Transsexual: no true Scotsmen

I'm kinda miffed right this sec. Just scrolling through some feminist forums I browse now and again, and there is a thread on Transwomen. Okay cool. I start following the posts and bam, "Transwomen aren't real women." The conversation becomes derailed after that, but a lot of people seemed to agree. Now whatever one thinks about trans women in general aside, the comment is fallacious anyway.

Most people recognize that gender is socially constructed. This is why tribal women, European women, Asian women, and Canadian women act generally different from each other in specific ways. Their roles in their society are slightly different, as are pastimes and interests. Even what makes there different women attractive varies over cultural lines. Very obvious, and not too much disagreement. So, I think I can conclude that there is a broad spectrum of womanliness that encompasses all these different groups and behaviors. That's a pretty big umbrella. Even inside particular cultural groups the interests and behaviors of women vary considerably. Moreover there are numerous outliers found in only the genetic female XX grouping.

I think Transwomen are just one more group that fits under that big ass umbrella.

The argument put forward on the forum went something like: transwomen aren't women because.

• Can't have babies
• don't have the right sex organs
• don't naturally produce estrogen
• are not XX chromosomal
  
• are really just men
  

There were the points I found on in the specific thread, I know there are more. First, the first four are about being female, not women. I don't believe I have a magic chromosome wand, I will always be male in sex, can't change that just biology. problem is, we aren't talking about sex, but rather gender, and as I pointed out above, gender is created, not birthed. Not to mention that fact that many XX women can't, for one reason or another, do those things either. Some women are XO chromosomally. Ah, biological diversity doesn't play by our dichotomy rules, gotta love it.

The last one falls into the no true Scotsmen fallacy. Basically one redefines the term Ad hoc after a counter example is presented. It goes like follows.

Claim:
"No Scotsman puts sugar on his porridge".

This is countered with:
"My friend Angus is a Scotsman and likes sugar with his porridge".

The following rejoinder to this exception is:
"Ah yes, but no TRUE Scotsman puts sugar on his porridge".

The oddest part of the whole exchange was the readiness the posters had to the removal of transmen from their ranks. Oh well, just another example of transphobia I guess. I just wish people that the courage to be bigoted. I dislike the klan as much as the next girl, but at least they are honest about it. Don't use terrible reasoning to mask predjidice it just doesn't work. Oh well, I guess people can think whatever the hell they want, even if they are wrongheaded about it.

until next time
Alex