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The Unspeakable Podcast

The Linguistic Confusion Of Gender: Philosopher Alex Byrne on how we got into so much trouble

Mar 11, 2024
Philosopher Alex Byrne discusses the linguistic confusion of gender, questioning the meaning of the word, differentiating sex from gender. Debates on five sexes, TERF Island, and auto-androphilia. Oxford University Press reconsiders publishing Trouble With Gender.
41:51

Episode guests

Podcast summary created with Snipd AI

Quick takeaways

  • The term 'gender' historically referred to noun classes, causing confusion when used synonymously with 'sex' in taboo contexts.
  • Intersex conditions and transgender identities often intermingled, despite their distinct biological and social nature.

Deep dives

Origins of the Term 'Gender' and its Confusion with 'Sex'

The term 'gender' has historical roots as a grammatical term referring to classes of nouns. In the 60s and 70s, it gained usage as a synonym for 'sex' (male and female) due to the taboo around discussing sexual activities. The word 'gender' already had an established meaning as 'sex', leading to confusion when people attempted to separate 'sex' as biological and 'gender' as social constructs.

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