The Human Condition: Making sense of gender

By Daniel Schnee on October 27, 2021.

Is gender a fact? Yes and no, depending on who you ask.

The idea of being transgender seems to be debated on a single front, but the terms are actually different, like arguing that peaches make the best pie while someone counter-argues that carrots are orange.

Some say “gender is a fact,” meaning biology and gender are the same thing: a man thinks like a man, and has a man’s body. Trans-activists also say gender is a fact, that if a woman identifies as a man it is a fact they are a man. Both sides are saying the same words, but mean different things.

Is gender a fact? Well, a person is basically a mix of three things: how we are built (biology), who we think we are (including gender), and who we like (sexuality). These make up our complex totality, which begins at conception.

A fertilized egg turns into a single celled organism and eventually an embryo starting to form internal organs. All human embryos are essentially female until information from the male Y chromosome starts changing them to male. The Y chromosome contains as much genetic information as the female X chromosome, but there is no guarantee of just what exact mix will occur or how it will manifest itself. Thus, with such a complex mix of genetics and chemicals involved in the formation of the human brain, it seems possible one could argue a female brain could exist in a male body.

Scientists have yet to discover a gene that fully guarantees straight or gay behaviour, so our sexual attractions, too, are considered to be both genetic and influenced by external factors. Who we think we are is often described in terms of feelings, how we feel we are. Is “I feel like I am male” the same as “I am male”? Feeling “like” something is not the same as being something, and feelings can change. So if something as deeply personal as gender is a feeling, or a social construct as many gender activists proclaim, then it would seem nobody truly “is” anything by definition.

This implies one could literally choose to be a gay woman, which would then require others to accept gender or sexuality as constructed, meaning society would have to be homophobic in order not to be transphobic. Such issues of biology are relevant, for even the most famous trans woman and former male Olympian in the world, Caitlyn Jenner, believes it is not fair for trans women to compete against biological women in sports.

There is even room for religious debate, as it is not illegal to merely believe transgenderism is a theological issue as well. But “God said…” does not give anyone the right to oppress the trans community any more than “we/they are…” gives anyone the right to shame those who do not use their preferred pronouns.

There are just too many “what ifs” remaining for any of us to think we have all the answers, or a perfect solution. So let’s kindly debate and listen to each other. Gender, biology and sexuality can all be discussed so that both fact and difference are not denied. Then one day, who calls themselves what will be the least of our concerns, or better yet, none of our business.

Dr. Daniel Schnee is an anthropologist who studies Japanese creative culture

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