(February 7, 2019 at 5:41 pm)tackattack Wrote: I don't think either of you are being careful enough with the word trait. I define trait as a genetically determined characteristic. So an atom's apple, hips, muscles, gonads, to be traits. What you guys seem to be identifying is a general intuitive characteristic. Things like how a person acts, their speech patterns, effeminate or masculine, etc. those are all characteristics to me and not traits. Both of which is different from preferences which are more volition based (even if indoctinated to that). Preferences to me could be anything from your preference in footwear to the type of deodorant you use or how you style your hair.
Call it whatever you want. If you give it a metric, it will either be related to binary gender categories, or it won't be related to gender at all.
Some "general intuitive characteristics" are cultural artifacts, but they are still binary, rather than ternary or other poly. Sure a man can wear a dress, but wearing a dress is clearly a female behavior in our culture, rather than a female one. If that weren't true, then people who feel they are a woman trapped in a man's body wouldn't need to do anything-- no special body language, no dresses, no make-up, no name change.
