As far as I understand it, to qualify as transgender, one now simply has to state as much, i.e. that one feels that one identifies as the opposite gender all or part of the time. There is no requirement to undergo counselling, hormone therapy, medical intervention of any kind. Or in fact, even to dress as the opposite gender. Obviously this has not yet been enshrined in law... but with the political parties, swimming pools, schools etc getting "ahead of the law" it may as well be.
So, no bodily changes needed. Therefore, one can be entirely anatomically male, but identify as a woman. Or vice versa. (Or as gender neutral or fluid.)
So, I am disabled. For that reason (but also other reasons) I:
- rarely if ever shave my legs,
- have extremely short hair,
- don't wear makeup or nail varnish,
- don't remember when I last wore a skirt (probably several years ago),
- don't wear high heels,
- don't wear jewellery except my wedding ring & wristwatch.
I have, on multiple occasions, been mistaken for a teenaged boy.
I would like someone, anyone, to give me an objective description of what this "essential femaleness" actually involves. Because I know I am female. I have experienced period poverty, rape & the fear of resulting pregnancy, at least two miscarriages, one of which lasted a month; I bled through my work trousers & didn't dare take time off because I already have lots of time off because disabled. I have encountered problems with just about every method of birth control, one of which actually left me disabled. I endured a dreadful pregnancy, a 30-hour labour, the climax of which had me screaming at DH that they were going to "pull her head off", it truly felt like my insides were being dragged out as the midwife struggled to save my DD with forceps, despite the epidural. The PPH which was diagnosed almost too late & the terror of hearing DH's voice fading as it all went black.
And to tell me that some biological male knows thay they are a woman because they feel it? I'm absolutely in support of anyone presenting as masculine or feminine if that's how they feel. But no male can know how its feels to be a woman because no man will ever, can ever, experience any of that. Or any of the other numerous indignities, discriminatory practices, and various forms of violence that biological females are subjected to, worldwide, on the basis that they can potentially push a baby human out of their vagina.
Trigger warning - the following links contain extremely distressing content. I've hidden the exact titles of the last two as even they may be too distressing if some people don't wish to read them.
www.feministcurrent.com/2017/10/25/the-gentrification-of-womanhood/
Woman gang raped
Woman raped & left to bleed to death