@Arch: Thomas Beatie can do whatever the hell he wants. It's not up to me or anyone else to say that he can't. However, because of his choice, he willingly submits his candidacy to be a public topic of controversy. Precisely for which, I will voice my own opinion about the matter.
By the word "binary", I am referring to our species' predisposition to be either female or male. For the most part, that's how it goes. Not many vary extraordinarily from that. However, all transsexuals (Beatie included, you see), obviously do. But we are a very, very small number of people in comparison with the whole of the rest of the human population. Ergo, "Very, very, very few escape it."
As for my comment on TheAetherealMeadow deluding herself, I was referring to the fairy tale version of culture she seems to have, where female reproductive organs are not immediately recognised and gendered as female. Because they are. Even if that's uncomfortable for us, that's the reality of the matter. Most of us have reproductive organs that are completely opposite of what we feel we should have been born with. To subject yourself to a fantasy in which people accept other people for what they say they are rather than using their instinctive nature, based on our binary system, is ridiculous.
We have a very small protective net here, as fellow transsexuals, but it doesn't extend far out into the rest of our world. I'm not saying that can't change, with a lot of time, but for now, female organs are female gendered, just as male organs are male gendered. That is why we're transsexuals.
I hope this cleared up any questions you had.