#gamete-linked anatomy and physiology

[butch-reidentified]

Pitching New Terminology: GLAP (Gamete-Linked Anatomy and Physiology)

A little while back, I remember seeing someone on here talk about 2nd wave feminist attempts to coin new terminology/alter existing terms as part of their feminism ("herstory" and "womyn" for example) + my wife and I have been talking a ton for a few months now about how language can feel so limiting, as counterintuitive as most people likely would find that. One of the things my wife brought up is that it bothers and bewilders her that "sex" can refer to biological categories, to the state of being male or female, but can also mean intercourse. She said this feels very male to her, and thinks that this word being used to mean both of these things (both of which are very charged concepts with heavy connotations - but only because of patriarchy) is not only unnecessary, but arguably harmful to the feminist cause as well.

Not only that, but sex (as in maleness/femaleness) is itself very much in contention these days - its existence itself is challenged in addition to its definition and the parameters of its categories. Even outside of gender identity ideology (GII) and the conversation surrounding transgender identities, there is a fair amount of inconsistency in what exactly people think makes a human being male or female, be it large or small gamete production, the presence of either a penis or a vagina, some sort of checklist-like combination of sex characteristics, karyotype, hormone dominance, the infamous pseudoscientific "brain sex," or something else.

I agree with Dr. Rashad Rehman's succinct statement that "sex is defined by gamete production," from his paper (which I've posted on several previous occasions and you can read at this link) refuting both GII and the catholic church regarding human sex biology & intersex conditions. As I've said countless times on this blog and he says in his paper, this manner of categorizing human beings as male or female does not require successful production of large or small gametes. Rather, it defines a human being's sex according to which of two overall developmental pathways their body follows; has your body (your anatomy and your physiology, as referenced in the GLAP acronym's A and P) developed around the "intention," so to speak, of producing large gametes or small gametes?

This is what led to the acronym GLAP (for "Gamete-Linked Anatomy and Physiology"), which I introduced in a recent reblog. She and I coined this term together to offer a more precise, better delineated alternative to "[biological] sex," and an alternative bearing zero denotative or connotative relationship to sexual intercourse.

By not only defining sex in relation to gametes, but placing the very word "gamete" at the literal forefront of the term itself, GLAP leaves little room for debate or misunderstanding when it comes to discussions of maleness and femaleness in human beings. The importance of this is well-stated in Dr. Rehman's paper, particularly in the following section containing two quotes from the writings of MIT philosophy professor Alex Byrne. The first of these two quotes references Brown-educated feminist scientist (and GNC lesbian!) Dr. Anne Fausto-Sterling, and the second cites Simone de Beauvoir's "The Second Sex."

[Please let me know if image description is needed; screen reader test worked on my end, but who knows?]

We believe this terminology has the potential to combat misinformation surrounding human biology as well as to open doors within the discourse pertaining to GII and transgender issues. We suspect - and hope - that removing the word "sex," thus removing the messiness that tends to come along with the word, could perhaps reduce tensions and reactivity in order to allow for conversations to be had that otherwise would rapidly escalate or be avoided entirely. Additionally, introducing a new term like this requires providing an explanation of its meaning and purpose, the process of which we believe will help facilitate such conversations. We also feel that the novelty and hint of silly-sounding-ness could support the goal of reducing the tension and emotional charge currently embedded in gender discourse.

