VIDEO RECORDING – The Paradox Institute
25 APRIL 2023
Our full response to “Sex and Sensibility” by Forrest Valkai (@RenegadeScienceTeacher), analyzing his claims in detail with evolutionary and developmental biology.
Forrest’s original video: • Sex and Sensibility
Our response to Forrest’s neuroscience section: • Neuroscience of Sex Differences: Resp…
Our timestamps with citations for major sections. https://www.theparadoxinstitute.com/w…
TIMESTAMPS: (NOTE – THESE WILL TAKE YOU TO YOUTUBE -THE GENDER COLLECTION)
0:00:00 – Intro
0:00:18 – Forrest’s video
0:01:30 – Importance of taxonomy
0:05:36 – Using “male” and “female” out of convenience
0:11:37 – Biological systems have function
0:14:12 – Misusing the terms dioecious and monoecious
0:17:30 – Conflating sex determination with the definition of sex
0:21:20 – The infertility fallacy
0:29:50 – Conflation of isogamy with anisogamy
0:31:49 – Conflation of sex with sexual behavior
0:33:16 – Conflation of literal gamete size with sexes
0:34:52 – Claiming that large sperm makes the male-female gamete distinction arbitrary
0:40:40 – Clarifying the difference between dioecious and gonochorism
0:44:30 – Claiming that the idea we’re born male or female is deeply flawed
0:55:54 – Using bilateral gyndandromorphs to disprove the sex binary
0:58:42 – Using Ovotesticular DSD in humans
1:04:15 – Typical sex development is inaccurate according to Forrest
1:07:18 – Sex differences in gene expression exist before gonadal differentiation
1:10:01 – The myth we all start out as female
1:12:27 – Sex reversal in mice under experimental conditions
1:22:01 – Female wallabies born without egg cells develop testes
1:25:54 – Everyone has the genes to make testes or ovaries
1:32:07 – Genetic errors that can occur, causing sex reversal
1:33:04 – Conflation of sex determination mechanisms with sex
1:38:43 – Hormones regulate sex differentiation of the internal and external genitalia
1:45:29 – We all have testosterone and estrogen in our bodies
1:51:25 – Forrest then claims that “hormones don’t actually do anything”
1:54:13 – Androgen Insensitivity Syndrome
2:01:03 – X-inactivation in typical XX females
2:03:07 – Not all genes activate
2:05:05 – Using sex determination in birds to claim male and female are arbitrary
2:06:20 – Temperature sex determination
2:08:19 – Conflation of variation with disorder
2:12:48 – You need more genetic networks outside X and Y chromosomes to develop as a male or female
2:15:02 – Claiming there is no standard template for male vs female development
2:18:54 – Unless you’ve gotten your DNA analyzed, we can’t know your sex
2:22:30 – More than enough variations on the sex chromosomes alone…
2:25:41 – Conflation of complex genetics with sex itself
2:31:09 – Forrest claims we cannot say that girls are XX
2:33:42 – Defining gender
2:37:27 – Claiming that masculinity and femininity do not really mean anything
2:42:22 – Conflating dimorphic variation with sex itself
2:43:58 – Using hyenas to argue sex itself is a spectrum
2:47:20 – Male bats that can lactate
2:50:00 – Conflating diversity of sex roles with sex
2:54:15 – Neuroscience Section. See here: • Neuroscience of Sex Differences: Resp…
2:54:57 – Describing traits, ignoring function and statistics
2:56:50 – Forrest claims that people with developmental disorders make sex undefinable
3:03:13 – Forrest claims you can have more than one penis or vagina *Correction: Diphallia or penile duplication is an extremely rare congenital anomaly. It occurs once in every 5.5 million live births of males. There is also uterus didelphys, which results in a split or duplicate uterus in females. These conditions are sex-specific.
3:04:55 – It’s easier to claim sex is a spectrum
3:07:40 – Without genetic tests, you have “no idea where you land.”
3:09:43 – Saying that boys are XY and that they must act a certain way is dangerous
3:17:54 – Conflation of sexual orientation with gender dysphoria
3:18:59 – Gender dysphoria is a mental disorder; atypical sexual orientation is not
3:36:48 – Conflation of freedom of expression with violation of rights
3:39:52 – Forrest claims he barely scratched the surface
3:40:50 – Summarizing Forrest’s major errors
3:44:18 – Conflation of gender dysphoria with being trans
3:46:05 – Gish-gallop of sources
PINNED COMMENT- THE GENDER COLLECTION
Important correction:
At 3:03:13, we respond to Forrest’s claim that people can be born with two penises or two vaginas. This can happen. In males, diphallia or penile duplication is an extremely rare congenital anomaly. It occurs once in every 5.5 million live births of males. There is also uterus didelphys, which results in a split or duplicate uterus in females and can also involve the vaginal canal. These conditions are sex-specific, can often result in infertility, have other associated congenital anomalies, and are not evidence that sex is a spectrum.
Thank you for all your feedback and notes!
Diphallia: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3870645/
Uterus didelphys: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8777336/Show less