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The Sex Convo? Again? Get Outta Hereā€¦

by | January 26, 2025 | Time 5 mins

Grab your popcorn and your patience.

Someone’s back with opinions about gender that are about as current as MySpace and just as relevant to modern life.

The latest attempted redux of binary thinking isn’t just giving us dĆ©jĆ  vu ā€“ it’s serving pure vintage fantasy, and not the good kind that involves Studio 54 and Bianca Jagger on a white horse.

Remember the last time someone tried to legislate their way through the complexity of human identity?  (If you don’t, just wait five minutes ā€“ it seems to happen with the regularity of Mercury retrograde.)

Today, we’re going to tell you what Trump’s declaration of two genders really means.

Here’s a Secret About Sex and Gender (They Aren’t Twins)

Let’s start with a little Biology 101 (and not the kind your aunt posts about on Facebook between conspiracy theories and cat memes).

Sex is that biological cocktail of chromosomes, hormones, and physical characteristics that doctors note at birth.

But, even that’s not the simple binary some folks want it to be ā€“ ask any biologist about intersex conditions and watch them launch into a fascinating lecture about the spectrum of human biological diversity.

Gender? Well, gender is purely a social construct.

You don’t see bearded dragons bullying others for changing their gender.

And you definitely don’t hear people talking about how Nemo’s dad, in the real world, probably would have become female and mated with him after that whole debacle with the barracuda eating his mom.

So, what exactly is gender? It’s the whole symphony of identity and expression that makes humans wonderfully, messily complex. We’re talking about the social, cultural, and personal ways people experience and express themselves. It’s the difference between the notes on a page and the actual music being played ā€“ and honey, some of us are jazz while others are classical, and many are creating entirely new genres.

Fascinating, really, how some people think they can squeeze the entire human experience into two neat little boxes.

We don’t get it ā€“ do you? Let us know in the comments.

Group of individuals marching in the 2024 NYC Pride March, proudly waving asexual and LGBTQ+ flags, with one participant holding a sign reading 'My Sexual Orientation is Nope,' celebrating diversity and inclusivity.

Trump’s Vague Declarations and Their Not-So-Vague Consequences

Remember when your English teacher marked you down for unclear antecedents? If you don’t, maybe you’re making government policy now.

The latest executive gestures toward gender are serving us pure word salad with a side of dangerous ambiguity.

When policy language is as clear as mud, it creates a playground for selective enforcement.

Let’s break down why vagueness in policy is about as helpful as Mercury in retrograde during Pride month.

When lawmakers use terms like “biological gender”, which is about as coherent as “legal feelings” or “official dreams”, they’re not just showing their ignorance ā€“ they’re creating loopholes big enough to drive a Pride float through.

These linguistic gymnastics would be amusing if they weren’t being used to justify discrimination in healthcare, education, and employment.

You think that’s going to work in a system where healthcare providers already struggle with documentation?

Where educators are trying to support diverse student populations?

Where HR departments are working to create inclusive workplaces? Spoiler alert: It won’t.

Trump’s exact words were:

“As of today, it will henceforth be the official policy of the United States government that there are only two genders, male and female.”

Well, newsflash ā€“ this isn’t really about the medical trans community. This is more about those who are in the middle ā€“ our non-binary pals, and even at that, this statement is so vague that it’s hard to jump to conclusions about what could happen.

So, what could we expect from this realistically?

Privacy, Please  

Why exactly does the government need to play gender police? Unless there’s a clear and present danger to national security (no, there isn’t), maybe we could focus on actual issues?

Think about it: in what universe does someone’s gender identity on their driver’s license affect national security? The same universe where straight people think they invented brunch, presumably.

The government’s obsession with documentation is giving us strong “papers, please” energy, and not in a cute, retro way. More like a 1940s, wear a yellow star on your clothing, kinda way.

Here we are again, with the same tired script but new actors. The only threat to security here is the dangerous precedent of letting government overreach into personal identity.

We’ve seen this episode before, and the reruns aren’t getting better.

You are inclined to your privacy, and this policy and all the vagueness involved seems more like a ploy to remove some more of our privacyā€¦

Let’s stop that while we can because it’s going to affect everyone ā€“ not just our non-binary pals, not simply our trans peeps, and most definitely not only those who are born intersex.

Follow the Money

Here’s where it gets interesting ā€¦

While we’re all fighting about gender declarations, someone’s quietly slapping tariffs on everything from semiconductors to silk scarves.

You know what that means for your favorite tech gadgets and fashion statements?

Any guesses about who that may be?

Let’s do the math, and this time, we’re counting more than sequins:

Your new phone? More expensiveā€¦

That new Gucci bag? Add 25%…

Your medications? Watch those prices climbā€¦

Essential healthcare equipment? Brace yourselves ā€“ they’re gonna skyrocketā€¦

Small business startup costs? Hope you’ve been savingā€¦.

Not started your new venture yet? Well ā€“ perhaps shelf the idea until at least 2029.

These economic policies affect everyone, regardless of how they identify.

While we’re debating pronouns (important, yes, but not the only issue), trade wars are making it harder for everyone to afford basic necessities and luxury items alike.

It’s giving very “look at this hand while the other one’s in your wallet” realness.

So what can we do about it?

By it, we mean gender, tariffs, and all the whole lotā€¦

Staying Fierce and Focused

Whether you’re a drag queen worried about your makeup costs or a tech entrepreneur concerned about supply chains, we need to keep our eyes on the real threats to our community’s economic and social well-being.

The LGBTQ+ community has always been resilient,serving survival elegance through every crisis, but that doesn’t mean we should let ourselves be distracted from the bigger picture.

Just as our predecessors in the homophile movements of the 1950s understood the connection between social and economic justice, we need to recognize that our fight isn’t just about recognition ā€“ it’s about resources.

The question isn’t just about how we identify ā€“ it’s about how we thrive in an economy that’s being reshaped by political theatre.

What matters more: symbolic gestures about gender or the actual policies affecting our daily lives? How do we balance the important fight for recognition with the equally crucial battle for economic justice?

Just something to think about while you’re paying 30% more for your next iPhone. About as likely to change as a peaceful Pride planning committee meeting, but here we are.

So buy it, then make a beautiful video of how vibrance in our community kills the mundane daily lives of our hetero counterpartsā€¦

That is sure to annoy them ā€“ it will be fun, and hey ā€“ it supports those most directly affected in our community.

Remember thisā€¦

They win when we’re distracted.

Stay informed, stay united, and maybe consider learning to contour with drugstore makeup.

Times are getting expensive and hard, but our community has always known how to make it work while looking fabulous.

While they’re trying to define gender, we need to be defining our future.

And that future needs to include both social justice AND economic justice ā€“ because what good is recognition if we can’t afford to live our best lives?

Questions? Comments? Concerns about the rising cost of your smart home devices?

Let’s talk about what we can do from here in the comments.

Let’s discuss keeping our community strong, our minds sharp, and our focus on the full picture of what justice looks like.

After all, our predecessors didn’t fight for our rights just so we could lose them to death by a thousand paper cuts (or tariffs).

Stay woke, stay fabulous, and most importantly, stay focused on the whole game board, not just the pieces they want us to see.

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Sean Kivi

Sean Kivi

Author

Sean Kivi holds a master's degree from the University of Nottingham in translation studies from Spanish to English. He specializes in writing about gay culture and its influence on discourse. Sean speaks Spanish fluently and focuses on translating gay-themed literature to English and analyzing the discourse to understand how our culture is universal yet distinct in countries worldwide. He has translated for authors in Mexico and completed case studies related to machismo and its influences on gay culture in Latin America.

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