Originally Posted by Otter

If you examine it critically and honestly, I think you'll find that both sex and gender are far less balck and white than they appear.
Plenty of people born as women can't bear children naturally; are they then not women, either? Clearly, reproductive ability does not define gender (or sex). What does? Genetalia? Chromosomes? The hormone dominant in the bloodstream? Gender presentation? All of these (except chromosomes) can be changed, some more easily and reversably than others. And you can't see chromosomes; for that matter, you don;t typically see genetalia unless you're allready pretty darn close. Which means that teh least 'changeable' markers are also the least available.

More to the point of the opening post, using one's religious and personal beliefs to justify discrimination is contrary to *my* religious and personal beliefs; if it isn't directly harming someone, then there's no reason to get one's panties in a wad. Whather government is really for and by the people these days is debatable, but fortunately the trend appears to be heading away from discrimination, and towards a more rational recogintion of human diversity.