General Chat / NE's Great Sexuality Survey v2

There had been some intense discussing going on over at the NE Discord channel (https://discord.gg/zzAr252) about sexuality, and mostly the sex/gender/identity aspect of it all. Shotguns and I both thought it was something worth exploring further, so we co-created this survey to find out more about where this community stands on topics like these. Please vote with integrity. Your votes will be anonymous and to my best knowledge it is not possible for anyone but the best hackers on the planet to find out who voted who. Your controversial opinions will be safe in this poll.
 
Speaking of controversy... Please keep any discussion civil. We do not want to see a repeat of what happened on discord. Please remain respectful of people who disagree with you.
 
Previous Great Surveys
NE's Great Sexuality Survey (May 2011)
NE's Great Residential Survey (October 2012)
NE's not-so-great phone survey (March 2013)
NE's Great Shower Survey (January 2015)
NE's Great Travel Survey (July 2015)

My opinions on:

"Real" genders:
There are really only two(ish) genders. You're either a guy who was born with male genitalia and XY chromosomes, or a girl born with female genitalia and XX chromosomes. In the case of transgenders, they can (and should) be viewed by others as their chosen gender, bit biologically they are their 'birth' gender. There are rare cases where genetic mutations cause people who don't align with either gender, but these are highly rare and don't constitute another gender. Similar to transgender people, they should be referred to by their 'chosen' gender.

Gender equality:
Our society can't achieve full 'equality' becuase their are many differences between men and women's bodies. That's not to say that we can't achieve equal priveledge between gender- women are typically disadvantaged, as they have been throughout history, but there's still room to create equal priveledge between men and women.

Pronouns:
Honestly, I think this is one of the dumbest things to come out of the so-called 'gender revolution.' Society is used to calling people 'he' or 'her,' and we shouldn't have to go out of our way to change the system just for the satisfaction of a small percentage of the human population. If you look like a girl, you're going to be recognized and referred to as a girl. You can believe you are whatever you want to, but we don't have to conform to that.

PREACH

Biology determines your sex, societal interpretation on biological queues determine your gender. That's why in order to change from one gender to the other, you'd have to go through intense cosmetic and hormonal changes. Traditional transgenderism does not hurt or affect the nomenclature nor the value system in place in regards to gender, and intentionally creating more subsets only will do harm to perception. There's been studies both on intelligent societal animals and AI that prove this (test regarded the differentiation between fish and birds; when penguins were introduced the systems not only had trouble determining its place, but also affected the placements of all other sets). Genitalia nor chromosomes proves to be useful in societal gender assignment, as is the case with intersex people that of which can have both genital and chromosomal defects.

 

Women are only (systematically) disadvantaged in non-western societies. Even in individual cases like domestic abuse, the numbers holistically balance themselves out when determining who is the "victim" and "perpetrator".

 

It is true when conservatives particularly say that "homosexuality is not just being 'born that way'", but I'll elaborate exactly on what aspect is a social construct. The innate attraction and mental makeup are biological, though the latter can be easily affected by traumatizing childhoods (abuse, neglect, oedipal mothers and/or fathers, attachment, etc.). This is why you see a correlation (and a partial causation) between homosexuality and femininity, because the mental makeup of your typical gay male is similar to a straight female. What is entirely socially constructed is the will to act on these thoughts. This is why you see the increase in trend in people being identified as LGBT. It's more accepted now that it has ever been. When you see a discrepancy in statistics, one of which says ~3% are LGBT and other that say 10-15% are is because they are measuring different things. The former measures affiliation and identity and the latter pure attraction.

 

Liam and I made this after seeing the heated discord discussion, and, fingers crossed, I'll be glad we did.

My thoughts on the pronoun thing is that people shouldn't get upset if they are unintentionally referred to  by the wrong pronoun, but if a friend of yours wants you to use a specific pronoun it's just courteous to try and adhere to that. I would have liked to see a question about the whole transgender bathroom debate on  this due to its relevency.

I do not know why some people are so closed and against about idea of gender/sexuality being a spectrum. Like how does this ignorant way of thinking benefit anybody? 

 

In terms of my own sexuality, i'm technically gay but I don't like associating with the word. Makes me uncomfortable somehow.

gender is a spectrum

^Gender is on a spectrum? It is a range of identites between male or female, or neither, which someone feels that they are. It's can fluctuate and fall toward one side or the other as time moves on - just like sexuality.

I posted this on Discord also, but I honestly feel like there should be a question about how important you believe this issue is. If I HAD to answer, I feel like your gender is determined by your genitals at birth and the only genders are male and female. At the same time though, I wouldn't go up to someone who believes they're a different gender and tell them they're wrong and I fully support someone's right to use whatever bathroom they want or refer to themselves however they want to because it makes them happy, they're not bothering anyone and who honestly gives a fuck what people do if it has zero impact on you?
 

deleted

^Gender is on a spectrum? It is a range of identities between male or female, or neither, which someone feels that they are. It's can fluctuate and fall toward one side or the other as time moves on - just like sexuality.

 

I don't think you understand exactly where, or who, creates and assigns identities. People do not assign their own identities, society does based on a persons immutable characteristics, expressions, and actions. You cannot identify as a doctor without a degree, because YOU cannot identify yourself as anything.

they're not bothering anyone and who honestly gives a fuck what people do if it has zero impact on you?
 

 

i love how serious this survey is in comparison to the last sexuality survey. even if it was one sided last time.

