Which of the following traits can be changed?

[Sprouts Farmers Market ✘]

Very split between all and none (or maybe just gender...even that may not be 'changing' per se), but I guess that's the territory this question comes with.

[Higgs]

You can change gender but not sex, if I'm understanding their definitions correctly. Wtf is with race though? How can someone change their race?

[dead0man]

Religion, obviously.  Nothing at all like the other options.  I suppose "gender" can be changed too, but you ain't changing your number of chromosomes or who you're attracted to.

[Goldwater]

Wait, two people think you can change sexual orientation? How?

[RightBehind]

Wait, two people think you can change sexual orientation? How?

They're the people who think gay is a choice and want conversion therapy as law of the land.

[Sprouts Farmers Market ✘]

You can change gender but not sex, if I'm understanding their definitions correctly. Wtf is with race though? How can someone change their race?

Transracialism is a huge thing. I don't think it should be, but many believe you can identify as any race*.

*with certain exceptions.

I said only gender and sexual orientation.

[Derpist]

All four.

Wait, two people think you can change sexual orientation? How?

It's pretty amazing that self-proclaimed leftists think not. Instead of genuine sexual liberation across the spectrum of sexuality, we just get sexual repression from the other side of the spectrum.

[SUSAN CRUSHBONE]

all of them, under certain circumstances. some are substantially more fluid than others, of course.

[Virginiá]

Religion only.

How are you supposed to 'change' sexual orientation? I certainly have never been able to do it. It isn't like a light switch where you can just turn it off or on. It does not work that way.

all of them, under certain circumstances. some are substantially more fluid than others, of course.

When you say fluid, isn't that an orientation unto itself? Eg: Bisexuality

[afleitch]

All four.

Wait, two people think you can change sexual orientation? How?

It's pretty amazing that self-proclaimed leftists think not. Instead of genuine sexual liberation across the spectrum of sexuality, we just get sexual repression from the other side of the spectrum.

You can't change what sort of person makes your heart race, pupils dilate, sets off subconscious internal erogenous responses through smell, touch etc and causes blood to rush to your penis. You can pretend  you have as many emotional self loathing car crashes testify.

[SUSAN CRUSHBONE]

Religion only.

How are you supposed to 'change' sexual orientation? I certainly have never been able to do it. It isn't like a light switch where you can just turn it off or on. It does not work that way.

all of them, under certain circumstances. some are substantially more fluid than others, of course.

When you say fluid, isn't that an orientation unto itself? Eg: Bisexuality

not necessarily. anecdotally, i've heard of quite a few trans women who grew more attracted to men and less to women after starting hrt, for example.

[Derpist]

You can't change what sort of person makes your heart race, pupils dilate, sets off subconscious internal erogenous responses through smell, touch etc and causes blood to rush to your penis. You can pretend  you have as many emotional self loathing car crashes testify.

Much like race, a lot more goes into the social construction of sexuality than biology, especially for people who don't naturally fit into narrow compartments like exclusive homosexuality or exclusive heterosexuality - and may have once been the historical norm.

[afleitch]

You can't change what sort of person makes your heart race, pupils dilate, sets off subconscious internal erogenous responses through smell, touch etc and causes blood to rush to your penis. You can pretend  you have as many emotional self loathing car crashes testify.

Much like race, a lot more goes into the social construction of sexuality than biology, especially for people who don't naturally fit into narrow compartments like exclusive homosexuality or exclusive heterosexuality - and may have once been the historical norm.

Biological responses are not social constructs. If you have sexual leanings towards the same sex whether exclusive or not those leanings are either embraced or you try and pretend they aren’t there...in order to meet a social construct of what is 'approptiate' heteronormity.

[IceSpear]

Why didn't you include species? Stop flaunting your kin privilege.

[Sprouts Farmers Market ✘]

Why didn't you include species? Stop flaunting your kin privilege.

Oh gosh, I forgot this was a thing. *cries for humanity*

[Virginiá]

Religion only.

How are you supposed to 'change' sexual orientation? I certainly have never been able to do it. It isn't like a light switch where you can just turn it off or on. It does not work that way.

all of them, under certain circumstances. some are substantially more fluid than others, of course.

When you say fluid, isn't that an orientation unto itself? Eg: Bisexuality

not necessarily. anecdotally, i've heard of quite a few trans women who grew more attracted to men and less to women after starting hrt, for example.

Hmm, fair enough. I can't really comment on that, but I do know that generally gay/bi people cannot "degay" themselves. Hormones and other chemical cocktails are not really an option for most people, obviously. However, I have to wonder what happens when hormones/etc are stopped. For instance, if most/all people reverted back to their previous orientation, then I don't think their sexual orientation truly changed, but rather just temporarily altered or masked (which, to nitpick with myself, I suppose could technically be changed, albeit not permanently). I suppose Sprouts' question needs more criteria here, because technically anything can change given the right amount of biological tinkering and/or surgery, however advanced it need be.

But I can say that in regards to myself, I have never been able to change or even temper my sexual orientation, no matter how much I wanted it. Something which I think could be said for many millions more as well.

Why didn't you include species? Stop flaunting your kin privilege.

Oh gosh, I forgot this was a thing. *cries for humanity*

Shows how thoughtful you are, CIS-SPECIED WHITE MALE!

[FEMA Camp Administrator]

Wait, two people think you can change sexual orientation? How?

From what I recall, there's a noted phenomenon in some personality disorder--eff, I have an abnormal psych exam tomorrow and can't remember this, it's in my notes--wherein people undergo random changes far later in life than is ordinary or expected, including profession, religion, and sexual orientation.

EDIT: It's borderline personality disorder.

[FEMA Camp Administrator]

And it seems like all can be changed, to some extent or another, but perhaps one. What is race? The color of one's skin? The DNA that makes skin that color? Their community? Their personal experience? Their ancestors?

Religion, obviously can change. Obviously, people can adjust which norms they choose to follow (gender, in this case). And one can certainly imagine someone's at least outward sexual orientation changing at some point. But race?

[Torie]

Well, race would seem impossible, but the only one that is remotely common, is religion of course, where moving around between sects, and out of or into religion as something one cares about, is probably almost as common as not these days.

[they don't love you like i love you]

Religion and gender. Sexual orientation is kind of debatable, does it count when people "experiment" and decide they don't swing that way?

But religion is the only one of these where change is even remotely common.

[Santander]

Everywhere I have to fill out my race, I always write "white" (e.g. job application, medical forms, census, school records, etc.) even if I am not technically white. I do not actually believe that I am white, but I refuse to identify as a minority because I do not feel that I am one. If I were forced to identify as a minority, I would self-deport.

Religion can obviously be changed, particularly denominations within a religion.

[🦀🎂🦀🎂]

A lot of them can be changed, but none of them can be changed by "you". (Not some low-tier free will believer)

[Thunderbird is the word]

From my reading of it sexual orientation and gender are largely determined in the womb, at the same time I do think that being in certain environments, like a particularly sexually liberated time and place might make someone more likely to say explore bisexual urges.

[Fmr President & Senator Polnut]

From my reading of it sexual orientation and gender are largely determined in the womb, at the same time I do think that being in certain environments, like a particularly sexually liberated time and place might make someone more likely to say explore bisexual urges.

That's the point isn't it? Acting on your natural drives and desires is one thing, acknowledging their existence is another. A celibate gay, straight or bisexual or... asexual person is still gay, straight etc.

[dax00]

Just religion and gender.

Sexual orientation is individual (i.e. recursively defined), and thus by definition cannot be changed.