker has with that person and the context within which the question is being asked, among other things. ultimately such information is none of anyone else’s business and it’s up to the person being asked to decide if they feel like disclosing such information to you. if for some reason you feel like you cannot keep such a question to yourself, the best you can do is ask as politely and…
