Is it possible to change sex?
Is it possible to change your sex from female to male, or from male to female? Although it is possible for people to take drugs and/or have cosmetic surgery to change what their body looks like (of course within limits), these medical interventions do not change someone’s sex because your sex chromosomes (two X chromosomes in females; one X chromosome and one Y chromosome in males) can’t be changed. Moreover, the person will not change from being able to fulfill the male role in reproduction to being able to fulfill the female role in reproduction (and vice versa). It is possible to list different medical interventions that you think change someone’s sex, such as: use of cross-sex hormones, use of hormone blockers (such as anti-androgens or puberty blockers), surgery such as breast augmentation, breast reduction or breast removal (double mastectomy), surgery to the face to feminise or masculinise the facial features, or genital surgery to create a neovagina (vaginoplasty) or a microphallus (metoidioplasty) or neophallus (phalloplasty). But consider the following, and think about why you answered the way you did:

Is a woman who has had to have her breasts removed as treatment for breast cancer no longer a woman? Is she now a man?
Is a man who has lost his penis in an industrial accident no longer a man?
Has a woman who has been using testosterone as part of her bodybuilding ambition become a man?
Has a man who has gotten breast implants changed into a woman?

If a surgery that changes what the body looks like does not change someone's sex when these surgeries are done for medical reasons, why would these surgeries change someone's sex when they are done for cosmetic reasons?

What is gender?
What is gender? Not everyone has the same view on what this is and whether everyone has a gender. Consider the following questions:

What is your definition of gender?
Is your definition of gender circular? As in: a woman is anyone who identifies as a woman. Does your definition include all women and exclude all men?
Is your definition of gender based on sex stereotypes, such as feeling/being “effeminate” or “masculine”, or a person liking to wear their hair in a certain way and not another way, and liking certain clothes and not other clothes, or having certain hobbies as opposed to other hobbies?
Is a man who likes to wear long hair and skirts a man?
Is a woman who works as a car mechanic a man?
Is a man who works at a child day care facility a woman?
Is a woman who is attracted to other women a man?
Is gender different from sex, and if so, how?
If sex is not the same as gender, why would someone who identifies as transgender need to change their body (aiming to look less like their sex and more like the other sex)?
What is non-binary? Is it the same as gender nonconforming? If it is, isn’t everyone non-binary in some way?
How many genders are there?

Nobody knows how many genders there are! Initially it was just ‘woman’ and ‘man’. But then non-binary was coined, and a whole slew of other, exotic genders followed, such as bigender, neutrois, agender, demi-boy, xenogender, and graygender. Maybe there are 8 billion genders, one unique gender for each human currently alive? No one else can know what someone else’s gender is if 'gender' even exists, so no one else can really know or verify that someone else is transgender (if this does have some basis in physical reality). If someone’s gender and transgender identity can’t be verified in any way, why do others have to go along with this?

Sexuality
Most people are heterosexual meaning they are only attracted to people of the opposite sex. A minority of the population is homosexual, meaning they are only attracted to people of their own sex. Another minority of the population is bisexual and are attracted to both sexes. For many people, sexuality is based on the sex of the other person, not on how the other person sees themselves.

Do you think that people should be completely free to choose who they date, have sex with, have a relationship with, or marry (of course assuming enthusiastic consent of the other person and both partners being of a similar age or both of legal age)?

Does this freedom include the freedom to reject anyone, for any reason, including because the other person is not of the sex that they are attracted to? If not, why not?

Sex, dating, and marriage are possibly the most discriminatory activities in our lives. This is about who you are attracted to, who you trust to be vulnerable/intimate with, who you want to share a house with, who you want to have children with, and who you want to spend a big part or even the rest of your life with. Most people will feel that who they choose as their partner is no one else’s business as long as it is legal and no one is taken advantage of. We have all rejected people over ‘less’ than their sex, such as height or lack thereof, body weight, education or lack thereof, hobbies, religion, world view, political views, future plans, how much or how little time they spend with their family, whether they are a social butterfly or a loner, a vegan or a meat eater. We will all have rejected people because they were too old or too young for our liking, they were unemployed or from a different social class, or we simply didn’t find them physically attractive. It is impossible to force attraction and why should anyone want to or have to?

If you want to judge other people for not wanting to date you or have sex with you, are you prepared for others to judge your sexuality and possibly harass and pressure you into considering them for sex or romance? Do you think that judgement of someone’s legal and healthy sexuality or sexual choices will make that person reconsider you or somehow change their sexuality, or do you think they may no longer want to interact with you?

Passing
Passing is the act of presenting as the opposite sex so convincingly that other people will not notice that the trans-identifying person is not the sex that they appear to be. Do you think a trans-identifying person can always tell whether they pass or not themselves? Do you think that everyone who clocks ('finds out') a trans-identifying person will make this clear to that person, for instance, by making comments or staring or glaring?