[er-cryptid]

AP Biology: Words to Know

Scientific Process -- accuracy -- Chi-square -- control -- constant -- deductive reasoning -- dependent variable -- graph -- hypothesis -- independent variable -- inductive reasoning -- mean -- median -- model -- observation -- precision -- prediction -- rate -- scientific method -- table -- trend -- variable

Biochemistry -- amino acid -- amphipathic -- carbohydrate -- carbon -- denaturation -- disaccharide -- ester bond -- fibrous protein -- globular protein -- glycosydic bond -- hydrogen bond -- ion -- lipid -- macromolecule -- monomer -- monosaccharide -- nitrogen -- non-polar molecule -- nucleic acid -- nucleotide -- organic molecule -- peptide bond -- phospholipid -- polar molecule -- polymer -- protein -- water

Evolution -- adaptation -- adaptive radiation -- allele -- allopatric -- analogous structure -- artificial selection -- background extinction rate -- biogeography -- biological species -- cladogenesis -- coevolution -- common ancestor -- comparative anatomy -- convergent evolution -- Darwin -- differential survival -- directional selection -- disruptive selection -- endosymbiosis -- evo-devo -- evolutionary fitness -- extinction -- fixation of alleles -- fossil record -- founder effect -- geologic time scale -- gene flow -- gene pool -- genetic bottleneck -- genetic drift -- genetic equilibrium -- genetic variation -- gradualism -- Hardy-Weinberg equation -- homologous structures -- homology -- hybrid -- last common ancestors -- mass extinction -- migration -- Miller-Urey experiments -- modern synthesis -- molecular clock -- mutation -- natural selection -- paleontology -- panspermia -- parallel evolution -- phenotype -- phylogeny -- polymorphism -- polyploidy -- prezygotic mechanisms -- postzygotic mechanisms -- primordial environment -- radiometric dating -- random mating -- relative dating -- reproductive isolation -- RNA world -- rock strata -- speciation -- species -- stromatolite -- sympatric -- transitional fossil -- vestigial organ

Classification & Biological Diversity -- Archaea -- Bacteria -- binomial nomenclature -- cladogram -- class -- distinguishing feature -- Eukarya -- family -- genus -- kingdom -- monophyletic -- order -- paraphyletic -- phylogenetic tree -- phylogeny -- phylum -- polyphyletic -- shared derived characteristic -- shared ancestral characteristic -- taxon

Cells -- active transport -- amphipathic -- apoptosis -- aquaporin -- carrier protein -- cell wall -- centrioles -- channel protein -- chloroplast -- communication -- cyclic AMP -- concentration gradient -- cytoplasm -- cytoskeleton -- diffusion -- electron microscope -- endocytosis -- endoplasmic reticulum -- exocytosis -- eukaryotic cell -- facilitated diffusion -- flagella -- fluid mosaic model -- glycolipid -- glycoprotein -- Golgi apparatus -- G-protein linked receptor -- hormone -- hypertonic -- hypotonic -- ion pump -- isotonic -- ligand -- light microscope -- lysosome -- magnification -- membrane -- mitochondrion -- necrosis -- nuclear envelope -- nuclear pore -- nucleus -- organelles -- osmosis -- passive transport -- phagocytosis -- phospholipid -- phosphorylation cascade -- pinocytosis -- plasma membrane -- plasmolysis -- prokaryotic cell -- protein kinase -- quorum sensing -- receptor -- ribosome -- rough ER -- second messenger -- selectively permeable -- signal cascade -- signal transduction -- signal transduction pathway -- smooth ER -- surface area : volume ratio -- transmembrane protein -- turgor -- vacuole

Cell Division -- anaphase -- cancer -- cell cycle -- cellular differentiation -- cell division -- centrioles -- chromosome -- crossing over -- crossover frequency -- cyclin-dependent kinase -- cytokinesis -- differentiation -- diploid -- DNA replication -- fertilization -- gamete -- haploid -- homologous chromosomes -- independent assortment -- interphase -- maternal chromosome -- meiosis -- metaphase -- mitosis -- nuclear division -- p53 -- paternal chromosome -- potency -- prophase -- recombination -- sex chromosome -- somatic cell -- specialized cell -- synapsis -- telophase

