I just saw this amazing response to an anti trans post attempting to define Woman as binary at birth.
Hugs,
Allie
WHAT IS A WOMAN?
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Let's consult two definitive sources;
First, the Cambridge Dictionary of the English Language.
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Woman (noun)
1. an adult female human being
2. an adult who lives and identifies as female though they may have been said to have a different sex at birth
—Cambridge Dictionary of the English Language [1]
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This definition matters- transgender women are now universally recognized by science and medicine as women, and the English language has adapted to reflect that reality.
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Then, modern genetics and neurophysiology.
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Regarding genetics and neurophysiology...
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• You can be a woman because you have X & Y chromosomes but your body is insensitive to androgens and you have female anatomy & gender identity. [2]
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Society accepts and treats these women AS WOMEN, even though they do not have the XX chromosomes that some insist define womanhood.
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• You can be a woman with X & Y chromosomes but your Y is missing the SRY gene, so you have a female body and gender identity. [3]
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Society accepts and treats these women AS WOMEN, even though they do not have the XX chromosomes that some insist define womanhood.
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• You can be a woman with two X chromosomes, but one of them has an SRY gene, giving you a male body but a female brain/body map and gender identity. [4]
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Society accepts and treats these women AS WOMEN, even though they do not have the XX chromosomes that some insist define womanhood.
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• You can be a woman with XXY or XXXY chromosomes, giving you a male body but female brain/body map and gender identity. [5]
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Society accepts and treats these women AS WOMEN, even though they do not have the XX chromosomes that some insist define womanhood.
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• You can be a woman born with two X chromosomes but adrenals that don't produce enough cortisol, giving you a male body. [6]
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Society accepts and treats these women AS WOMEN, even though they do not have the XX chromosomes that some insist define womanhood.
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• You can be a woman with XY chromosomes but a mutation called CBX2 that blocks the influence of the SRY gene. [7]
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Society accepts and treats these women AS WOMEN, even though they do not have the XX chromosomes that some insist define womanhood.
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• You can be a woman with a male body because you have one of several alleles (gene variants) of the AR gene such as AR-ERB, AR-PGR, AR-COMT, or CYP17-SRD5A2 that result in an undermasculinized brain map. [8]
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Society accepts and treats these women AS WOMEN, even though they do not have the XX chromosomes that some insist define womanhood.
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• You can be a woman because you have 46,XY in some cells but 46,XX in other cells, or 47, XXY. [9]
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Society accepts and treats these women AS WOMEN, even though they do not have the XX chromosomes that some insist define womanhood.
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AND IT'S NOT, IN SCIENTIFIC REALITY, LIMITED TO PEOPLE WITH XX CHROMOSOMES!
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Modern science, which is how rational people resolve differences of opinion
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Shows us that, genetically and biologically speaking, there are many types of women.
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And that the 4th grade, "XX=Woman, XY=Man" thingie is FAR TOO SIMPLISTIC to explain the reality of the matter.
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Research on the brains of transgender women shows that the part of the brain that determines one's inner sense of gender identity- the instinctive feeling that "I'm like the women" or "I'm like the men"- is NEARLY IDENTICAL TO CISGENDER WOMEN AND VERY DIFFERENT THAN THAT OF CISGENDER MEN. [10]
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In short, trans women have female brains, when it comes to determining their gender identity.
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So in the end, doesn't society's response to transgender people come down to its capacity for rationality, compassion, and empathy?
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In this light, trans people are a "litmus test" for the core values of a culture.
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Will that society be based on ignorance, superstition, cruelty, conformity, and exclusion?
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Or science, rationality, kindness, and inclusion?
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FOOTNOTES
[1] Cambridge English Dictionary. "Woman" Definition.
[2] National Institutes of Health (NIH). Androgen Insensitivity Syndrome (AIS) Overview. National Library of Medicine. Reference article pmc3444560.
[3] Cleveland Clinic. Swyer Syndrome (46,XY Gonadal Dysgenesis) Clinical Guide. Medical conditions documentation.
[4] National Institutes of Health (NIH). 46,XX Testicular Difference of Sex Development (SRY-positive). National Library of Medicine. Reference article pmc5808814.
[5] Hudson Institute of Medical Research. Sex Chromosome Intersex Variations and Klinefelter Syndrome Variants. Clinical research series.
[6] Healthline Medical Review. Congenital Adrenal Hyperplasia (CAH) & Cortisol Deficiency Impact on Sex Characteristics. Clinical resource guide.
[7] National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI). CBX2 Mutations and 46,XY Sex Reversal. National Library of Medicine. PubMed PMID 19361780.
[EIGHT] National Institutes of Health (NIH). Brain Sex Differences and Endocrine-Genetic Variations. National Library of Medicine. Reference article pmc7139786.
[9] interACT Advocates for Intersex Youth. Chromosomal Chimerism, Mosaicism (46,XY/46,XX), and Sex Development Guide.
[10] National Institutes of Health (NIH). Neuroanatomical Shifts and Brain Sex in Transgender Women. National Library of Medicine. Reference article pmc8955456.
