A Brazilian cave insect has done a most unusual sex-role reversal, a new study finds: Females have penises, and males have vaginas. All four known species of the genus Neotrogla in Brazil have this anatomy, which has not been seen in any other animal, said Rodrigo Ferreira, a cave biologist at the Federal University of Lavras in Brazil and an author of the study, in the journal Current Biology.
This fascinating phenomenon was reported in the Science Section of the Apr 22 issue of the New York Times. Please note the phrase "Females have penises and males have vaginas." It's this phrase that piqued my interest. So if a human male develops a vagina (naturally or artificially) is he still a male? The same question, of course, holds for the female.
The New York Times referred to those insects with new vaginas as males and to those with new penises as females. So what makes an insect (or a human) male or female? Scientifically speaking, determination of sex has been dependent on chromosomal analysis. Yet we are now permitting people to choose to be whatever gender (sex) they wish to be with total disregard to external appearances or chromosomal analysis. It is now apparently difficult, if not impossible, to determine human gender by outward appearance, whether clothed or unclothed.
Let's assume you encounter a hypothetical person who is found dead or totally unresponsive. How should you sexually identify him/her? What sex should be assigned? If the person has a penis should this hypothetical person be termed a male? If that person has breasts and a vagina should that person be designated female? Should such individuals be subjected to chromosomal analysis?
Society now allows a citizen to assign whatever sex he/she wishes to him/herself, and that's OK with me. But this cannot alter an individual's biologic and genetic determination. So - here's my idea for gender identity disclosure, should anyone be interested:
Examples:
A. Carl Steeg (Gender identification)
1. Gender preference - male
2. External sexual characteristics - male
3. Chromosomal designation - XY(male)
B. Person Unknown (Gender identification)
1. Gender preference - unknown
2. External sexual characteristics - male/female
3. Chromosomal designation XX (female)
And so on.
This fascinating phenomenon was reported in the Science Section of the Apr 22 issue of the New York Times. Please note the phrase "Females have penises and males have vaginas." It's this phrase that piqued my interest. So if a human male develops a vagina (naturally or artificially) is he still a male? The same question, of course, holds for the female.
The New York Times referred to those insects with new vaginas as males and to those with new penises as females. So what makes an insect (or a human) male or female? Scientifically speaking, determination of sex has been dependent on chromosomal analysis. Yet we are now permitting people to choose to be whatever gender (sex) they wish to be with total disregard to external appearances or chromosomal analysis. It is now apparently difficult, if not impossible, to determine human gender by outward appearance, whether clothed or unclothed.
Let's assume you encounter a hypothetical person who is found dead or totally unresponsive. How should you sexually identify him/her? What sex should be assigned? If the person has a penis should this hypothetical person be termed a male? If that person has breasts and a vagina should that person be designated female? Should such individuals be subjected to chromosomal analysis?
Society now allows a citizen to assign whatever sex he/she wishes to him/herself, and that's OK with me. But this cannot alter an individual's biologic and genetic determination. So - here's my idea for gender identity disclosure, should anyone be interested:
Examples:
A. Carl Steeg (Gender identification)
1. Gender preference - male
2. External sexual characteristics - male
3. Chromosomal designation - XY(male)
B. Person Unknown (Gender identification)
1. Gender preference - unknown
2. External sexual characteristics - male/female
3. Chromosomal designation XX (female)
And so on.
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