This is one of the best takedowns of this ideology I’ve ever read. I’ve long been clamoring for a piece (or a full length book) that lists and dismantles all the self-contradictions we see all the time in this ideology and from its proponents. This is pretty close to that. I just want more of it!
Helen Joyce's book, 'Trans: When Ideology Meets Reality,' covers it great detail. It's also massively readable. It has thousands of 5 star reviews on Amazon.
An observation that as far as I can tell is correct. Is the most numerous and certainly the shrillest supporters of so call trans women, biological men pretending to be women, for the uninformed, are progressive or left wing biological females. As aiders an abates of trans taking over women’s sport and Biological Women’s spaces. I don’t know what the rest of the world calls it but in Australia we would call it “ shitting in your own nest”
Yes, “ shitting in your own nest”:is perfect. A bit of stupidity added in as well.
I always marvel at the contradiction in the so-called “ non-binary” identification…if there is no binary of sex, how can there be a “ non-binary”, aside from the stupidity of any human having no sex..The trans ideology is one of the most idiotic ideology ever to appear , and there have been many. Not only is there no logic or intelligence behind this ideology , but also it is the most authoritarian and dangerous ideology of this century. The TRA’s are the Brownshirts of this cult, attacking anyone who dares contradict their beliefs. Some people have lost their jobs for “ misgendering “ , a totally meaningless word made up by the cult. Others are involved in endless suits for not bowing down to the cult
The basis is a pack of lies that should fall eventually like a pack of cards. The cracks are there , and the rest of us will breathe a little freer when that happens.
I only hope that the Democratic Party will give , if only on the issue of men in women’s sports. Perhaps there should be a concerted effort to persuade them that this is not a hill to die on.
The Republicans have the advantage here , and it is not exaggerating to say that they won in part because they reflect the views of the majority of the public.
Whenever I get a solicitation for a donation to a Democrat running for office, I check their position on trans , and unfortunately it is always pro -trans . I also let them know why I cannot contribute to their campaign on this issue.
If more people did this, it may have an effect.
I only wish to see an end to this horrible ideology before I die…but I’m not sure..at 97 . So here’s to my children , grandchildren and great- grandchildren.
Transgenderism falls apart immediately upon even cursory rational scrutiny, which is why they are so invested in censoring critics — since they can’t defend it in open debate, they have to do everything they can to prevent open debate.
If gender has nothing to do with biology but only psychology, then why is “gender affirming surgery” to change your body required, and how does it “affirm” your gender if gender has nothing to do with your body? And even more to the point, if gender has nothing to do with biology, how is anyone even supposed to know if they are a man or a woman? Like, no one can point to any unique psychological characteristics that only men or only women have that would let you distinguish one from the other. And no, you can’t say “well, a woman is anyone who feels like a woman”, because that is circular. You can’t use a term in the definition of that same term — such a sentence is completely tautological and meaningless. It’s like saying “well, a rock is anything that looks like a rock”. The problem is, that still gives you no idea what a rock is.
On Facebook (ugh) the other day, I was debating with a thoroughly indoctrinated young man who insisted that 1) everyone has a “gender identity”, 2) “gender identity” has nothing whatsoever to do with stereotypes about the sexes or even anything identifiable as male-coded or female-coded, and 3) a person just innately “knows” what their “gender identity” is. How can they know it? He didn’t elaborate, but he seemed to be suggesting we all come to instinctively know our gender identities via something like ESP. *We just know it*—period.
Oh, and even people like me, who insist we don’t have a gender identity, actually do have one—it’s called *agender*, and it’s a gender identity.
These people need to take part in public debates and be forced to explain and defend the claims they make, and the debates need to be broadcast on network television. In a dream world…
OK, but as a threshold matter you would have to explain how anyone can know if they are a man or a woman if gender has nothing to do with biology, as that seems like a fundamental logical issue with the claim that “trans women are women.” As far as I’m concerned, people are free to dress however they want, call themselves whatever they want and even have whatever surgeries they want (if they’re adults). But they are not free to require me to say I believe something that seems fundamentally illogical.
100% spot on. The way they try to weasel around such obvious contradiction is by saying there is no 'sex', there is only 'sex assigned at birth'. Meaning, from their perspective, that 'trans' people are being radical and brave not because they are identifying as the opposite sex, but because they are identifying as the opposite (wrongly) ASSIGNED sex. In their view, the doctor got it wrong. There is a lot about this that makes no sense obviously, but it's the current cope.
