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More By Nurture More By Nature
Debate Score:7
Arguments:8
Total Votes:9
Ended:11/28/17
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 More By Nurture (1)
 
 More By Nature (6)

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Challenge Debate: Gender Identity is Determined More by Nurture Rather Than Nature

Gender identity is the sex on perceives they are, which may or may not correspond to their birth sex.
This debate comes down to if gender identity is determined more by nurture, which is upbringing, education and environment, or more by nature, which is genetics or hereditary characteristics.
KingHarris(19)

More By Nurture

Side Score: 1
VS.
ilike2debate(320)

More By Nature

Side Score: 6
Winning Side!
1 point

52% of teenagers do not identify as exclusively heterosexual. (according to a report by the J. Walter Thompson Innovation Group) 35% of Millennials fall in the same category, and the percentage keeps declining as you move to older generations. This is because gender identity is not primarily caused by nature, but by things like upbringing, your environment, and your education. I stand in affirmation of the following resolution: Gender identity is caused more by nurture rather than nature. We present the following framework to begin, gender identity: a person's perception of having a particular gender, which may or may not correspond with their birth sex. Nature: inborn or hereditary characteristics as an influence on or determinant of personality. And finally nurture: upbringing, education, and environment, as an influence on or determinant of personality. We will argue this case with the following two contentions:

Contention 1: Gender identity is formed through learned behavior.

Contention 2: Gender identity and norms in society are always changing.

Gender identity is formed through learned behavior. It is important a critical distinction be made; gender identity and biological gender are two different things. To put it very simply, gender identity is how one identifies, while biological gender is dependent on the sex organs one has. The contention that gender identity is formed through learned behavior is purely scientific. Countless studies, such as the comprehensive breakdown published in the journal Nature,( for just one example,) show that learned behavior does in fact play a substantial role in gender. From the day a baby leaves their mother's womb, they are given objects and put in scenarios which almost wholly shape their gender identity. Think of a little girl who is given dolls and make up, as well as pink clothes and accessories from the time she is just a child. On the other side, boys are assigned the color blue from young, and instead of playing with makeup and dolls they play with trucks and guns. I can’t speak for my opponents, but I believe there is a consensus in this room that there is no gene, which invokes boys to like trucks and girls to like dolls. That is because these characteristics expressed through their gender identity are primarily learned behavior and basic social cues. You ought to care about this because by acknowledging that gender identity is determined from learned behavior, you are philosophically eliminating any reason to be hateful toward one’s gender.

Gender identity and norms in society are always changing. Before this debate it is important to ask yourself, what are certain forms of identities that are undoubtedly caused by nature? For a second take into consideration physical identity, or possibly human identity. Identifying with one's own physical traits or type of species is clearly caused primarily by nature. Gender identity is different. Gender identity changes as your mind learns and develops. Developments which are caused by you observing and learning from your environment. If gender identity truly is caused primarily by nature, then we would not see the change in gender norms that we do today. Woman deciding to join the labor force have risen from 26.9% to 46.6% from 1950 to 2000 as reported by The US Labor Force. Furthermore gender identification also changes over time and age. As I stated in my introduction, older generations identify far more of the time With being heterosexual, than younger generations. It is clear that by recognizing gender roles, and how they change, we are helping minimize the negative stigma that comes along in communities when the change of gender norms occur.

In conclusion, there is no for sure answer when it comes to the question if gender identity is caused primarily by nurture or nature. That is something both my opponent and I can all agree on. The resolution is unfalsifiable to some extent on both ends. However I believe with the evidence, stats, and logical reasoning, I have presented in my two contentions, I have strongly supported the resolution that gender identity is caused more by nurture rather than nature. You ought to care about the resolution set forth because understanding gender identity is a crucial part in the flourishing of an innovative society. Also many credible medical and scientific organizations have conceded that gender identity is caused more by nurture rather than nature. By voting a pro ballot you are not only on the right side of history, but also of science. Thank you.

Side: More By Nurture
1 point

Wait I thought this was sexuality debate not about transsexuality, sorry I dont know much about that part. To me, it's still due more to conditioning than genes.

If you grow up liking the other gender a lot more and hating your own you will more likely end up trans but it takes A LOT of your own gender being mean to you and the other being nice to you to cause this.

Side: More By Nature
ilike2debate(320) Clarified
0 points

I thought my side as nurture I am really sorry......................................

Side: More By Nurture

I would firstly like to post a common-ground thing I agree with the creator on: It's a bit of both at least.

Side: More By Nature

I want to also state another thing he and I agree on:

You don't choose your sexuality.

What we disagree on and what I think:

It's more due to childhood conditioning and events than due to DNA.

Side: More By Nature

So, now let's begin with some theories/facts of mine (to me it's fact to many it can be theory):

1) If your father is a lot meaner than your mother to you and men in general abuse you as a child, you will grow to only lust women even if you are a "naturally heterosexual female".

2) If your father is mean to you but you either have no mother in your upbringing or your mother is even more mean, you will have a fetish for mean, controlling men as this is the only form of love you came to know.

You can basically get where I'm going with this but I will now go into children who had absent parents and grew up like orphans or in foster care etc:

1) You need to research how the carers of each gender interacted with them and the likes etc.

So anyway, my theory explains why a really straight, mean and manly father can raise a submissive homosexual but why he also may raise a very heterosexual man indeed.

Side: More By Nature

You are born a gender, that's a fucking fact and the gender you're born with is always the gender your physical sex is.

This can change as you grow because of how each gender treats you. If one gender is much kinder and accepting to you than the other, and that gender is the opposite gender this can (and does) cause transsexuality in the person.

Side: More By Nature

Wait I made a huge mistake, I am arguing the other side...... I am sorry......

Side: More By Nature