Many people may not notice a trans-identifying person at all because they are too busy with their own lives, or they may clock the person but are too polite to make a comment or to stare, or are too afraid to say anything out of fear of aggression or violence. Many girls and women may not confront someone they clock as a male in their toilets or changing rooms out of fear of verbal or physical aggression. The absence of comments or stares does not necessarily mean the trans-identifying person passes or that other people consent to this person being in their spaces.

Many online spaces heavily moderate their posts and comments, blocking people whose views deviate even slightly from the moderators’ opinions. Do you think that it is possible for trans-identifying people to end up in an echo chamber where they will not be given honest feedback or only feedback from a very small subset of the population, not representative of the general population?

What do you think the effect is of living in an echo chamber?

Stealth
The act of living stealth refers to trans-identifying people choosing to not disclose their trans status to the people in their life. Sometimes they may keep this information from everyone including new partners and friends, or they may be out to their partner and closest friends but not to acquaintances, co-workers, neighbours etc. Of course, trans-identifying people who do not consistently pass can’t live stealth.

What are your thoughts about trans-identifying people not telling others about their trans status? Do you think other people have the right to know about someone’s transgender status and if so, who do you think should know, and when should they be told? For example, you may feel that co-workers don’t need to know at all, and that partners only need to know when the relationship becomes sexual. Another example is that maybe your teenage daughter has a classmate who is a male who presents as a girl but no one is told about this. That may not matter much to you or your daughter during class hours. But what about during overnight school trips or sleepovers where your daughter may (be made to) share a room/dorm/tent with a male child (or a transgender male teacher), possibly without her knowing this person is male and/or without you as a parent knowing.

Do you think that people have the right to be told certain information before they are about to engage in a romantic or sexual relationship with someone else? If so, what kinds of information do you feel the other person should tell you, and when should they tell you this? For instance, you may never want to be in a relationship with someone who is HIV positive. When would you want to be told this?

One can argue that the kinds of information that a person morally should offer up without being prompted are pieces of information that a reasonable person can expect would change the other person’s view about having sex or starting a relationship with them (i.e., if the other person had been told that information beforehand, they would not have consented to a date/sex/pursued a relationship). Examples of such information could be HIV status, that they have children, that they are maried, infertility, hepatitis status, being an omnivore, that they are bisexual, that they support a certain political party, or that they are trans-identifying. These things are not universal and what is a dealbreaker to someone when they are looking for a long-term relationship may not be an issue when they are only looking for casual sex. However, some of the things mentioned are going to be pertinent pieces of information to most people, whether they are only looking for casual sex or a relationship.

Because some of this information is a dealbreaker to most people, it is considered a crime in some regions to not disclose your HIV status (“reckless transmission of HIV”) or deceive a partner about your gender [referring to being female or male] (“rape by deception”).

What kinds of information would you like to know about someone before having sex with them or before going on a date? Do you feel that the onus is on you to ask about all these things, or do you think that for some of these important bits of information the onus is on the other person to tell you? Some trans-identifying people are of the opinion that being transgender is no big deal and they should never have to disclose (even going as far as lying if they were to be asked) or only when their date or sexual partner specifically asks if they are transgender...

Single-sex facilities
Many people would consider the scientific definition of sex to be a useful one because it relates to observable reality. In many aspects of public life in a secular country it does not matter what sex you are. Both sexes are allowed to vote, own property, drive a vehicle, receive education, pursue any kind of career, and marry who they love. However, when it comes to situations in which we are vulnerable or in a state of undress, both females and males should have the right to single-sex facilities for their safety, privacy, dignity, and fairness. Do you believe that both females and males should have the right to single-sex facilities such as toilets, changing areas, domestic violence shelters, prisons, hospital wards, support groups, sports competition etc? Why do you (dis)agree?

Allowing males into female-only spaces means that girls and women no longer have a single-sex facility (after all, a male who identifies as a girl or woman is still a male because humans can't change sex). Would you be happy for half of the population to no longer have one of their rights met for the benefit of males who want to be around girls and women who are in a state of undress/vulnerability? What do you suggest girls and women do if they do not want to share such spaces with males? Do you suggest they no longer go out so that they will not need to use a toilet (called the urinary leash)? Do you suggest they no longer go to the gym so that they do not need a changing room or shower? Do you suggest to women that they try harder to stay out of prison? What would you say to frail/disabled women who need a carer for intimate care if they do not want a male for this care? That they stop being disabled so they can change their own menstrual pads and wipe their own bottom after going to the toilet?

