questions about manhood.

If a man is born without a penis and testicles would he still be called a man. Is this different from men who have had theirs forcibly removed?

• On a side note, is it possible for a woman to be born without a vagina (or at least a uterus)?

I am glad you asked.

Basically yes on all accounts.

Umm... I should going into detail about child born intersex but I don't really know where to start.

Yeah, there are all sorts of conditions you can be born with that deviate from the usual sex organs. It's controlled by hormones in very early development.

Interestingly, the default configuration is female. The presence of testosterone makes a fetus male, and the absence makes it female.

But it is oppostie in birds!

^^ So women are immature.

Or alternatively, men are weird mutants.

^That would explain so, so much.

Also, this depends on whether you mean sex or gender. I assume physical sex, though.

OK, serious response to OP:

Evidently; you just called him one.

I think he generally would be, perhaps in the interest of sensitivity, or for the sake of simplicity if nothing else.

In terms of the word used? Probably not. If your hand gets cut off you don't magically change gender; don't see why losing your dick would be any different.

In other respects (physically, psychologically, etc.) it's probably a lot different.

Yes, it's medically possible.

In terms of gender, rather than sex, it depends on the nature of the disorder involved. This one produces female-looking, genetically male individuals who typically identify as male, but this one usually (and that's usually) produces genetic males who identify as female.

It's also possible to be born with two uteri, and two vagini (is that the correct plural for vagina?). Women with that can still have sex and get pregnant and everything.

edited 30th Sep '11 7:28:38 PM by LoniJay

I think he or she would be called whatever he or she wanted to be called. He or she would probably get an operation to set that into stone, though...

In terms of technical sex, I think at that point I'd just go by physical characteristics (i.e. if he's more male than female, the term is "he," whereas if she's more female than male, the term is "she").

Or go gender neutral and use ze (instead of he or she) and hir (instead of him or her)

Those just sound like mispronounced/foreign equivalents to "he" and "she," though...

Also, people who identify as either male or female might become insulted at that.

Incidently, there once was a (mental) adrogyne on these forums who preferred 'it' over all else, so it really DOES depend on the person. Some might very well prefer ze, or even they (singular).

edited 30th Sep '11 7:56:54 PM by Katrika