11 June 2023
We propose an outline for the design of a gender categorization protocol. We ?rst perform requirements capture. Thereupon we propose a gender categorization protocol which is supposed to implement said requirements. We motivate the plausibility of gender categorization protocols by contemplating a plurality of jurisdictions each entitled to their own gender categorization protocol. Gender theory is understood as the theoretical framework which different jurisdictions must share, while per jurisdiction a gender architecture (i.e. a gender categorization protocol) implements the universal requirements imposed by gender theory. A jurisdiction may comprise a (part of a) national state, while it may also comprise an international organization. By way of a case study, we will contemplate in some detail the jurisdiction constituted by the Roman Catholic Church (RCC), for which we propose a dedicated re?nement of the general gender theory, which then allows to design a tailor made gender architecture speci?cally for RCC.