"Now, if I understood you correctly from the article, sex is sex (based on whether you produce sperm or eggs), and that is a matter of biology/science, yet gender can be fluid, in the sense, that how we identify ourselves, or how we behave can be independent of our sex"
Yes, gender *is* fluid. There's no cast-iron set of rules defining wh…
"Now, if I understood you correctly from the article, sex is sex (based on whether you produce sperm or eggs), and that is a matter of biology/science, yet gender can be fluid, in the sense, that how we identify ourselves, or how we behave can be independent of our sex"
Yes, gender *is* fluid. There's no cast-iron set of rules defining what a "man" is with regards to how he should behave or what he can wear or who he should love. There's nothing preventing a man from wearing a dress or makeup except for arbitrary societal expectations. And indeed, in many cultures, men *do* wear "dresses" or paint their faces and it's considered the height of masculinity. I'm more masculine than some men, less masculine than others (heck, I'm less masculine than some women), but I'm still a man. Until very recently, this was simply a way of saying that I was an adult with a penis.
As for the idea of being trapped in a body that doesn't align with your gender, this is a concept I struggle with too. But as you say, that's no barrier to treating people with respect and dignity. And yes, I think that saying somebody is a bigot because they have questions about the deeply metaphysical question of what it means to be "trapped in the wrong body" is ridiculous. It would be crazy *not* to have questions.
Ultimately, we're all on a journey to "figure things out". We're all going to express our maleness or femaleness in unique ways. I don't think there are any wrong answers. But I also don't think there are any permanent answers that won't shift and change throughout our lives. I think young people today are being sold this gender ideology as a way of *solving* these issues of identity, and it's a pipe dream. Life is just complicated. Instead of figuring out how to be a "man" or a "woman" they'd be much better served figuring out how to be themselves.
"Now, if I understood you correctly from the article, sex is sex (based on whether you produce sperm or eggs), and that is a matter of biology/science, yet gender can be fluid, in the sense, that how we identify ourselves, or how we behave can be independent of our sex"
Yes, gender *is* fluid. There's no cast-iron set of rules defining what a "man" is with regards to how he should behave or what he can wear or who he should love. There's nothing preventing a man from wearing a dress or makeup except for arbitrary societal expectations. And indeed, in many cultures, men *do* wear "dresses" or paint their faces and it's considered the height of masculinity. I'm more masculine than some men, less masculine than others (heck, I'm less masculine than some women), but I'm still a man. Until very recently, this was simply a way of saying that I was an adult with a penis.
As for the idea of being trapped in a body that doesn't align with your gender, this is a concept I struggle with too. But as you say, that's no barrier to treating people with respect and dignity. And yes, I think that saying somebody is a bigot because they have questions about the deeply metaphysical question of what it means to be "trapped in the wrong body" is ridiculous. It would be crazy *not* to have questions.
Ultimately, we're all on a journey to "figure things out". We're all going to express our maleness or femaleness in unique ways. I don't think there are any wrong answers. But I also don't think there are any permanent answers that won't shift and change throughout our lives. I think young people today are being sold this gender ideology as a way of *solving* these issues of identity, and it's a pipe dream. Life is just complicated. Instead of figuring out how to be a "man" or a "woman" they'd be much better served figuring out how to be themselves.