The "boxes" of grade-school biological sex
Except the boxes really belong to gender ideology instead.
Gender ideology has a lot of facets to it, but that only because it conflicts with one of the core foundational structures of life itself: biological sex.
“But biological sex and gender are different!” Yes, yes they are. So since we agree on that front, I will continue.
In the above example, a dim-witted, lowly snail calls a beautiful soaring butterfly a “caterpillar”.
I agree that the snail in this example has extremely poor eyesight. A butterfly is certainly not a caterpillar.
But every butterfly was still once a caterpillar. And caterpillars become butterflies naturally, without any forced intervention, through the miraculous procedure of metamorphosis.
Each caterpillar also has different DNA in it that instructs it to grow into exactly into the same type of species its mother was, and whether it turns out to be a male butterfly or a female butterfly to propagate the species. The DNA and sex of the caterpillar will be the exact same in the butterfly it grows into.
So, the snail is wrong, sure. But the picture has no relation to transphobia at all, because the process of being transgender is not even remotely similar. Here, for example, our poor-sighted snail would be calling an adult woman a “little girl”, and the metamorphosis from a caterpillar to a butterfly would be naturally-occurring puberty. When a person transitions however, we are expected to call an adult man a “woman”. Completely separate things.
“Well, that’s because you lot insist on forcing people into male and female boxes!”
When trans rights activists (TRA) tell us that we’re being unkind by refusing to see past our narrow-minded view of only male and female biology, when in actuality there are millions of ways for people to present themselves (which we agree with), that people can be non-binary and genderfluid too (contestable depending on context), what does it really mean?
For one, I think it severely betrays their own confused thoughts on exactly what they think “male” and “female” mean.
Male: of or denoting the sex that produces small, typically motile gametes, especially spermatozoa, with which a female may be fertilized or inseminated to produce offspring. (Wikipedia)
Note that there are no mentions of trucks, cars, dinosaurs, or PAW Patrol here. This is because those are common sexist stereotypes applied to male humans. It is also how most of the rest of earth’s species are scientifically classified: male cats, male chickens, male fish, male butterflies, male plants, etc. When we neuter a male dog, it remains a male dog.
Female: of or denoting the sex that can bear offspring or produce eggs, distinguished biologically by the production of gametes (ova) which can be fertilized by male gametes. (Wikipedia)
Note that there are no mentions of skirts, long hair, “girl’s toys”, or “feminine behavior” here. This is because those are common sexist stereotypes applied to female humans. It is also how most of the rest of earth’s species are scientifically classified: female cats, female chickens, female fish, female butterflies, female plants, etc. When we spay a female cat, it remains a female cat.
“Male” and “female” are factual classifications of biological sex across almost all of earth’s species, including homo sapiens, of which there are only two sexes, because homo sapiens only have two gamete types: sperm and egg. (Yes, this also includes people born with Disorders of Sexual Development, or DSDs / intersex, who are still either only male or only female. No, karyotypes are not separate sexes.)
Humans cannot change biological sex, because sex is in every cell of the body, and humans cannot change their chromosomes. Nor can they be biologically sexless - no such human exists.
(Even long after their chromosomes have decayed, sexual dimorphism due to naturally-occurring sexual development in males and females is still prevalent enough that skeletons without any sexual organs can still be accurately sexed.)
Next up, we have:
Boy: a young human male. (Wikipedia)
Man: an adult human male. (Wikipedia)
and:
Girl: a young human female. (Wikipedia)
Woman: an adult human female. (Wikipedia)
Still no mention of sex stereotypes yet. Notice a pattern forming? Starting to see where this train is going?
Back to that box thing though.
Common phrases often found in the stories of transgender people who have transitioned are:
“I’ve always felt like # / I’ve never felt like #.”
How does one feel like “a person whose body is structured to support the production of either male or female gametes”? Unless you mean you’ve felt more like the social constructs of sexist stereotypes a certain sex has been associated with?
“I like / liked # a lot.”
But both sexes are capable of liking all things equally. Why would liking one thing in particular make you more of “a person whose body is structured to support the production of either male or female gametes”? Unless you mean you’ve liked things which have been stereotypically and/or socially associated with a certain sex? Aren’t you the one forcing yourself into a box if you think that you cannot like # because you are #?
“I feel like I should have / shouldn’t have # characteristics.”
That, imho, is body dysmorphia turned up to 11 to be hyper-focused on sex characteristics, masquerading under the new label of “gender dysphoria”. (The term “gender” was only coined in the 1960s by John Money, who was infamous for experimenting with twin boys and raising one of them “as a girl”.) And I’m truly sorry for anyone who suffers from this - discomfort with one’s self is no laughing matter, and it’s my hope that people who are so intensely adverse to their own bodies are able to find their peace.
What I’m saying is: if “gender dysphoria” comes from “gender identity”, which relies on “feeling like #” and/or “liking #”, and “#” is based off social constructs and sexist stereotypes…
To re-iterate my views on being gender critical: There are no limits to however a person wants to present themselves, regardless of their sex. No one should be bullied for how they look, how they act, how they dress, or what they like and/or what they do, especially if they fall outside of the realms of stereotypes.
It just does not make them the opposite sex of their actual biological sex, both sexes at once, or neither.
Further reading: