Justin Kalef

After positively discussing Professor Lawford-Smith's central argument, I provide some of my own comments on the term 'gender identity', contrasting it with 'sexual orientation'. I argue that, unlike 'sexual orientation', both components of the phrase 'gender identity' have significant ambiguities that make clear empirical research into the nature of 'gender identity' a non-starter. I briefly suggest some ways to resolve the problem.

After briefly discussing Lawford-Smith's arguments, I point to seemingly fatal ambiguities in both parts of the term 'gender identity', arguing that, in marked contrast to the 'sexual orientation' concept, the 'gender identity' concept is too confused to be used in a scientific context.