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The Problem with “Transgender”
It shouldn’t be a problem, but it’s been made one by many people on all sides
Can we have an intelligent discussion about the “trans” issue? Probably not, but I’ll try anyway. I’ll do my part.
My second ever Medium article published in July 2018 discussed the uses and misuses of the label “transgender.” It’s an issue on which few people spend much thought, but those who do can have strong opinions.
I still agree with what I wrote six years ago. Labels are deeply problematic. Sometimes, we have to use them as shortcuts in conversations and writing. Regardless, labels dehumanize, depersonalize, and disempower individuals. Labels always, always, come with attached stereotypes, and stereotypes too often come with attached prejudices.
In this article, I will talk about two important realities. The first is that we don’t need, and would do better without all gender labels, including the label “transgender.” The second is that the concept of “transgender” is inherently problematic, and we’d do better without…
