‘Biological Sex’ is Not Binary

Dear Editor,

Many people believe “biological sex” is binary; either male or female. That is a common mistake.

A person with XY chromosomes can have female genitalia, most commonly due to androgen insensitivity syndrome. This person can have a “male brain” and “female genitalia.” A person with XX chromosomes can have male genitalia, most commonly due to congenital adrenal hyperplasia. A person can have a single X chromosome, a combination of XX and XY chromosomes, XXX, or XXY chromosomes. People can have any combination of genitalia. One half of one percent of people have one of these conditions. That is one in every two hundred people. That is 40 million people. Chances are, you know an intersex person.

When this person wishes to use a segregated bathroom, are you going to let them make the choice themselves, or force the choice upon them? If you force the choice upon them, what test are you going to use?

–C. Conrad Cady, Castro Valley