The Schroer Trial Ends: The Meaning of Sex

[Natasha]

The Schroer Trial Ends: The Meaning of Sex

Pam's House Blend
8/26/2008

The trial in Diane Schroer's case against the Library of Congress came to a close on Friday afternoon in federal court in Washington, D.C. Ms. Schroer is the decorated Special Forces Colonel who, after retiring, was offered a job as a terrorism researcher for the Library, only to have it snatched away when she told her boss she planned to start work as Diane, not David.

[Gabrielle]

The judge heard expert witnesses from both sides on what sex means. Ms. Schroer's was Dr. Walter Bockting, who testified that sex is made up of several factors, including chromosomes, anatomy, and a person's sense of their sex—their gender identity. To the government's expert, Dr. Chester Schmidt, sex is chromosomes. He said only biologically determined factors could be a part of sex. It would, according to him, be too messy otherwise. Gender identity, Dr. Schmidt said, could be biological, but there's too little evidence to know yet.

I guess my question is if according to the defense that sex is determined by chromosomes, what about those women who are XY, are they then not women too.

[HelenW]

I guess my question is if according to the defense that sex is determined by chromosomes, what about those women who are XY, are they then not women too.

Too messy - we won't think about those . . . 

Typical of this administration though: truth is messy? Too complicated for Lil' George to figure out?  Ignore it!