The logic of gender by Kelli D. Potter

As a part of the Roots of Knowledge Speaker Series, Kelli D. Potter spoke on the logic of gender and how different frameworks of thinking have influenced the way humans perceive gender  

Potter is an associate professor of Philosophy and member of the Religious Study Board at UVU. She has several published articles on philosophy of religion and Mormon theology. 

During this lecture, Potter explained different forms of logic and how those frameworks can be applied to gender. She began the lecture by talking about Joan of Arc, well-known for leading the French army to victory during the Hundred Years War, according to Encyclopedia Britannica. For a woman to take on a role that yielded such power was unheard of at the time. 

Potter elaborated on more ways that Joan of Arc pushed the gender binary, noting that Arc was punished and burned at the stake, for wearing men’s clothing. “The transgender community look to her as a historical example, showing that gender nonconformity has been around for a long time,” said Potter.

She went on to describe several varying theories and forms of logic that have enforced oppression and stereotypes for centuries. For example, some “orthodox” logic that supports a gender binary has been formative for society, and still proliferates. 

To complexify this binary, Potter noted, “experts estimate that there are as many people that are intersex as people with red hair.” Intersex is a general term used for when a person is born with reproductive or sexual anatomy that doesn’t fit the typical definitions of male or female, according the Intersex Society of North America. 

Potter provided more examples that refute the binary by adding that hormones fluctuate throughout the sexes. She stated that some women have been found to have more testosterone than men, and some men have more estrogen than some women. 

“Transgender people come to be transgender in a variety of ways,” said Potter. “Some of us have a mental health condition referred to as gender dysphoria in the DSM-5, which involves severe discomfort regarding the sexually differentiated part of one’s body.” Gender dysphoria is not always synonymous with being transgender, according to Potter. Many people feel as they don’t identify within the gender binary and often refer to themselves as non-binary. 

“I wonder how a logical structure with only discrete values can deal with the vagueness inherent in genders being a matter of degree,” said Potter, stressing the importance of providing space for ambiguity rather than enforcing a binary. “One possible suggestion would be to look at sex and genders being a matter of degree.”