Re: Would you date a herm?
Just going to throw my two cents in here on a few things.
With regards to the poll, well, I've got no problem with non-traditional gender identities... but the way that I'm wired, I've got no real interest in man-parts. Whether it's penis, a hairy chest, or a five o'clock shadow, it's not something that I'm sexually interested in. Wanna hang out? Cool. Wanna drink together? Cool. Wanna use the same urinal tub? Well, generally I don't use urinal tubs, but sure. Wanna make out? I'm flattered, but no, thank you.
With regards to this whole bathroom debacle in the US, I think it avoids the real issue, which is that the "emergence" of trans people (and the entire spectrum of non-traditional gender identity) is something that society is still adapting to. We have traditionally crammed people into gender identities for centuries, with everything from separate bathrooms to separate toys. When I was a kid, girls played with My Little Pony and Barbie. Boys played with G.I. Joe and Transformers. Females tended to have a little more freedom to cross over, though--a girl could play with G.I. Joe and Transformers, without their parents getting concerned about it. Girls who played like boys were "tomboys." A boy who played with girl toys was a "sissy." Needless to say, this did great harm to some people, who were given a hard choice between being socially accepted and being themselves. The eighties were a very different time.
I think the smart move would be to take legislative baby steps, helping to advance the rights of trans people while preventing exploitation. The first step, I think, is to establish the convention of "legal gender," as opposed to "gender identity." Legally-speaking, there are SO MANY laws and regulations that are dependent upon gender that creating additional genders would cause havoc. Not to mention, where locker rooms and changing areas are concerned (I'm specifically excluding bathrooms here), you're gonna get creeps who are just trying to exploit a legal loophole.
So let someone fill out a form and legally change their gender. It can go on their birth certificate, their driver's license, and any other form of identification that lists a gender. This wouldn't prevent ALL exploitation of the expanded legislation, but it would certainly mitigate it. Most importantly, this would free trans people to choose which of the legal genders most closely matches their chosen identity, and to use those facilities.
Not to mention, this is a step that might just manage to get passed today, despite the rather conservative Legislative branch currently in office.
EDIT: A valued friend corrected me that not all cultures have been enforcing the same gender standards for millenia (as I initially stated), but more along the lines of centuries. I've amended my post, especially as I really can't speak to much before 1980.
