Backup of David's Livejournal

What is a man?


I can't get past California's Proposition 8.

I've been turning it over and over in my head.  What's the point of limiting this right?

Now we'll need legal definitions of man and woman.  Does a man have to have individual, well formed X and Y chromosomes?  Does an XXY male qualify legally as a man?  Does a woman have to have two well formed X chromosomes?  What if they've got the right chromosomes, but have otherwise been physically altered in another way?  What if a "man" has no testes?  What if he has no penis?

Do the pair have to be able to copulate?  Do they both have to be fertile?

What's the legal gender of a transgender individual?

Are we making a legal distinction between man and woman with boy and girl?  Do they have to be "of age" both mentally and physically?  Is a "man" a qualifying participant if he's 21 but has the mental capacity of an 11-year old?  Is a male a man as soon as he produces viable sperm?

What if a "man" or "woman" loses one of his or her qualifying attributes after marriage?  Does the marriage get annulled?

Why does California want this in its constitution?  What good could it possibly do?

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