Ok, so being many time zones away coupled with a busy morning left me with a lot to catch up on.
Bowlofbabelfish you continue to be awesome! Thank you, and congratulations on your pregnancy!
For those of you interested in the biology here, there is something I also wanted to elaborate on that has been mentioned. Giving a trans individual hormones is NOT a good example of epigenetics. Rather, it is simply testament to the incredible power of hormones.
Hormones are the chemical messengers for our bodies, and indeed, they have profound effects. Specific cells will bind hormones (at unique receptors) and the function of the cell will then respond accordingly. Yes, mumtobe, this is why facial hair follicles are stimulated to grow in females exposed to high levels of androgens and why breast tissue develops in males on estrogen. We are manipulating human physiology with pharmaceuticals.
However, what does this mean with regards to identity? If I take a drug that changes the melanin in my skin, does that change my ethnicity? If I prescribe a patient a drug to cause her periods to stop, does that mean she is no longer a woman? Of course not.
You have mentioned that you feel trans-women on hormones have more in common with women because of our “phenotypes.” (Agree with those who feel this is a poor word choice.) I am curious, though, as to which of these features you feel is most defining to womanhood. Is it breast tissue? Is it a narrow waist with gently curving hips? Is it a soft, melodic voice?
Women come in all shapes and sizes. Some have facial hair, (damn pesky hormones!). Some have deep voices and big hands. Some have broad shoulders. None of these secondary characteristics matter. To say that a biological male becomes more similar to us if he looks more like us implies that a woman who has these features is less of a woman. I could not disagree more.