Molecular Genetics -- activator -- amino acids -- anticodon -- base-pairing rules -- cell differentiation -- coding strand -- codon -- DNA ligase -- DNA polymerase -- DNA replication -- embryonic induction -- exons -- gel electrophoresis -- gene expression -- gene induction -- gene repression -- genetic code -- genetic engineering -- genetic transplantation -- helicase -- homeotic genes -- HOX genes -- hydrogen bonding -- inducible genes -- introns -- lac operon -- lagging strand -- leading strand -- micro RNA -- morphogenesis -- mutation -- nucleic acids -- nucleotides -- Okazaki fragments -- polymerase chain reaction -- protein -- regulatory sequence -- replication fork -- repressor -- restriction enzyme -- reverse transcriptase -- RNA      -- mRNA      -- rRNA      -- tRNA -- start codon -- stop codon -- template strand -- transcription -- transcription factors -- transgenic organism -- translation

Mendelian Genetics -- allele -- autosome -- back cross -- codominance -- continuous variation -- cross -- dihybrid cross -- discontinuous variation -- dominant -- F1 generation -- F2 generation -- genetic counseling -- genomic imprinting -- genotype -- heterozygous -- homozygous -- incomplete dominance -- independent assortment -- lethal allele -- linkage -- monohybrid cross -- multiple alleles -- non-disjunction -- non-nuclear inheritance -- pedigree analysis -- phenotype -- polygenetic inheritance -- Punnett square -- pure-breeding -- recessive -- segregation -- sex chromosome -- sex-limited traits -- sex-linked gene -- test cross -- trait

Metabolism -- absorption spectrum -- accessory pigment -- acetyl coA -- action spectrum -- activation energy -- active site -- anabolism -- anaerobic metabolism -- allosteric regulation -- ATP -- autotroph -- Calvin cycle -- catabolism -- catalyst -- cellular respiration -- chemiosmosis -- chemoautotroph -- chlorophyll -- chloroplast -- citric acid cycle -- coenzyme -- cofactor -- compartmentalization -- consumer -- cyclic electron flow -- denaturation -- electron transport chain -- entropy -- endergonic reaction -- enzyme -- exergonic reaction -- feedback inhibition -- fermentation -- glycolysis -- heterotroph -- induced fit model -- light dependent reactions -- light independent reactions -- metabolic pathway -- mitochondrion -- NAD -- NADP -- negative feedback -- non-cyclic electron flow -- oxidative posphorylation -- photolysis -- photosynthesis -- positive feedback -- ribulose bisphosphate -- substrate-level phosphorylation -- thylakoid membrane

Physiology -- cell-mediated immunity -- circadian rhythm -- closed circulatory system -- clonal selection -- cortex -- countercurrent exchange -- diastole -- digestive enzymes -- digestive tract -- disease -- double circulatory system -- ectothermic -- electrochemical gradient -- endocrine signaling -- endodermis -- endothermic -- estivation -- excretion -- extracellular digestion -- fibrin -- gas exchange -- gastrovascular cavity -- gills -- glucagon -- guard cells -- heart valves -- hibernation -- HIV -- homeostasis -- hormone -- humoral immunity -- hypothalamus -- inflammation -- inhibition -- insulin -- integration -- intracellular digestion -- immune response -- leukocyte -- loop of Henle -- lungs -- lymphocyte -- memory cells -- mesophyll -- metabolism -- migration -- motor neuron -- myelin -- myosin -- neuromuscular junction -- neuron -- neurotransmitter -- nitrogenous waste -- nodes of Ranvier -- non-specific defense -- open circulatory system -- osmoregulation -- passive immunity -- pathogen -- phagocyte -- phagocytosis -- phloem -- photoperiodism -- phytochrome -- postsynaptic -- presynaptic -- primary immune response -- pressure-flow hypothesis -- pulmonary circulation -- reflex -- refractory period -- reproductive strategy -- respiratory surface -- resting potential -- root -- root hair -- root pressure -- saltatory conduction -- Schwann cells -- secondary immune response -- sensory neuron -- sensory receptor -- serotonin -- sinoatrial node -- skeletal muscle -- specific defense -- stem -- stimulus -- stomata -- synapse -- T-cell -- transpiration -- transpirational pull -- vaccination -- ventricle -- villi -- xerophyte -- xylem

