Let's start with the disclaimer: my thoughts do not include those misguided deviants who purposely "choose" a gender for sexual reasons.
I first started giving serious thought to this after watching Katie Couric's documentary on gender identity. I learned quite a few things. Then I read a few articles after Marjorie Taylor Greene posted her stupid sign Two Genders Male/Female "Follow the Science." Well, if you follow the science you learn that not all humans are born with definitive "equipment" designating gender and doctors end up making a decision for them. And that sometimes their brains don't match their bodies. You need to not use "sex" and "gender" inter-changeably. They are different.
I freely admit I can't keep straight the various gender descriptions. It's like a foreign language. That doesn't keep me from accepting them. You just need to explain it to me each time. But my thoughts are not about each one, but the whole group.
We are moving in the right direction regarding marriage. Part of the hang up is with the word itself. So many of our laws use the word, which is defined as between a man and woman. As such, it is used to exclude couples who are not one of each. Civil Unions are fine, but that doesn't change the laws. It is too cumbersome to change all the laws, if that could even be done, so just change the definition of marriage. That brings in the problem of religious zealots who claim that God said marriage is between a man and a woman. To them I say, I'm ok with having two definitions.
While I'm on the subject of God, I subscribe to the notion that everything God creates is good. He does not create abominations. Man declaring something an abomination doesn't make it so in the eyes of God. It is up to man to accept all of God's creations, that includes various genders.
Now I'm moving on to sports, since that is in the news recently. Rather than follow the science, I see several states moving to ban transgender individuals in sports. Well, that's expedient, and much easier than doing what's right. Currently the USOC has a transgender policy that seems to be going in the right direction. The short version is that if your testosterone level exceeds a certain level, you can't compete as a woman. Here's the link: https://usacycling.org/about-us/governance/transgender-athletes-policy (you probably need to copy/paste if you really want to read the whole thing). This probably needs tweeking, and as more information becomes available and more law suits are filed, I'm sure it will become more equitable. For instance, for a "straight" female I don't see any restriction on testosterone. There are restrictive levels for caffeine and certain drugs. Like I said, it all needs to be constantly monitored and revised.
Don't even get me started on that red herring of not wanting a man in the girls locker room. Actually, this causes me some pause also. I'm more inclined to have the person use the facility that matches the body, especially in school (which brings about it's own problems. But I haven't been tasked with solving it, I'm just giving my opinion). But this faux outrage patently ignores deviant lesbian behavior in the locker room. Deviant behavior is deviant no matter the actor.
