I normally look forward to reading your articles because they are so objective, in particular with regard to the Russian war in Ukraine. This time, your defense of JK Rowling is misplaced. In the interest of full and fair disclosure, I am a passable postop transgender woman, who is indistinguishable from any of my cis sisters in terms of external “sex“ characteristics, which seems to be the obsession of J. K. Rowling.

There is a lot of confusion about the nature of being transgender. You have expressed an interest in learning more, so I will make some broad observations. There is increasing scientific evidence every day that the brains of trans people, structurally and functionally, resemble those of the gender with which they identify . It is not a social construct; it is as biological as external sex characteristics. The problem is that it is not immediately obvious upon external inspection. I have now, and I’ve always had, the brain of a woman. You have expressed the fact that you are open minded and are willing to learn. The current chaos and virulence regarding the subject of transgender people has obscured the reality of who we are. I even get pushback from within the community when I suggest that gender identity has a biological basis. A certain portion of our population is afraid that they will not be found “trans enough“ and therefore be subject to gate keeping in terms of necessary therapies and medical intervention. I also agree with you that too many in our community get overly defensive and aggressive, and they push back too hard at times against people trying to understand. However, JK Rowling does not meet the profile of someone who is being unfairly attacked.

On the one hand, she suggests that she defends transgender people and their right to exist. On the other, she tries to draw a distinction between us and people who are natal women. She suggests that we should be banned from spaces reserved for “biological” women, because we are a threat to their safety. We should be given our own segregated spaces. In this she is mistaken. No transgender woman is a threat to a cis woman. I have a functional and anatomically correct vagina and unclothed look the same as any other woman. Not even my gynecologist can tell the difference. What space should I occupy in terms of athletic dressing rooms and bathrooms? I would suggest that it is appropriate for me to inhabit the same private spaces as any other woman.

Her viewpoint is not a matter of opinion. It is transphobic because of her narrow focus on external biology. It is similar to the argument that was accepted 60 or 70 years ago about race. The prevailing attitude of the time was that people of color should be respected, but they were different, and it was appropriate to segregate them from inclusion with the white race. Separate but equal was the order of the day. JK Rowling’s attitude is merely a reworking of a bigoted position that seems reasonable on the surface, but which does significant damage to the transgender community. Today, we accept black people as being the same as white people, and we have tried to fully include them in the life and fabric of modern society (admittedly not entirely successfully). Transgender people should be entitled to the same rights and respect to be accepted as legitimate and full members of society as well.

There would not be so much furor surrounding JK Rowling, but for the fact that she has millions of followers who hang on her every word. She is frequently used by the TERF and GC crowd as justification for their intolerant points of view. This is the problem. It is compounded by the fact that she is unwilling to do the research to understand us and dogmatically holds to her limited and incorrect understanding of the phenomenon of being transgender. The criticism of her is well deserved, if a little hysterical at times.

I look forward to the day, when the general public better understands the nature of transgender people. We were born the way we are and are not a threat to anyone. Objectivity, rather than knee jerk, intolerant attitudes based upon fear and emotion, is what ultimately will foster understanding and acceptance. It cannot come too soon.