See https://womensliberationfront.org/encyclopedia-of-bad-gender-arguments/but-transwomen-are-also-victims-of-male-violence for some interesting angles to cover on the topic of prison. About half of male prison inmates who claim to be trans are convicted of (violent) sexual offenses (see https://fairplayforwomen.com/transgender-male-criminality-sex-offences/). They may identify as a woman to gain access to female victims and/or they may identify as a woman as just another one of their paraphilias. They may identify as a woman to get away from male violence if they are targeted in the male prison. None of that matters as females should have the right to a single-sex prison for their safety, privacy, dignity, and to avoid cruel and unusual punishment (experiencing rape as a female by a male, and pregnancy). These women can’t leave and they can’t control anything about their environment. They are also often victims of male violence. Many people see the presence of male prisoners in what should be a female-only prison as beyond cruel. It is undeniable that these women committed one or multiple crimes to end up in prison, but these women are still human and should have rights. They are someone’s mother, daughter, grandmother, wife, girlfriend, cousin, friend. This could be your child or cousin or niece and despite having a criminal conviction, these women do not deserve the punishment of being housed with male prisoners.

An argument sometimes made in the discussion about trans-identifying people and public toilets is that the toilet in your house is unisex/mixed sex, so you should have no issue when anyone can use any toilet or all toilets are effectively mixed. What is the difference between the toilet in your home and a public toilet such as a toilet at a railway station, a bar, a football stadium, a gym, or a toilet at a university campus or a school? It seems clear that in your own home the only people who use your toilet are people that are part of your household and any guests you have invited into your home. In no way is this comparable to a public toilet where you have no control over who will use it. Would you let any random person use the toilet in your home? What about at a time when you are asleep? What about if your disabled daughter is home alone?

It is true that a committed rapists won’t be stopped by a sign on the door that says 'female toilet'. But social conventions and the law are strong forces that keep most males out of female-only spaces and keep most females out of male-only spaces. We all grow up being told which toilets to use and to not go into the toilets for the opposite sex. We do this for the safety and comfort of everyone of the opposite sex. However, if anyone can be a woman, women who recognise a male in female-only facilities can’t get this male removed from this facility. The presence of a male in female spaces is predatory because this male has shown no regard for the law and/or social convention and the needs and wants of females. This is perceived as a threat by many if not most females, and infringes on the rights of females. Without self-ID and without legal ways for males to appropriate a female identity, women can have a male removed by security from female-only spaces even if he is 'just minding his own business'. With self-ID and males being able to legally change their sex, we need to accept them into our female spaces and just be quiet about it and can only have him removed if/when he starts to commit a crime. But this ignores the fact that his mere presence in what should be a female-only space IS a form of assault. Secondly, almost all sex crimes are committed by males, so as women we are not worried about girls or women putting cameras in our changing rooms or secretly filming us with their phone, but I would absolutely fear this when males can come and go into our spaces. And finally, if we need to accept males into our spaces, we need to accept being forced around someone who could rape us and impregnate us even when we are naked or in a vulnerable state such as recovering from surgery in a hospital ward. If we can't get any help until he has started raping us, how can we ensure we get help in time?!

With legal ways for males to identify as females and especially with self-ID, females will not be able to confront a male in their spaces or have security remove this male. Because after all, he claims to be a woman. Predators will seek easy targets and opportunities and allowing males to claim a ‘woman’ identity will give ways to sexual predators to commit crimes. Such crimes may include:

flashing his genitals to girls and women
making audio, photo, or video recordings of either himself and/or girls and women going to the toilet, showering, changing. These recordings may be posted online or be shared with other predators and their audience
installing hidden recording equipment to record audio or video of girls and women using the toilet, showering, changing
getting sexually aroused, which may include an erection
masturbating
sexual assault
rape
non-sexual physical violence

This issue is not limited to prison, toilets, and changing facilities but also pertains to other single-sex spaces such as domestic-violence shelters, in-patient (mental) health facilities, any event or activity that contains shared overnight accommodations such as school camps. Further, some support groups are for males only or females only because of the nature of the trauma or illness or condition for which this support group exists. Males have no space in support groups for cancers that only affect females and also have no business in other support groups which the members would like to be female only (and vice versa). After all, domestic violence can affect female victims differently than male victims, and the same applies to childhood sexual trauma, drug addiction, etc. Of course there is a space for mixed-sex groups for some conditions but this does not negate the need for female-only and male-only services when even just one female or one male want this.

