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The Five Sexes: Why Male And Female Are Not Enough By Anne Fausto-Sterling

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In the article “The Five Sexes: Why Male and Female Are Not Enough” by Anne Fausto-Sterling explores the idea that there exists 3 more other sexes and not just male and female. Fausto-Sterling affirms that Western culture will only accept two sexes, male or female, regardless or not one identifies as a male or female. Even though, people have come to accept the idea of intersexuality, it continues to go against the idea of only two sexes. Fausto-Sterling continues on to describe the other three sexes other than male and female. The other three sexes are true hermaphrodite, merms, and ferms. True hermaphrodite are people who possess two gonads of the same kind with either a male (XY) or female (XX) chromosomal structure, but there genitalia …show more content…

The idea of other than just male and female go against what all people have grown up learning. However, from my perspective, it allows a perspective that examines sex into more categories than just male and female. Although, I am unfamiliar and uncomfortable with the idea of five sexes, it represents a gradual change in the perspective and opinions of the society. At least, the article informs the readers of what is the five sexes. The idea of more than two sexes is interesting as it is challenges the ideas of what are considered male or female. At the same time, people who are conservatives would not easily accept such ideas as they strongly believe in only have two sexes. Overall, you can only be a male or female, there are no other categories that would fit for individuals who fall in the border lines of being a male or female biologically. In addition, people worry about the views of the society as if you are not a male or female, the society would judge and bad-mouth you and the ending result may not be pleasing. However, people who are typically born with characteristics that differ from their chromosomal identity, they would have normally been through a surgical change due to their parents’ decision. With today’s medical knowledge and technology, people would rather choose to do a procedure that would help fix their sex before entering the

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