argument top image

Are there more than two genders?
Back to question

Allowing more than two genders would require too many changes to our society

Most societies have traditionally recognized men and women as the two genders. Changing this system would require drastic changes. It would be impossible for every institution to catch up to all of the changes that would be necessary to allow more than two genders.
< (3 of 4) Next argument >

The Argument

It would be too confusing to allow for people to identify as a gender other than male or female. The concept of a third gender is confusing and it’s difficult to use pronouns like they/them. There have always been men and women, but there have only recently been people who identify as neither. We should stick with the traditional system of two genders because changing the system is highly impractical and unnecessary. We use the gender binary (male and female) for driver’s licenses, other IDs, birth certificates, passports, court orders, financial records, insurance records, academic records, employment records, immigration papers, and a variety of other important documents. If we allowed more than two genders, all of these systems would have to be edited. This process would be complicated and could lead to issues like identity fraud, with people hiding behind the label of a third gender to disguise who they are. In 2016, the U.S. State Department has pointed out that allowing more than two gender fields on a passport form would hinder efforts to combat identity theft and passport fraud.[1] All of this is unnecessary work and thus we should not recognize more than two genders.

Counter arguments

Just because something is difficult does not mean that it shouldn't be done. For instance, before Prohibition, there was no national minimum age to drink alcohol in the United States, and most states did not enforce a drinking age at all. It was not until after Prohibition that more states began enforcing a drinking age.[2] Setting and enforcing a drinking age required massive changes in U.S. society. Just because this transition was difficult does not mean that it was not worth it, as it's had many health and safety benefits. Thus, just because something may require many changes does not mean that we should not pursue it.

Premises

Rejecting the premises

References

  1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Discrimination_against_non-binary_people
  2. https://www.boston.com/culture/health/2014/07/17/why-21-a-look-at-our-nations-drinking-age
This page was last edited on Monday, 20 Jul 2020 at 23:43 UTC

Explore related arguments