Ecology -- abiotic factor -- abundance -- adaptation -- age structure -- biodiversity -- biome -- biotic factor -- carbon cycle -- carrying capacity -- climate change -- community -- conservation -- decomposer -- demography -- density dependent factor -- detritovore -- distribution -- ecological niche -- ecological pyramid -- ecological succession -- ecosystem -- ecosystem stability -- endangered species -- exponential growth -- food chain -- food web -- global warming -- greenhouse effect -- greenhouse gas -- gross primary productivity -- habitat -- hydrologic cycle -- imprinting -- interspecific competition -- intraspecific competition -- introduced species -- K-selection -- keystone species -- learning -- life history -- life tables -- limiting factor -- logistic growth -- mark and recapture -- migration -- mortality -- mutualism -- net primary productivity -- nitrogen cycle -- nutrient cycle -- parasite -- photoautotroph -- population -- population growth -- population size -- pollution -- predator -- primary consumer -- rate of increase -- resilience -- R-selection -- saprophyte -- secondary consumer -- species diversity -- survivorship curve -- symbiosis -- ten percent rule -- threatened species -- trophic efficiency -- trophic level -- urbanization

[arakkne]

Feminists have been dealing with this issue for decades btw. We get accused of upholding sexism and gender and patriarchy just by attempting to describe the society around us. A common example is being accused of "reducing women to their genitals" when we try to talk about sex, specifically GLAP (Gamete-Linked Anatomy & Physiology, coined by @butch-reidentified). Which is so backwards. Society is the one that's doing that, god forbid we try to have words to discuss it.

Sorry not sorry for hijacking or derailing this post but I wanted to provide some perspective. You're dealing with real problems, yes, but you're also the new kid on the block. Radical feminists are your elders in a lot of ways, and y'all could stand to listen to us every once in a while.

its actually so fucking evil and insiduous how people talk to trans women about tme/tma as thoguh we are inventing or enforcing these systems (that we interface with every day, that we struggle againts and are oppressed by every day) instead of literally just trying to describe them

[butch-reidentified]

okay, but here's what I don't get: if your philosophy is sex/gender doesn't matter, that your chromosomes shouldn't dictate what you do or wear, why does it matter if someone changes their pronouns, wears a dress, gets top or bottom surgery, whatever?

idk what you want me to say to this bc I've answered all of this like easily a few dozen times. this is either a lack of reading OR a lack of reading comprehension. please read #2a on my Pinned Post.

this anon genuinely kinda worries me bc this is not a hard concept to grasp. your chromosomes are not the primary defining aspect of your sex. I really never talk about chromosomes on my blog, so why are you? sex is defined according to gametes & the anatomy/physiology biologically associated with the production of each gamete.

also it's literally in my bio that I got top surgery and in my url that I'm butch, do what on earth do you even mean by "why does it matter if someone gets surgery or wears a dress?" obviously it doesn't matter to me in the way you seem to be implying, or I wouldn't be happily flat-chested, hairy, bare-faced, not owning a single skirt or dress, etc. The issue is that none of these things make me any less female, just as none of these things could make me any less 5'5"....

your sex doesn't dictate ANYTHING about your personality. but also, your talents/skills/interests/hobbies/aesthetic preferences/etc. aren't indicative of your sex (or your "gender") either. again, if you read the post linked to in #2a of my Pinned, you will understand much better than I can possibly explain right now in my current emotionally/mentally/physically exhausted state, but the bit of that post that's in purple text summarizes why the concept of gender identity doesn't make sense to me (though the concepts of gender dysphoria and sex dysphoria do).

sex ABSOLUTELY matters - in a perfect world, it wouldn't matter in pretty much any context outside of medicine and orientation, but in this (patriarchal) world, it most certainly does matter. gender is not the same thing as sex, but I also never said gender doesn't matter; rather, it shouldn't exist at all bc it's an oppressive system whose function is to force people to conform to one of two sets of all-consuming stereotypes on the basis of one's sex: "masculinity" forced on male human beings and "femininity" forced on female human beings.