In many parts of a modern, secular society, sex doesn’t matter. Our workplaces are mixed sex, most of our social gatherings are mixed sex, most of our cultural celebrations are mixed sex, our education is mixed sex. But in a few aspects of life most people still have a need for sex-segregated spaces/services, when this is needed for safety, privacy, dignity, and fairness. Most people would not feel comfortable to share public toilets or changing rooms with the opposite sex, and most females would feel and be unsafe in public mixed-sex toilets and changing facilities. Both sexes have the same right to privacy, although as females we use single-sex spaces not just for toileting or changing but also for dealing with our female reproductive system, something males will never experience nor fully understand. With regards to sports there is the element of fairness, but in contact sports and sports where contact is possible, there is also the question of safety for female players. In combat sports males can damage females beyond the capability of any female opponent, and in non-combat sports where contact is still common or possible, females are at a greater risk of injury as male players are likely to be (a lot) larger, heavier, and stronger than female opponents (this also applies to team mates, as in some sports you may come in contact with team mates).

The argument from trans-identifying males for using female-only spaces is safety. However, there are few if any reports of assaults of such males in male-only public spaces whereas there are plenty reports of trans-identifing males harassing or assaulting females in female-only spaces. Why is it that people listen to safety concerns of trans-identifying males but not to females having safety concerns? Why is the concern for safety of a trans-identifying male (despite few if any reports of violence in male-only public spaces) taken seriously, so serious even that trampling on the rights of all females is seen as the solution, yet when females have concerns about their safety in female-only spaces if (some) males are allowed to use those spaces they are totally ignored? Girls and women are not a shield for cross-dressing males. If safety was the real concern of trans-identifing males, they would suggest and accept a third space for them to toilet/shower/change. There could be a mixed-sex space or a space only for trans-identifying people of both sexes. That way these males can stop worrying about males who do not identify as trans whilst also respecting the rights of females. The fact they these males never ask for a third space but insist on access to female-only spaces suggests that it is not about safety but about invading a space that is not for them (which is sexually arousing to some males), about being around girls and women when they are vulnerable/in a state of undress (which is sexually arousing to some males). Those are nefarious reasons and they know it, which is why they always only bring up safety (yet refuse the simple solution of a third space).

Prison is a special circumstance and some males are absolutely at risk of sexual and/or physical violence by other males. But male-only prisons alreay have special, segregated areas for such vulnerable males (whether this vulerability is young or old age, homo-/bisexuality, a transgender identity, mental illness, or unsavoury convictions). There is no need for any male prisoner to be housed on the female prison estate.

Trans...
If a man can identify as a woman, in what other ways can people identify? And why do you think they can or can’t? Can a black person identify as Indian? Can a white person identify as black? Can someone who is 60 years of age identify as 35 years old? Can someone who is 30 years of age identify as 15 years old, or maybe 5 years old, or 70 years old?

If you don't think people can identify as another race or a different age but do think that men can be women and women can be men, in what ways is people identifying as the opposite sex different from someone identifying as a different age or race?

There are a few examples of transracial identification: Rachel Dolezal (a white woman who identifies as black), and Oli London (a white man who identified as Korean and later as a trans woman and who subsequently detransitioned). They were met with a lot of criticism and hardly anyone seemed to take their trans identities seriously. Yet when a male says he is a girl or a woman or female, the mainstream seem to agree with this claim to a different identity.

Mental illness or normal human variation?
Transgenderism (and transsexualism, gender dysphoria, cross dressing, etc) have been described in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM), a publication of the American Psychiatric Association (APA) for the classification of mental disorders. This helps clinicians diagnose mental disorders so that they can justify the need for treatment, which state healthcare or private insurance can then cover. Without a diagnosis a person will not get medical treatment aside from cosmetic procedures. Cosmetic procedures are generally not covered under state healthcare or private insurance because the treatment is not medically necessary, e.g., a woman who wants breast enhancement for cosmetic reasons will have to pay for the full cost herself.

In recent years there has been pushback from trans-rights activists against labelling transgenderism as a mental disorder and instead it is claimed that people who identify as transgender are not mentally ill. (Note that there is no reason to believe that transgenderism is a physical disorder as people with this identity are generally physically healthy (although some have common conditions like diabetes and/or obesity); they do often have comorbidities, meaning other health conditions, usually of the mental health kind.) If transgenderism is not a mental illness/disorder, why are trans-identifying people asking for treatment (generally somatic treatment, meaning treatment that does something to the body such as drugs or surgery; some people do ask for non-somatic therapy such as talk therapy, psychotherapy etc.)?

If transgenderism is not a mental disorder, how come transgenderism is described as experiencing gender dysphoria, which is a term that lumps in all kinds of negative emotions relating to how someone feels about being the sex they are to such an extent that it affects their daily life. In what way is this not a mental disorder?

If transgenderism is not a mental disorder, any treatment that aims to do something to the body is merely cosmetic. Should cosmetic treatments be covered under state healthcare? Should such cosmetic treatments be covered under private insurance? If so, should cosmetic procedures for people who do not identify as trans also be covered? If not, why discriminate against people for their identity?

Understanding Transgenderism