First of all thanks for the video. I don't think any less of you just because you identify as trans. I just don't believe in trans ideology, but you are of course free to have different beliefs.
The video didn't really make sense to me with your claim that my understanding of sex and gender is flawed. The professor didn't talk about 'gender' in the video. Parts of the brain are parts of the body and are related to someone's sex. Saying (as he did) that some males have a structure in the brain that more similarly resembles heterosexual woman than it does heterosexual men (and gay women) is describing a part of men's biology. Their sex.
Our brains are 100% male or female. Our brain cells are sex coded just as our cells in our body are. Males showing a range in certain brain structure types that align with some females does not mean those males are a type of 'women'. It simply means: this is a type of brain structure that both the male and female sex can have. Interestingly, this overlap and variance has been shown to align very closely with what sexuality someone is. Meaning: people attracted to men typically have a certain brain mapping in a specific area, and people attracted to women typically have a different one.
The professor does throw in, "their brain says their body is the wrong gender" but there he is conflating sex and gender. Your body is not a 'gender', it is sexed either male or female.
He was also incorrect to say that men who identify as trans who have their penises removed don't get phantom penis syndrome. That's not the case.
Just brilliant. This piece enables me to access the inklings I have, that I know are indisputable, but to date I've been unable to verbalise exactly why.
This is the first piece of yours I've read and I quite enjoyed it. I just subscribed.
It's amazing how effective cognitive dissonance can be, especially if the negative thoughts in question are threatening one's sense of self, as they do when it comes to transgenderism.
I'm looking forward to reading more of your work. Actually, your writing style reminds me of mine a bit. I'm not sure if that's a compliment or not, but please take it as one.
“Proponents of trans ideology will go so far as to claim that acknowledging sex is an erasure of someone’s trans identity -- even saying something along the lines of acknowledging sex erases their very personhood.”
Yes indeed. Via false, delusional, and histrionic accusations of “transphobia” “bigotry”, “Nazism”, “disrespect”, “unkindness”, and other offenses, transgender advocacy tries to demonize, stigmatize, shame, vilify, disgrace, dishonor, defame, tarnish, pathologize, silence, and marginalize science and honesty about biological sex. Transgender advocacy misrepresents the correction of sexual misinformation and propaganda as an offense and moral crime.
Calling it “lived experience” doesn’t magically turn a moving target into a usable rule. Experience is personal; policy needs boundaries. When you try to build law on self-definition alone, you end up with categories that expand until they stop meaning anything. Then every system that depends on those categories medicine, sports, statistics, safeguards starts wobbling.
The stronger critique isn’t emotional, it’s structural. If gender is entirely subjective, you can’t reliably collect data, enforce fairness, or even define who a policy is for. You’re left rewriting rules case by case, which isn’t compassion it’s chaos dressed up as sensitivity. You don’t solve complexity by dissolving definitions; you solve it by keeping clear categories and allowing individual freedom within them.
One of the unintentional comedic ironies of those who claim to be 'non-binary' is that they seem blissfully unaware that in claiming to be so, they've just created another binary.
Every woman and child I know is spending their lives trying to be a Human, Doing, having interests, failing forward and up, even if sometimes we lose a little ground, backtrack, in order to improve, we're still improving, a fail isn't really a fail, it's exercise for the skill.
Trans ppl don't seem to understand that intimacy isn't Personality or Identity. It's Part of that, but not the majority.
It's such a... They Gaslight themselves, then DARVO everyone else, reinforced w Coercive Control Tactics that are considered normal bc ppl don't ask how to be better,but just, how to get what they want.
I've struggled to put something like this together.
I lack the patience to order my thoughts, keep writing and then review..
I've gotten myself into trouble trying to say some of this, in person: 'you are transphobic'...
I've seen a couple of comments on a gender blog recently: '... how ironic that the entire trans push is about fitting into stereotypes.'
' ... the biggest thing about 'that' whole crowd is that they say you don't have to fit in with gender stereotypes, but they then use those stereotypes as proof that they're trans. ... '
I'm a gay male and I don't identify because 'I am'.....
These kinds of articles help us all to think about what is going on. Thank you.
This is one of the best takedowns of this ideology I’ve ever read. I’ve long been clamoring for a piece (or a full length book) that lists and dismantles all the self-contradictions we see all the time in this ideology and from its proponents. This is pretty close to that. I just want more of it!
Thank you for the essay idea!
Helen Joyce's book, 'Trans: When Ideology Meets Reality,' covers it great detail. It's also massively readable. It has thousands of 5 star reviews on Amazon.
