Did you even bother to read my reply? You constantly confuse sex and identity. Part of my point is that trans women are women because their brains are BIOLOGICALLY female. And it is not only provable, it is being proven through research every day without the need of dissecting brains. Presumably your comment refers to research beginning at Harvard in the early 90s into the differing structure of male and female brains which resulted in the post mortem discovery that the brains of trans individuals conformed to the gender with which they identified, not their sex assigned at birth. Structurally, biologically, they had female brains in the case of MtF individuals. This is being confirmed every day by genetic research as well. Various genes and metabolic pathways (many of which are not found on the XX or XY chromosomes by the way) have been discovered demonstrating that at least some crucial trans genes match that of the gender with which they identify. For instance, the gene in women which is responsible for the processing of testosterone is longer than in males and does not respond as well to its influence. Because I naturally had very low testosterone, I was tested for this particular trait and found to have a woman’s gene for this function. In recent years psychologists have begun testing children as young as 5 or 6 to determine the difference in responses between boys and girls to various questions. Not surprisingly the answers of trans girls matched that of the girls and did not in any way resemble that of the boys. A researcher at the Cleveland Clinic has been performing PET scans of cis men and women and transgendered individuals to see how various areas of the brain light up when asked questions which tend to elicit different responses between men and women. Not surprisingly those of trans individuals light up in a way which matches the gender they identify with not their sex assigned at birth. I could go on. There are innumerable other studies. The bottom line is that trans brains are different from cis brains because they are just like the brains of the gender with which they identify. They operate in the same fashion because they are biologically the same. Brains are as much an immutable sexual characteristic as primary sex characteristics. They are the source of our being and identity. The difference is that one can be modified, the other cannot.
As to your arguments about skeletal structure what you are describing are the archetypical differences. As with everything related to sex and gender, many differences exist along a spectrum. I have a very tall trans woman friend who has the pelvis typical of natal women, and I have some, though not all, of the same characteristics. The area of her ischium has a more oblong flatter shape rather then the circular one typical of males. She (and I) have female pelvic arches. Hers is in the 100 degree plus range while males are 60-70. Her coccyx is tilted back as with women rather than straight down as with men giving a more thrusting appearance to her pelvis. Three of the things often used to differentiate males and females are a prominent Adam’s apple, protruding brow and prominent square jaw. I have none of these. My brow is either androgynous or classically female depending on how you view it. I have a female jaw line. Indeed it is less prominent than many of my cis female friends. As to overall skeletal structure I have an ectomorphic body type, tall and lanky with narrow shoulders and modest hips. I have petite hands and smallish feet. I don’t have the inverted triangle shape of a mesmorphic male, nor the triangular or pear shape typical of some, though not all, women. My hips are wider than either of my daughters, though our waists are not dissimilar. I could go on. There are no absolute categories when it comes to skeletal structure except maybe at the outer limits of binary characteristics considered typically male or female, encompassing a relatively small part of the population. Most of us are a mix.
The basic problem I have with the original article and your passionate response to my comment is the soft bigotry which seems to underly your arguments. You are essentially saying, I totally affirm the right of trans people to exist but they are not men nor women so we should create their own dedicated spaces in which to live and thrive. We just need to understand that they are a different kind of person. 65 years ago the concept of “separate but equal” was the law of the land. Most white Americans approved of the idea of giving people of color their own schools, sports leagues, neighborhoods and hospitals, etc. They were given autonomy within the areas set aside for them, but never could coexist alongside mainstream white Americans because they were “different”. We have terms for that—racism, intolerance and bigotry. Separate but equal was never about protecting a special class of people. It was about denying people of color’s basic humanity and relegating them to second class status. The similar time worn argument which is being dredged up to deny trans individuals basic equal rights is just a return to an attitude best left dead and buried in the annals of history. Separate but equal for trans individuals is bigotry and transphobia and equally abhorrent—nothing more, nothing less. There is nothing sympathetic or compassionate about it.
