Chapter 4. The Ideological Distortion of What Being Trans Means

Mack: One thing I really can't agree with you people is the idea that gender can be a social construct. It's completely non-scientific. There's plenty of scientific evidence that gender is biological. Even if you separate physical sex and gender, there is still plenty of evidence that gender-related properties are biological.

Sue-Jane: This topic, I actually don't understand very much, to be honest. However, I guess if we treat gender as a social construct, it would make life easier for trans people, right? And as long as it makes life better for other people, isn't that what ultimately matters?

Tess: No, treating gender as a social construct doesn't make life better for trans people at all. Mack is right, it is scientifically clear that gender is not a social construct. Moreover, pretending that gender is a social construct denies the suffering of trans people, and prevents others from truly understanding our condition.

Mack: So, you don't believe that gender is a social construct? Isn't that what all trans people believe?

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Tess: Of course not! The idea that gender is a social construct is not what the trans community has historically believed. It's an idea that's been imposed on us recently, just like it's been imposed on the rest of society.

Sue-Jane: I guess you learn something new every day. But this sounds really interesting. So who's promoting the idea that gender is a social construct, then? And what purpose does it serve, then? Besides, why do some people keep saying that almost everything is a social construct? What do they really want?

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