Sex and Gender in Anthropology

Recently a controversy has erupted in anthropology circles about dropping a panel on “Let’s Talk About Sex Baby: Why Biological Sex Remains a Necessary Analytic Category in Anthropology” from a conference proposed by Kathleen Lowrey, an associate professor at the University of Alberta. The panelists believe that the biological sex is binary either male or female and the discipline of anthropology is against holding discussions on this issue.

Expressing a deep concern for the protection of transgender rights, both the American Anthropological Association and the Canadian Anthropology Society emphasized their commitment to safeguarding the transgender community.  They felt that the issues raised by the panelists were against the established scientific principles which may harm the interests of vulnerable community members.

They also drew a parallel between the perspectives of the panelists and eugenics. It asserted that the purpose of the discussion on sex in the session resembled much like the “race science” in the past and probably trying to provide a scientific basis of it detrimental to the rights of the transgender community.

On the other hand, Dr. Lowrey expressed concern at the decision, stating they had not been contacted regarding any concerns from the anthropology groups while the panel has been selected earlier. The panelists, in a separate statement, vehemently denied the accusation that their ideas were intended to harm the transgender community, characterizing it as a false claim.

However, the move faced criticism from some advocates of academic freedom, who argued that the two anthropology associations had yielded to political pressure, thus inadvertently reinforcing the panel’s argument that the discipline was unreceptive to dissenting perspectives on matters of sex and gender. The controversyon sex and gender will remain a topic of hot discussion and the dissenting views will always come from every corner.