Definition:Sex is based on chromosomes
Sex is based on chromosomes is an invalid definition of sex commonly used in left-wing arguments and LGBTQ activism in order to undermine the binary nature of sex, often by pointing to the existence of intersex individuals with different chromosomal arrangements (such as XXY) as examples of individuals "along the spectrum" of sex. While the idea that chromosomes are the determinant mechanism in the sexual outcome is true of certain species, it fails as a definition of the biological phenomenon of sex as a whole because it is not broad enough to capture all phenomena that belong to the category of sex, such as sex in species that do not use chromosomes to determine the sex of individuals. Examples include:
- Bonellia viridis, a marine worm that becomes female when isolated and male when it finds itself in the presence of a female[1].
- Environmentally-induced sex determination, such as temperature determining sex in sea turtles[2].
Due to the existence of sex-determination mechanisms that are not dependent on chromosomes, the definition of sex as the chromosome arrangements themselves is too restrictive to capture the natural phenomena. Thus, a broader proper definition is preferable.
- ↑ Gilbert, Scott F. (2006) Developmental biology. Sinauer Associates, Inc. Publishers. Accessed on January 21, 2022.
- ↑ Maldonado et al., (October 15, 2002) Expression profiles of Dax1, Dmrt1, and Sox9 during temperature sex determination in gonads of the sea turtle Lepidochelys olivacea. General and Comparative Endocrinology 129:20-26. Accessed on January 21, 2022.