I’m not trans, so this is obviously NOT a post guided by lived experience, but I have taken a lot of time to research and understand what being Trans is all about. For all trans people who read this, I apologise if I haven’t got something right – feel free to comment (nicely please).
JK Rowlings has sparked a massive backlash around the whole biological issue for Trans people. I’ve read her comments carefully and other’s who support her views (I’m not talking about TERFS here, I’m referring to more measured and “rational” views). In all honesty, over the years I’ve had to re-learn a lot of stuff about the entire concepts of gender and sex, so in a way, I don’t blame people for their reactions.
However, it’s time to address this using that rather underutilized commodity – science!
So – are trans women biological women?? (and same for trans men of course, although they generally face different problems)
To address this we have to take a step back and look at what determines gender in the first place. The obvious is external genitals, breasts, facial hair etc. Then there’s internal organs and various aspects around fat distribution, muscle density etc. Then there’s the least discussed and most crucial aspect – chromosomes.
To understand this better we have to look at Intersex. Basically, this is where people have some sort of “gender ambiguity” based on the above mentioned aspects. Some people appear predominantly male on the outside but have ovaries, others look feminine but have testes. There are a myriad of possibilities! It’s hard to get any definitive stats on it, but it could be as much as one in 1600 have Intersex variations, and just as likely that we all have minor variations that don’t show up under our current abilities to test this on a large scale.
Chromosomal differences are particularly interesting. Here is a very thorough analysis of this by the WHO. Suffice to say, we are beginning to understand that sex is absolutely NOT clear cut, despite what our eyes tell us when we see male or female external appearances!
Sadly, there is very little research on how this relates to Trans people, mostly because chromosome testing is pretty much never done as part of the “diagnosis”. What we DO know is that the science supports a far broader concept of male and female anatomy and identification than we ever imagined.
Throughout human history there have always been Trans and Intersex people, with cultures recognising them in a variety of ways, mostly positive! It’s only in the last 100 years or so that western culture has vilified them (generalisation).
So where does that leave us?
We can safely deduce that Trans people have some underlying genetic coding responsible for their sex and gender identity. The science is very clear about the level of ambiguity through chromosomal mutations, meaning that the whole idea of “women are women and men are men” becomes anathema. This simply is not factual. So when some say that trans women can never be “real” women, we are denying the facts. Am I saying all Trans people are Intersex, not exactly, it’s just that we don’t know enough yet.
There are millions of people who identify as women but have some form of Intersex features, often unknown to them!
Some women have excessive facial hair – are they less of a woman?
Some women have enlarged libias (or other parts of their genitals) – are they less of a woman?
Some have deep voices, some have no breasts, some have no ovaries, some have internal testes, and some have chromosomal differences that we don’t fully understand their affects.
Would you call any of these people NOT women?
For Trans women then, we are faced with the simple question – at what point is a woman a woman or a man a man? If someone knows beyond doubt that they feel different or there’s dysphoria – that their body and how they think about their gender doesn’t fit the stereotypes – how are we to define them, and why do we feel the need to do so!
The science shows us that it’s a far more complex issue than we imagined and to demand we push people into binaries is nothing more than social bigotry. It’s understandable though, because ignorance is to blame, and we can’t expect people to accept something they have no real understanding of. But we can educate them! We can point them to the science. We can help them grow in compassion and realise that we are all human beings before anything else.
To my many Trans friends – I have no idea what it’s like for you, but I do understand, even from a gay man’s perspective, that bigotry based on ignorance is brutal and destructive. You are free to be recognised in any way you choose!
As an interesting side issue, I’ve found some trans people feel pressure from their peers to become “fully female” or “fully male” and there are groups who say you aren’t really trans unless you do so. This is the extreme opposite side of the issue and is just as destructive. It’s your body and only you know what works for you! Find that place where you are comfortable “in your own skin”. You don’t have to conform to anyone’s ideas. One of my oldest friends fully transitioned to female. In the early days she tried to be very feminine, but after a while realised that she was happy being a bit rough around the edges and trying to be overly feminine went against her personality. But it’s different for everyone – BE YOU!!
