The "Realness" of Gender
Lately I have been thinking about gender, or more specifically the question of whether or not gender is “real”. I think that there are valid points to both sides of the argument, but that there is really no definitive answer. Here are my thoughts on the matter: One argument I have heard against the idea that gender itself is completely a construct is that it kind of invalidates transgender identities. If you argue that gender is only as much as gender norms and gender expression, you are more or less arguing that trans people transition only because of those things, and not an internal feeling of gender. Trans people obviously don’t transition simply to do things or take on appearances associated with a gender other than the one assigned to them at birth. The argument that gender is just social constructs of expression also doesn’t make sense because plenty of people wear clothes and do things associated with a gender other than the one(s) they identify as. It is pret...