Yuyutsu,

Every single person deserves to be treated equally regardless
of their biological sex, their gender identity, or their gender
expression.

Your validation is not required.

Dear Foxy,

«Every single person deserves to be treated equally regardless
of their biological sex, their gender identity, or their gender
expression.»

Really? Every single person deserves to be treated equally?
Even Putin or Stalin deserve to be treated equally to your husband and children?

Anyway, that has nothing to do with the topic, which you avoid.
Gender, just like the colour of our hats, is a property some of us have, not an identity.

We are who we are.
But what are we?
We are essentially a computer programme.
This is located in, and runs in, the brain.
The brain is housed in a protective vessel.
This is attached to a 'body', which supplies 'nourishment' to the brain.
If the body fails, or the brain ceases to function for some other reason, we die.
That means the computer programme stops.
When that ceases, we cease to be, completely.
We do no linger round in some supernatural state.
Those who think so are letting their imagination control them.

The brain has an operating system, and additional programmes.
These latter are our instincts.
They are located in fixed memory.
Learned behaviour is in what I call volatile memory.
This can be changed.
The operating system calls on both kinds of memory.
In fact it can do this selectively, and control our behaviour.
We all have a slightly different operating system.
This is what makes us unique.
Some, unfortunately, are born with a 'kinked' operating system, which leads to strange behaviour.
We need to remember too that animals generally have no conscience about what they do.
We have developed conscience, but it still doesn't exist in every one of us.
So some can do very harmful things without a thought for the consequences.

Overall, we are a remarkable, living, machine.
We can explore our many aspects with great benefit to us.

Dear Ipso Fatso,

A computer can be programmed to do everything it does without the need for consciousness or awareness.
As far as computing is concerned, consciousness is superfluous.

A computer can be programmed to behave as if out of pain, fear, desire, boredom, envy or joy, even as if it has a conscience, but in reality there is nobody there to experience any feelings. No amount of programming can produce awareness.

If you are presently aware of reading my post, and nobody but yourself can ascertain whether you are aware, nobody else can prove or disprove it, then you are not a computer!

This brain computer idea is I think very valid.
Here is my reason for such belief.
First there is a logical theory called "Control Theory".
This is the theory behind the control of oil refineries. automatic
pilots on aircraft, the control of rockets on takeoff and indeed
why we can stand up and not fall over.
This theory requires calculation of proportional changes, derivative
changes and integral changes.
Proportional; how far we are out of balance.
Derivitave; how fast we are going out of balance.
Intigral; all the little changes that are taking place.
Known as three term control.
Our brain requires these three calculations to be running continually.
They enable our brain to decide which muscles to tension or relax to
stop us from falling over.
Next time you see a video of a rocket launch watch the engines under
the rocket. Usually they are moving about by small or larger amounts
because they are driven by the three term controller which has input
from various sensors of the position and movement of the rocket.
Watch a gymnast and think how fast that computer in your head is running !
Likewise they keep us standing up.

Yuyutsu,

I don't believe your comments uphold the rights of
individual people. Remember that your words have
the potential to dehumanize people. You run the risk
of stereotypes and you obscure the personal
experiences that help us to relate to one another.

How about just accepting people as people first and
foremost and listening when they tell you about their
feelings and needs. Why is that so hard?

Their gender identity is their business and it's just
our business to respect that because they're a human
being deserving at least basic decency.