Donna Nelson wrote: I believe people who attempt to change their gender are still the same sex they were born as, no matter how much they alter their bodies and [how many] hormones they take. I don’t think they have the right to call themselves anything other than what they are born as. DNA is DNA. You can’t change it.
Well, Donna, I see that you likely didn’t take many science classes after high school or college. Most commonly, women have two X chromosomes, part of the DNA make-up, and men usually have one X and one Y. But brace yourself, Donna. There are women who have Y chromosomes. And men who have X chromosomes. I use “women” and “men” here to describe how we assign folks based on sex organs, and I mean women like you (and me), who haven’t done anything odd, hormone-wise. One of us might have a Y chromosome with no sign of it–no extra facial hair or deep voices, etc. So, if you find out you have a Y chromosome, Donna, will that make you a man? Really think about that, Donna. THERE ARE WOMEN WHO HAVE WHAT WE NORMALLY THINK OF AS MALE DNA. And the reverse is true.
Am I saying that Chaz has a Y chromosome? Of course not. How would I know? He probably doesn’t know. But he might. You might. I might. If I find out I have a Y chromosome tomorrow, I’m gonna keep going around as a woman, Donna. You’ll have to decide for yourself what you’ll do if you find out you have one. It’s more common than you think. Some people even have THREE instead of TWO. Now what?
DNA is DNA–and it’s a lot more complicated than you make it sound.
