I'll accept Julia's challenge on the sex/gender issue.  I used to object to
the use of the word "gender" in distinguishing between male and female
humans, animals, and plants, insisting that "sex" refers to biological
difference and that "gender" is a grammatical term.  I have been informed
recently (and somewhat grudgingly accept the notion) that "gender" is
appropriate in differentiating between males and females because it
encompasses cultural, not merely biological, differences.  Having somewhat
bought into that premise, I nevertheless admit that I'm darned if I can be
sure of when to say one instead of the other.

I have no problem with academic discourses which persistently talk about
"gender" because cultural differences are usually implied rather than purely
biological issues.  But I continue to wince at questionnaires which ask my
"gender" rather than my sex,  because I think the biological distinction is
the simple piece of information that's being sought, not whether I'm part of
a male or female cultural orientation or somewhere within a
masculine/feminine spectrum, which could be nearly as complex as the
race/ethnicity issue.  "Gender" in the non-grammatical sense is politically,
culturally, and emotionally charged, a point which is abundantly clear in
"gender studies" dialogue and rhetoric.  So "sex" seems to be out and
"gender" is in nowadays, but I hope we can retain "sex" as a neutral
biological term and not confuse the issue by saying "gender" when we're
trying to talk about biology, minus the cultural baggage.

I also suspect that part of the reason "gender" is used increasingly in
situations where we used to say "sex" is that "sex" has become a synonym for
sexual intercourse, as English usage has evolved.  People talk about "having
sex" where they once said "having intercourse" (and before that,
"intercourse" was once understood more broadly and could be user to refer to
non-sexual, social, cultural, and intellectual relations without drawing
snickers).  I imagine some writers of questionnaires and application forms
consciously request your "gender" rather than "sex" to avoid such smart-aleck
responses as "Yesss!!!" and "As often as possible."

David Haberstich

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