Beyond the Binary

What Ancient Biologists Failed to Understand About Gender Expression

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For much of human history, gender has been viewed through a simplistic, binary lens — male and female, as defined by visible anatomy at birth. This view, rooted more in assumption than evidence, shaped early biology and medicine. But as modern science deepens its understanding of genetics, endocrinology, and neurobiology, it’s becoming increasingly clear just how much ancient biologists got wrong about gender expression.

And this matters — not just for the sake of accuracy, but because those old misconceptions still echo in today’s social and political debates.

Ancient Assumptions, Rigid Roles

Early thinkers like Hippocrates and Galen, while revolutionary for their time, built their theories around an idea of human biology that was, by today’s standards, deeply flawed. Women were often seen as “inverted” men; their bodies and roles were believed to be inherently inferior or complementary rather than independent and diverse. Biological sex was conflated with gender, and deviations from expected norms were often labeled as disorders or abnormalities.

The concept of a gender spectrum was nowhere in sight. There was little room for understanding that someone might feel, express, or…