(RightWing.org) – One of America’s most popular astronomers has waded into the gender row — and his approach to science has raised some eyebrows. Nobody doubts Neil deGrasse Tyson’s expertise in understanding the universe. His recent outburst has people asking how well he understands basic biology.
Recently, a podcast clip featuring Tyson, a professor of astrophysics and director of New York City’s Hayden Planetarium, went viral on social media. He actually appeared on Stephen A Smith’s “K[n]ow Mercy” podcast back in May, but it’s just caught the public’s attention now. Between sensible discussions of scientific issues and why it’s important the public understands them, he suddenly launched into a bizarre discussion of gender politics that left viewers wondering how strong his commitment to the scientific method really is.
Tyson claimed that the sex chromosomes that determine whether we’re male (XY) or female (XX) “are insufficient,” and said, “When we wake up in the morning, we exaggerate whatever feature we want to portray the gender of our choice.” He insisted that “gender” is a “spectrum” — and said if he woke up feeling 80% female, “I’m gonna put on makeup.” This ignores the biological reality that sex is binary, not on a spectrum, and whether you’re male or female isn’t “assigned at birth;” it’s hardwired into your DNA at conception.
Tyson’s controversial claims quickly sparked a backlash. Chloe Cole, a 19-year-old woman who transitioned to male starting at the age of 12 and now regrets the drugs and double mastectomy she was persuaded to undergo, retorted, “How about we stop confusing basic human biology with cosmetics?” and asked if leaving the house without makeup on would make her “70% male.”
One Twitter (X) user praised Tyson for his years-long career in promoting science but added: “Stardom will do strange things to anyone.” Another replied, “He sure left science behind in THIS video!”
If you want to know about astrophysics, Neil deGrasse Tyson is a great person to listen to. If you want to know about biology, however, listen to a biologist — like Richard Dawkins, who last week said sex is “clearly binary” and called the idea that a woman can have a penis “distinctly weird.”
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