Is sex a spectrum?

• Anne Fausto-Sterling in her paper ‘The Five Sexes’ opposes a binary understanding of sex, instead she upholds the view that it is more like a spectrum. In society, we see varying anatomical features that do not fit in with binary conceptions of sex. However, what we do is render this abnormal and different. As such we force people to conform to this binary as opposed to making our conceptions of sex include them. As Fausto-Sterling points out ‘Western Culture is deeply committed to the idea that there are only two sexes’.
• She argues that ‘along the spectrum lie at least five sexes- and perhaps even more.’ These five sexes are male and female with the additional hermaphrodites (herms), male pseudohermaphrodites (merms) and female pseudohermaphrodites (ferms) Herms are otherwise known as true hermaphrodites. They are individuals who possess one ovary and one testis. Merms have testes with the XY chromosome pattern biologically attributed to males. They also have some aspects of female genitalia, but they possess no ovaries. Ferms on the contrary have ovaries with an XX chromosome pattern. They have some aspects of male genitalia with no testes. Fausto-Sterling makes the point that these sexes ‘deserve to be considered additional sexes in its own right’. While she doesn’t deny the possibility that there are more than the five she outlines, she believes this should replace the current two sex system and thus in direct opposition towards the current binary understanding of sex.
• ‘According to experts, around 1.7% of the population is born with intersex traits – comparable to the number of people born with red hair.’ This shows that it is not as uncommon as people may seem. Therefore, a binary understanding of sex as such is insufficient.

Biological sex is sexually dimorphic for most people and binary for everyone.

Sex is an acknowledgment of reproductive class based on gamete production. Male biology supports the production of sperm cells; female biology supports the production of egg cells. There are no intermediate sexes because there are no intermediate gametes.

According to Oxford Languages, the dictionary cited by both Google and Siri, binary means ‘relating to, composed of or involving two things. It could also mean ‘relating to, using or denoting a system of numerical notation that uses two rather than ten as a base’ (i.e.: binary code).

So, the synonyms of binary would include couple, pair, twin, match, double and duality (but not dichotomy or polarity).

It also tells us that binary is a Late Middle English anglicisation of the late Latin word binarius; itself an evolution of the late Latin word bini, meaning two.

Binary definition

https://www.google.com/search?q=binary+definition&client=safari&channel=iphone_bm&ei=gSUgYcLsE9aM8gKvxZaYAQ&oq=binary+definition&gs_lcp=ChNtb2JpbGUtZ3dzLXdpei1zZXJwEAMyBwgAELEDEEMyBAgAEEMyBAgAEEMyBQgAEIAEMgUIABCABDIFCAAQgAQyBQgAEIAEMgUIABCABDoECAAQR1Cf5A1Yn-QNYJTnDWgAcAF4AIABmQGIAZkBkgEDMC4xmAEAoAEByAEIwAEB&sclient=mobile-gws-wiz-serp

Why sex is binary

https://youtu.be/XN2-YEgUMg0