- When I started this class, I thought that sex was primarily (if not only) genetically determined while gender was socially contrived and inspired by sex. However, after learning about the concepts of hormonal sex and brain sex, as well as the various chromosomes that many animals possess and how they do not follow the same rules (primarily that homozygosity is female and heterozygosity is male) as what I had previously learned about X and Y chromosomes, I now realize that physical sex is incredibly complex. If I were to define sex now, it would be this: “sex is the physical manifestation of genetic, hormonal, behavioral, and environmental characteristics that determine reproduction and morph.”
- I had learned that intersex people existed but I had thought that it was only an additional “sex chromosome” that caused intersex within humans. However, we learned about various differences of sexual development (DSDs) such as androgen insensitivity syndrome. The variety of DSDs had never been something I had a grasp on until we started going through the list of them, and it definitely solidified how underrepresented sex is in education, especially when it comes to pubescent health.
- I am definitely concerned about the state of reproductive and sex-related health resources, especially considering our discussion of executive orders that are not backed by scientific thought, as they are not only harmful towards LGBTQIA+ people but also incredibly concerning for the general public that does not receive much education when it comes to sex, even in terms of health. I think some techniques to remember different DSDs and sex determination factors would be helpful, especially since I struggle with memorization-based exams.