Where are all my homos at? Or am I just not fashionably late enough to the survey?

Where are all my homos at? Or am I just not fashionably late enough to the survey?

 

Someone has to be the first to arrive. The rest will come behind you.

The gender discussion is interesting. Because in the context of what you define yourself as, I honestly couldn't give less fucks. Do you.  Do you with people who like you. But the conversation has become more than about you, as your new identity pushes against establish norms.  The acceptance of non-binary genders/sexualities necessitates a fight against the established norms, but it also puts the impetus on other people to learn your preferred pronouns, etc. and making them feel like shit for assuming is counterproductive. I do have a bit more experience than most with non-gendered, poly, pansexual whatever the fucks, and they unfortunately have enough of the confrontational type amongst their ranks that I understand why people not particularly inclined to change never will.  On the whole, however, if someone asks me to change the words I use to describe them, I'll do my best to accommodate them as long as they understand that doing so requires conscious effort on my part to do so. 

I knew there weren't any women on this site, but to see it so blatantly was surprising. 

Until they find the gene or prenatal condition or brain composition difference or whatever, I don't think I'm going to agree that homosexuality is biological.  I don't believe that homosexuality is a choice, in that once a person's sexuality is established, it is not likely to change much. As in, you might veer more into to kink, but you were probably always in to the fat girls you engaged in kink with. So I guess my only real question is when that sexuality is established, and I don't think it's genetically predisposed. 

I think people are what they choose to be, but I'm not really interested in discussions/research on these topics. Just live and let live.

Edit: of course this doesn't mean I think people choose to be gay etc.

Which genders do you consider to be real? - Male & female

Gender is simply another word for sex. You are either born male or female, simple. Yes, there is such a thing as hermaphrodites (which I have to call intersex now according to wikipedia) but humans are not hermaphrodite beings like snails or numerous plants. When a human is born with intersex genitals, it is because of either a chromosomal or a hormonal deviation. According the Intersex Society of North America 1 out 2000 born babies have confusing genitals. One out two thousand! Thats 0,05%... This is just a too small group to speak there's another gender and we have to adjust our society to that. It's just a deviation that occurs now and then.

 

 

What determines your gender, in your opinion? - Your sex (XX or XY chromosomes) define your gender

It's really simple. When you have two X chromosomes, you're male. If you have one X chromosome and one Y chromosome, you're female. Deviations can happen, see text above.

 

 

If you believe gender is, at least, partially determined biologically, what are the criteria separating a man and a woman? - Chromosomes, genitals

The one and only thing that says you're a woman or a man, are the chromosomes. The genitals are the most easy and fastest way to check it without checking someone's DNA.

 

 

Do you think Gender Studies is useless to society? - Yes

What did gender studies ever contribute to humankind? I wonder. Gender studies come from women studies, which you fairly can call a feminist course. And feminism =/= equalism. Humankind should aspire equalism, but feminism stands far from that. One example: one country (can't remember which one) wanted to introduce military duty for women, men already had military duty. Responses from women were not "oh great, now we have equal rights" but more "oh no, I'm gonna make myself pregnant when they make go to the army". Most of the feminists only want equal rights when they feel like it, they don't want 100% equal rights. 

 

Being said it's a course mostly viewed from the perspective of women, there are multiple reasons why this course is useless. You won't find a good (paid) job with it, and that's what studying and getting a degree is meant for in the end. You could say the same from art degrees, but art contributes so much to our society. I can't say the same from someone who learnt about the differences between genders...

 

 

How open are you about your sexuality? - I'm only open about my sexuality with select people

Not gonna tell everything, or feel natural talking to everyone. Only with the persons I feel comfortable with.

 

 

What do you think about gender equality? - Men and women are equal in society

Yes since sexuality is not a choice. It is determined biologically just like I didn't chose to be straight, it just is. There are also enough examples of homosexuality in the animal world (penguins for example), so claiming it would be unnatural is not logic when it's just part of nature. 

 

 

Should homosexual couples be allowed to adopt children? - Yes

I don't think sexuality says anything about the skills of parenting and raising children. You see enough straight couples who are terrible parents and fail in parenting, while there are plenty of gay couples with adopted children who are textbook examples of great parenting.

 

 

If someone wanted to be called other than “He” or “She”, how would you respond? - I would intentionally not use their preferred pronoun

Unless you belong to that 0,05% of intersex born humans, who have in most cases female or male appearances, you have no right to chose your pronoun and you are only searching for some desperate attention. It's not because you feel like you are girl, you are one. 

 

 

How do you feel about the apparent increase in people identifying as anything other than straight or by their original gender? - There is no apparent increase in people identifying as non-straight or trans 

wow, almost half of voters think that in society, men and women are treated equally. like wow.

 

^also fred your absolute determination to ignore the possibility that there are more than 2 genders puzzles me. What, are all of these thousands and thousands of people who feel they are neither a male or female just confused and begging for attention, whilst you - just one guy - is correct and know them better than they know themselves?

 

Well yes, in the western world where most of NE members live, that is the case and I find 50% agreeing on that fairly low. 

 

Thousands and thousands of people makes it look out of proportion when there are around 7 billion people on the Earth... The 0,05% I got comes from the Intersex Society of North America, so it's kinda trustworthy I guess, and that percentage gives a way more clear number. Besides that, feelings don't matter when it comes to facts. If you are woman, you are woman even if you feel like you are man. It's not because I feel I am a frog, that I am a frog.