over in Information and Announcements, Jackie uses the expression "and not of the male persuasion" to indicate a female..

Now, i am a female, -- not because i was persuaded, it's a matter of biology. maybe-- i could be persuaded to transfer my physical desires to be blunt, sexual urges to an other female, (but i serously doubt it, and it would be for long.) but no amount of sweet talking .. and that is what persuading is, is going to change my physical make up-- if persauading could actually change things, why i'd sweet talk myself into a size 6!

when did we start (and by we, i mean, at the least US's, if not all english speakers) start using 'persuasion' to define things that we can't be persuaded about?

persuade
                     SYLLABICATION:  	per·suade
                    PRONUNCIATION:  	pr-swd
                  TRANSITIVE VERB:
                                  Inflected forms: per·suad·ed, per·suad·ing, per·suades
                                  To induce to undertake a course of action or embrace a point of view by
                                  means of argument, reasoning, or entreaty: “to make children fit to live in a
                                  society by persuading them to learn and accept its codes” (Alan W.
                                  Watts). See Usage Note at convince. 
                       ETYMOLOGY:
                                  Latin persudre : per-, per- + sudre, to urge; see swad- in Appendix I.
                      

the link below is to the root swad-- which is related to sweet!

http://www.bartleby.com/61/roots/IE508.html

Well, of Troy, swad it is! That is sweet! And when I think of what someone of the female persuasion could be (boots, whips, chains aside) is to persuade through Female Sweetness, whatever that may mean to whatever female who refers to herself as being of the female persuasion.

After all, Jane Austen wrote a whole book about it, male and female persuasion alike.

Me, recently I guess I've been of the Female Dissausion. Drat!

Beau Regard,
Wordwench

Persuasion - Vive la différence!