A READER POLL—how do you use and understand the language of sex and gender?
Language is power. Every public relations strategist knows this, and gender ideology has used this scheme to maximum effect. The lexicon is filled with euphemisms and false innuendo: trans woman sounds like just another kind of woman (short woman, French woman, old woman, etc); gender affirming care sounds medically necessary and sound; top surgery sounds like a tweak; misgendering is called actual violence on par with the 2-3 women murdered by an intimate partner every day in the US. And of course, there are pronouns. They are ostensibly “preferred” but if you choose to use biologically correct pronouns for the sake of clarity, you are misgendering, which may be considered violence or hate speech. Using the language of gender ideology automatically cedes any reality-based argument to that belief system.
The media has almost universally adopted the language of gender ideology, resulting in a public who is very confused about something they nonetheless feel passionately about. The average woman on the street may be outraged that a trans woman is banned from women’s swimming, for example, but agree that men should not compete in women’s sports. A survey found that a third of UK residents don’t understand that trans women are biologically male. Such is the power of language.
I thought I was being clear when I pledged to use terms like trans-identified male or trans-identified female, but maybe I’ve just muddied the water further. Man who wants to present as a woman? A word-count and usage nightmare. Anyway, sparked by the British survey, I thought I’d ask you-all some questions regarding language. I’ll keep it short so it’s easier to get through the responses. Please answer in the comments.
What is the sex of a trans woman?
What is the sex of a trans-identified male?
A recent article called Joanna Harper a transgender female—what sex is Harper?
If media use the term trans woman, should they use the pronoun “he” or “she”? Why?
What do you think is the clearest way for journalists to refer to a male who wishes to be seen or identifies as female?
Do you think when the average not-terribly-informed person reads that trans women are banned from women’s swimming, do they understand that males are banned from women’s swimming?
That’s it. I’m really interested to read your responses.
1. Male 2. Male 3. Male 4. He (there may be some exceptions, though I’m trying to think of what they would be) 5. Trans identifying male 6. I think the reason people are unsure what this means is because it’s designed to be confusing. It’s a moving target: the terms MTF transsexual, transwoman, transgender female and trans-identified male all mean the same thing: that the subject is male. How does someone who’s not that engaged with this issue have any idea what’s going on? In fact, understanding this jargon is the first hurdle that people need to overcome in order to gain an understanding of the consequences of our society replacing sex with gender identity.
Thanks for posing the questions, Sarah.
1. I find it difficult to answer questions like this because I don't accept the premise of words like "trans woman"
2. I can live with language like "trans-identified male," though I don't love it. Regardless, his sex is male.
3. Harper is male.
4. They shouldn't, but if they do, the pronoun is he.
5. Man.
6. This is a great question and I don't know the answer. I was pretty astonished by the UK survey It shows the importance of continuing to talk about these issues!
I try to stick to one simple adage: "Men are male and women are female." It really doesn't have to be any more complicated than that.