I could get into this in a LOT more depth, dive into the nuances and address why "femininity" is inherently oppressive, but honestly, a woman can only post the same thing so many times before she starts to go insane. I've made my old posts pretty damn acessible despite Tumblr's desire to make finding posts wholly impossible. read them 🤷

[butch-reidentified]

one last reblog for visibility bc of time zone/time of day online variety etc. still considering the radfem polls blog submission idea from @anonymouswasfemale - just wanted to gauge the reactions to this post for a couple days before deciding. very much open to feedback and/or questions!!! ty 💕

Pitching New Terminology: GLAP (Gamete-Linked Anatomy and Physiology)

A little while back, I remember seeing someone on here talk about 2nd wave feminist attempts to coin new terminology/alter existing terms as part of their feminism ("herstory" and "womyn" for example) + my wife and I have been talking a ton for a few months now about how language can feel so limiting, as counterintuitive as most people likely would find that. One of the things my wife brought up is that it bothers and bewilders her that "sex" can refer to biological categories, to the state of being male or female, but can also mean intercourse. She said this feels very male to her, and thinks that this word being used to mean both of these things (both of which are very charged concepts with heavy connotations - but only because of patriarchy) is not only unnecessary, but arguably harmful to the feminist cause as well.

Not only that, but sex (as in maleness/femaleness) is itself very much in contention these days - its existence itself is challenged in addition to its definition and the parameters of its categories. Even outside of gender identity ideology (GII) and the conversation surrounding transgender identities, there is a fair amount of inconsistency in what exactly people think makes a human being male or female, be it large or small gamete production, the presence of either a penis or a vagina, some sort of checklist-like combination of sex characteristics, karyotype, hormone dominance, the infamous pseudoscientific "brain sex," or something else.

I agree with Dr. Rashad Rehman's succinct statement that "sex is defined by gamete production," from his paper (which I've posted on several previous occasions and you can read at this link) refuting both GII and the catholic church regarding human sex biology & intersex conditions. As I've said countless times on this blog and he says in his paper, this manner of categorizing human beings as male or female does not require successful production of large or small gametes. Rather, it defines a human being's sex according to which of two overall developmental pathways their body follows; has your body (your anatomy and your physiology, as referenced in the GLAP acronym's A and P) developed around the "intention," so to speak, of producing large gametes or small gametes?

This is what led to the acronym GLAP (for "Gamete-Linked Anatomy and Physiology"), which I introduced in a recent reblog. She and I coined this term together to offer a more precise, better delineated alternative to "[biological] sex," and an alternative bearing zero denotative or connotative relationship to sexual intercourse.

By not only defining sex in relation to gametes, but placing the very word "gamete" at the literal forefront of the term itself, GLAP leaves little room for debate or misunderstanding when it comes to discussions of maleness and femaleness in human beings. The importance of this is well-stated in Dr. Rehman's paper, particularly in the following section containing two quotes from the writings of MIT philosophy professor Alex Byrne. The first of these two quotes references Brown-educated feminist scientist (and GNC lesbian!) Dr. Anne Fausto-Sterling, and the second cites Simone de Beauvoir's "The Second Sex."

[Please let me know if image description is needed; screen reader test worked on my end, but who knows?]

