Transgender ideology: Difference between revisions

One of the core dogmata of the transgender movement is the statement that '''trans women are women''' (and the less often repeated ''trans men are men'').<ref name=fc-hendley/>  Under this view it's important to write ''trans woman'' as two words (adjective and noun) and not ''transwoman'', to stress the fact that so-called trans women are literally a subtype of women, just like white women, black women, short women, tall women, and so on.  The statement "trans women are women" is not meant as a vague slogan of moral support, but in a literal sense.<ref name=nytimes/><ref name=stonewall/>

Since the statement contradicts the dictionary definition of the word "woman" (adult human [[sex|female]]), it implies that a different definition would be better.  When asked about this, transgender activists usually avoid providing an actual definition.  Most attempts tend to revolve around a circular definition, such as "anyone who identifies as a woman, is a woman."  As such, the statement "trans women are women" is probably best described as a dogma.

 

The idea that transwomen are literally women is taken as the basis for many problematic conclusions, such as: transwomen deserve to partake in women's sports,<ref name=businessinsider/> transwomen should be seen as part of the natural dating pool of lesbians (see also [[cotton ceiling]]),<ref name=yardley/> transwomen deserve to use all female facilities, enter female-only spaces and events, speak on women's rights as women, and so on.<ref name=stonewall/>

Since gender identity is said to be inborn, it follows that some children would be transgender, and only need to find this out.  Once it's found out, the only way forward is to support the child in its transgender identification.  This leads to the transgender activist "affirm-only" approach towards youth, where for instance a boy who says "I wish I was a girl" or "I'm actually a girl" is from that point on treated as if the child is literally a girl.  (Given a female name, referred to by female pronouns, asked to be considered a girl by others, and so on.)  Likewise for girls who express that they wish they were a boy, or claim that they are internally a boy.  Trans activists are opposed to the alternative "watchful waiting" approach.

 

The trans activist affirm-only approach has been supported by the American Academy of Pediatrics.<ref name=nytimes-aap/>  Parents concerned over this model of treatment published a long criticism and launched a petition reaching 1,200 signatures.<ref name=4thwave/>  Psychologist [[Wikipedia:James Cantor|James Cantor]] also published a fact-check article criticizing the AAP's decision.<ref name=cantor/>

Trans activists usually support giving [[Wikipedia:Puberty blocker|puberty blocking]] medication such as Lupron to children who think they are transgender.<ref name=nytimes-aap/> These children may be as young as 9 years old, and may be prescribed cross-sex hormones at ages as young as 12.<ref name=guardian-hrt/><ref name=transtrend/>

Another core tenet of transgender ideology is the notion that [[cisgender]] people oppress transgender people, just like how men oppress women, white Americans oppress black Americans, or how straight people oppress gay men and lesbian women.<ref name=cissexism/><ref name=transmisogyny/> As such, when a man identifies as a transwoman, his position relative to that of a woman turns from being her oppressor to someone who is oppressed by her.  His male privilege is denied as he is now considered a woman, and the fact that he is a ''transgender'' woman means that he is oppressed by so-called ''cisgender'' women.  Further, being both a woman and transgender means he is considered to suffer under two axes of oppression, akin to how black women suffer both from racism and sexism.  This way, a white man suddenly becomes comparable to a black woman with regards to oppressive power dynamics in society.

 

As per the principle of ''intersectionality'' (appropriated from [[black feminism]]), transgender activists often say that the feminist movement should not only include transwomen's concerns, but outright center them in many discussions, as otherwise the feminist movement might fail to sufficiently address their concerns.

 

=== Collusion with "sex work" activism ===

For reasons not entirely clear, many if not most transgender activists also seem to support the "sex work" movement.<ref name=fc-bindel/>  Possible explanations for this collusion might be:

* Both movements stem from ''queer ideology'', which is based on ''transgression'' of social norms without regard to ethical concerns

* Anti-feminists supporting both the transgender movement and the "sex work" movement, simply because they see both of them as weapons against women's liberation