March 28, 2023
First steps are taken toward a formalization of gender theory. Biological sex, gender and gender identity are cast as total functions into a set containing four labels: male, female, neutral (or NMNF for non-male and non-female), and ? (missing gender: no public announcement of self-identification of gender available, no gender known by other means).
Eight different definitions of a gender function are provided none of which meets the well-known criterion that self-identification of say gender G implies categorization of the same gender G under all circumstances. These developments provide a baseline from which to contemplate the Dembroff versus Byrne controversy on the proper definitions of woman and of man, as well as the position of Bogardus who casts doubt on the perspective of Ameliorative Inquiry and the position of Barnes who rejects the idea that self-identification (as G) would be a necessary condition for categorization (as G). These considerations are then construed into a confirmation as being plausible of an NB skeptical position formulated by Buijs.