We believe this terminology has the potential to combat misinformation surrounding human biology as well as to open doors within the discourse pertaining to GII and transgender issues. We suspect - and hope - that removing the word "sex," thus removing the messiness that tends to come along with the word, could perhaps reduce tensions and reactivity in order to allow for conversations to be had that otherwise would rapidly escalate or be avoided entirely. Additionally, introducing a new term like this requires providing an explanation of its meaning and purpose, the process of which we believe will help facilitate such conversations. We also feel that the novelty and hint of silly-sounding-ness could support the goal of reducing the tension and emotional charge currently embedded in gender discourse.

[butch-reidentified]

interesting how they understand that being a political activist/having strong opinions/fighting for what you believe in isn't a sign of misery or unhappiness for every other group but radfems. I'm happy in general, I've worked hard to achieve that in my life after immense hardship, but I actually am even happier when I'm fighting hard asf for something, when I'm passionate and driven and dedicated to a cause, and when I have community like that around me. I'm even happier since I found radical feminism, actually. that doesn't make me delusionally blissful or negate the legitimate anger at patriarchy and how complacent and/or brainwashed most people seem to be about it... but conversely, expressing that anger in healthy ways and channeling it in healthy ways isn't at all indicative of misery or unhappiness. the purpose and commitment and solidarity and community and passion and love and righteous ferocity and so much more -- all of that is human and healthy (in moderation & contextually, like anything else).

you wanna know whats giving miserable? insisting that your demographic -- made up largely of suburban college educated white usamerican liberals and making up a whole and ever-increasing 5% of adults under 30 (more than ppl with OCD!), who are constantly given preferential treatment to a point of absurdity (man being woman of the year without even being a "woman" for a whole year, men convicted of pedoph*lia suddenly identifying as women and going to women's prisons, men who act out horrifyingly sexist caricatures of femininity getting famous asf and invited to the gd WHITE HOUSE, and on and on and on) -- is on stage 8 or 9 of a GENOCIDE in the USA and CONSTANTLY comparing yourselves to "Jews in 1930s Germany" [source] despite outspending evangelicals in a petty municipal election in Alaska (google it luv) and everything I said before and sososososososososooooo much more!!!

calling feminists fascists and nazis, calling jkr trans hitler for saying ppl can express themselves however they like & she'd march with you against true transphobic tyranny, but biology is real and matters, our female GLAP* shapes our lives, etc. trivializing actual genocide and trivializing/disregarding/being willfully ignorant about homosexual oppression around the world, revising lgbt history esp regarding Stonewall ("lgb ppl owe all their rights to transwomen uwu") [source] [source], attacking an elderly gay man who was actually at Stonewall and organized the first Pride, and even my story having survived the 2016 Pulse massacre [see Pinned] and transing all sorts of historical figures esp women who defied patriarchal oppression & SSA women....

yk whats giving miserable? threatening suicide constantly to get your way. convincing tweens and teens that everyone around them hates them and wants them dead. hating your body enough to spend tens of thousands or more to slice and rearrange it, then pressuring others to do the same at the first sign they're slightly gnc or unhappy with sex-based roles/expectations or questioning the gender construct. being so threatened by feminists posting online that you use a browser extension made by a fed sellout and known predator to identify women committing thoughtcrimes so you can harass, threaten, doxx, deplatform, silence them.

i could go on for quite a while here but I'm tired. wake tf up is all I rly have to say 🤷

*GLAP stands for gamete-linked anatomy and physiology. it's an idea my wife & I came up with to separate the term "sex" (which for some fcked up reason also means intercourse) and to clarify EXACTLY what we're talking about when we discuss maleness and femaleness [in humans]. the developmental pathway your body takes is centered on the production of one of two gametes - even if you don't actually produce them, even if you have a DSD/intersex condition/are infertile or anything else under the sun. GLAP is clear, concise, forces a conversation about reality from an objective perspective, and separates sexual intercourse from the categorization of our bodies as male or female.

Edit June 9 2024: I made a separate post about the "GLAP" acronym & why it could, at least in my opinion, be extremely useful - both generally and within the context of sex/gender/trans discourse.

why terfs are so angry