If someone decides they would be happier as a woman, sincerely attempts to conform to society's notions about women, and asks to be treated as a woman, it would seem rather churlish to refuse to treat them that way.
Also, of course, churlish to get worked up about the obvious point that biological sex and gender aren't the same thing. I think most of us are in the sane middle, though.
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You are right. We should respect all adults views about what gender they are, and the vast majority of Americans support this and/or don’t care. But one can’t claim they have an XX chromosome when actually have an XY chromosome because they feel like a woman.
1. This post is about the absurdity of using the term you are defining in the definition. Calling it simply "nonsense" doesn't do it justice. Its an anti-definition.
2. I agree we should simply be kind to others & I don't think very many people have problems with a feminine guy (or vice versa) who chooses to dress like a woman, wear makeup, whatever. Those they lose their minds over that have their own self-control issues. But that's a *completely* different thing from a dude wearing a dress & then demanding everyone else arbitrarily change the definition of their words, & viciously attack them & call them a homophobe or nazi if they don't attest to a blatantly untrue statement. *That* is what one might call an extraordinary level of narcissism and also deeply "churlish." 😂
If you identify as a woman later in life, please go by Gal Sma'am
The definition of "woman" has always been more fluid than "person with two X chromosomes". I agree that it's not *arbitrary*, but it is to some extent socially constructed. Reasonable people have always allowed for edge cases that don't fit the category neatly, whether someone born intersex or someone who just chooses to sincerely adopt the opposite gender role.
It seems to me that the current controversy is caused by some people insisting that we don't have the right to decide for ourselves who is performing which gender role while other people insist that gender and biological sex are the same thing—both of which are errors, IMHO.
What's unfortunate is that the extreme positions of each group tend to create more of their opposite in reaction. I suspect, for example, that J. K. Rowling's position would be much more nuanced if it weren't for the unhinged reactions to her, IMHO, reasonable concern about women's safety being compromised by a minority of bad actors exploiting the insistence that anyone who doesn't accept all claims at face value is a bigot. Likewise, trans activists aren't wrong to think that some of their opposites are motivated by bigotry.
I guess I'd just like to see the sane majority insisting on nuance and refusing to "take a side" in this unhinged culture war.