An observation that as far as I can tell is correct. Is the most numerous and certainly the shrillest supporters of so call trans women, biological men pretending to be women, for the uninformed, are progressive or left wing biological females. As aiders an abates of trans taking over women’s sport and Biological Women’s spaces. I don’t know what the rest of the world calls it but in Australia we would call it “ shitting in your own nest”
Yes, “ shitting in your own nest”:is perfect. A bit of stupidity added in as well.
I always marvel at the contradiction in the so-called “ non-binary” identification…if there is no binary of sex, how can there be a “ non-binary”, aside from the stupidity of any human having no sex..The trans ideology is one of the most idiotic ideology ever to appear , and there have been many. Not only is there no logic or intelligence behind this ideology , but also it is the most authoritarian and dangerous ideology of this century. The TRA’s are the Brownshirts of this cult, attacking anyone who dares contradict their beliefs. Some people have lost their jobs for “ misgendering “ , a totally meaningless word made up by the cult. Others are involved in endless suits for not bowing down to the cult
The basis is a pack of lies that should fall eventually like a pack of cards. The cracks are there , and the rest of us will breathe a little freer when that happens.
I only hope that the Democratic Party will give , if only on the issue of men in women’s sports. Perhaps there should be a concerted effort to persuade them that this is not a hill to die on.
The Republicans have the advantage here , and it is not exaggerating to say that they won in part because they reflect the views of the majority of the public.
Whenever I get a solicitation for a donation to a Democrat running for office, I check their position on trans , and unfortunately it is always pro -trans . I also let them know why I cannot contribute to their campaign on this issue.
If more people did this, it may have an effect.
I only wish to see an end to this horrible ideology before I die…but I’m not sure..at 97 . So here’s to my children , grandchildren and great- grandchildren.
I think that is a good question to ask "innocently", as in "non-binary huh? Do you mean to say that sex is binary after all?"
" ... I check their position ... "
That is a good piece of advice no matter what.. Thanks...
Transgenderism falls apart immediately upon even cursory rational scrutiny, which is why they are so invested in censoring critics — since they can’t defend it in open debate, they have to do everything they can to prevent open debate.
If gender has nothing to do with biology but only psychology, then why is “gender affirming surgery” to change your body required, and how does it “affirm” your gender if gender has nothing to do with your body? And even more to the point, if gender has nothing to do with biology, how is anyone even supposed to know if they are a man or a woman? Like, no one can point to any unique psychological characteristics that only men or only women have that would let you distinguish one from the other. And no, you can’t say “well, a woman is anyone who feels like a woman”, because that is circular. You can’t use a term in the definition of that same term — such a sentence is completely tautological and meaningless. It’s like saying “well, a rock is anything that looks like a rock”. The problem is, that still gives you no idea what a rock is.
Well said! The ideology rests on sand …and lies .
On Facebook (ugh) the other day, I was debating with a thoroughly indoctrinated young man who insisted that 1) everyone has a “gender identity”, 2) “gender identity” has nothing whatsoever to do with stereotypes about the sexes or even anything identifiable as male-coded or female-coded, and 3) a person just innately “knows” what their “gender identity” is. How can they know it? He didn’t elaborate, but he seemed to be suggesting we all come to instinctively know our gender identities via something like ESP. *We just know it*—period.
Oh, and even people like me, who insist we don’t have a gender identity, actually do have one—it’s called *agender*, and it’s a gender identity.
These people need to take part in public debates and be forced to explain and defend the claims they make, and the debates need to be broadcast on network television. In a dream world…
OK, but as a threshold matter you would have to explain how anyone can know if they are a man or a woman if gender has nothing to do with biology, as that seems like a fundamental logical issue with the claim that “trans women are women.” As far as I’m concerned, people are free to dress however they want, call themselves whatever they want and even have whatever surgeries they want (if they’re adults). But they are not free to require me to say I believe something that seems fundamentally illogical.
100% spot on. The way they try to weasel around such obvious contradiction is by saying there is no 'sex', there is only 'sex assigned at birth'. Meaning, from their perspective, that 'trans' people are being radical and brave not because they are identifying as the opposite sex, but because they are identifying as the opposite (wrongly) ASSIGNED sex. In their view, the doctor got it wrong. There is a lot about this that makes no sense obviously, but it's the current cope.
It’s total insanity!
Hi Persephone,
First of all thanks for the video. I don't think any less of you just because you identify as trans. I just don't believe in trans ideology, but you are of course free to have different beliefs.
