Both sie and Linda correctly state that one’s body doesn’t dictate your gender (“True gender lies not in the appearance of the body but the workings of the mind.” is an amazing statement from someone who was born in the 30s), but their choice of words gave me the impression that they at least somewhat viewed their AGAB to be an essential, unchangeable part of them.

So something I struggle with, and especially in reading this book, is language. I suspect there’s a lot of gender essentialist brainworms going on here, but I sympathize because I realize how difficult it is to excise them. On top of that, I often struggle to find correct words to describe things I’m feeling and I also don’t think our current vocabulary is anywhere as good as it could be for this. Not sure I really have a point other than I agree with your take here but I also know how difficult it is to manage that in my own head most of the time.

And my answer is: Who cares! As long as my right to explore the full measure of my own potential is being trampled by discriminatory laws, as long as I am being socially and economically marginalized, as long as I am being scapegoated for the crimes committed by this economic system, my right to exist needs no explanation or justification of any kind.

I also love this and I’ve never been comfortable with the “born this way” defense against transphobia or homophobia, which was seemingly popular in the 90’s when I was growing up. For one, it’s obviously not as simple as people being born into these rigid categories and never changing them throughout their life. And two, no one should have to justify who they love, how they present, or who they’re attracted to anyways. People should be able to pursue their own happiness without having a stack of scientific studies to prove who they are is “natural”, whatever that means.