The video didn't really make sense to me with your claim that my understanding of sex and gender is flawed. The professor didn't talk about 'gender' in the video. Parts of the brain are parts of the body and are related to someone's sex. Saying (as he did) that some males have a structure in the brain that more similarly resembles heterosexual woman than it does heterosexual men (and gay women) is describing a part of men's biology. Their sex.
Our brains are 100% male or female. Our brain cells are sex coded just as our cells in our body are. Males showing a range in certain brain structure types that align with some females does not mean those males are a type of 'women'. It simply means: this is a type of brain structure that both the male and female sex can have. Interestingly, this overlap and variance has been shown to align very closely with what sexuality someone is. Meaning: people attracted to men typically have a certain brain mapping in a specific area, and people attracted to women typically have a different one.
The professor does throw in, "their brain says their body is the wrong gender" but there he is conflating sex and gender. Your body is not a 'gender', it is sexed either male or female.
He was also incorrect to say that men who identify as trans who have their penises removed don't get phantom penis syndrome. That's not the case.
Just brilliant. This piece enables me to access the inklings I have, that I know are indisputable, but to date I've been unable to verbalise exactly why.
Spot on!
This is the first piece of yours I've read and I quite enjoyed it. I just subscribed.
It's amazing how effective cognitive dissonance can be, especially if the negative thoughts in question are threatening one's sense of self, as they do when it comes to transgenderism.
I'm looking forward to reading more of your work. Actually, your writing style reminds me of mine a bit. I'm not sure if that's a compliment or not, but please take it as one.
Brilliant!
Excellent post!
Post-Modernism leads inexorably to nihilism.
“Proponents of trans ideology will go so far as to claim that acknowledging sex is an erasure of someone’s trans identity -- even saying something along the lines of acknowledging sex erases their very personhood.”
Yes indeed. Via false, delusional, and histrionic accusations of “transphobia” “bigotry”, “Nazism”, “disrespect”, “unkindness”, and other offenses, transgender advocacy tries to demonize, stigmatize, shame, vilify, disgrace, dishonor, defame, tarnish, pathologize, silence, and marginalize science and honesty about biological sex. Transgender advocacy misrepresents the correction of sexual misinformation and propaganda as an offense and moral crime.
Calling it “lived experience” doesn’t magically turn a moving target into a usable rule. Experience is personal; policy needs boundaries. When you try to build law on self-definition alone, you end up with categories that expand until they stop meaning anything. Then every system that depends on those categories medicine, sports, statistics, safeguards starts wobbling.
The stronger critique isn’t emotional, it’s structural. If gender is entirely subjective, you can’t reliably collect data, enforce fairness, or even define who a policy is for. You’re left rewriting rules case by case, which isn’t compassion it’s chaos dressed up as sensitivity. You don’t solve complexity by dissolving definitions; you solve it by keeping clear categories and allowing individual freedom within them.
Thanks, Cynthia, great explanation.
Even though it should crumble the argument of a larping man or woman, I somehow doubt that it will!!
Have cross posted
https://dustymasterson.substack.com/p/the-life-of-brian-led-by-a-bottle
Dusty
Hey, do you mind if I ask you a question?Do you have an email?I'd like to email.Are you a question about two things i've read recently
One of the unintentional comedic ironies of those who claim to be 'non-binary' is that they seem blissfully unaware that in claiming to be so, they've just created another binary.
Every woman and child I know is spending their lives trying to be a Human, Doing, having interests, failing forward and up, even if sometimes we lose a little ground, backtrack, in order to improve, we're still improving, a fail isn't really a fail, it's exercise for the skill.
Trans ppl don't seem to understand that intimacy isn't Personality or Identity. It's Part of that, but not the majority.
It's such a... They Gaslight themselves, then DARVO everyone else, reinforced w Coercive Control Tactics that are considered normal bc ppl don't ask how to be better,but just, how to get what they want.
Privilege. Patriarchal Culture.
Thank you.
I've struggled to put something like this together.
I lack the patience to order my thoughts, keep writing and then review..
I've gotten myself into trouble trying to say some of this, in person: 'you are transphobic'...
I've seen a couple of comments on a gender blog recently: '... how ironic that the entire trans push is about fitting into stereotypes.'
' ... the biggest thing about 'that' whole crowd is that they say you don't have to fit in with gender stereotypes, but they then use those stereotypes as proof that they're trans. ... '
I'm a gay male and I don't identify because 'I am'.....
These kinds of articles help us all to think about what is going on. Thank you.