Is it really true that “no one's denying the reality of biological sex”?

There seems to be a lot of people doing that thing that "no one" is doing

(Author’s note: This essay will be regularly updated with new noteworthy examples.)

One of the oft heard positions in discussions around trans topics is that trans people are not actually insisting that they really are the opposite biological sex (male/female), just that they identify as the opposite gender (i.e. an inner sense of feeling like a man/woman), and they are not at all denying the reality of there being uncontestable facts about their biological sex.

An example of such a declaration is here, from trans journalist Katelyn Burns, who assures us how preposterous it is to suggest such a thing:

Another example can be seen in this review of Kathleen Stock’s book, Material Girls:

Here’s a recent Reddit post from a trans person who attests to this phenomenon too, while also rejecting it:

Similarly, a simple search through Twitter reveals many people spouting the party line that “no one is saying trans women are biological women”:

The insistence that “no one is saying” these ideas is a very appealing thing to assert since most people can somewhat get on board with what they suggest, that there is a clear distinction between gender and sex, and that the mainstream trans position maintains this distinction. But it’s simply not true that “no one is saying this”. It is, in fact, a frequently stated position by very prominent and public trans voices that transwomen really are biological women, and are the sex they identify as, and that biological sex is not real, but just a social construct. These views are promoted at all levels of the trans debate, from the most respected trans voices, to mainstream media outlets, to scientific journals, to academia, and more. Putting the lie to the claim that “no one is saying…” is what I’d like to demonstrate here.

Let’s start with, “no one is saying trans women are actually biological women”. Practically everyone who’s discussed this issue at length has probably heard trans advocates actually claim that trans women are actually biological women. But if one points to that personal experience, it will most likely be responded to with, “You can’t bring examples from random people who don’t know what they’re talking about.” And I’d agree with that. So here are a bunch of examples, not of random people, but of prominent trans figures - respected representatives of the trans community - staunchly insisting that trans women are biological women and that they change sex (all screenshots link to their source, when it is available):

Chase Strangio:

Abigail Thorn, creator of the very popular PhilosophyTube YouTube channel (1.5 million subscribers):

Eli Erlick:

India Willoughby:

Update: Some more recent posts from India Willoughby insisting they are a biological female can be seen here, here and here.

Montana State Representative Zooey Zephyr:

Veronica Ivy:

In the following interview with Trevor Noah on The Daily Show (timestamp 3:10), cyclist Veronica Ivy says:

“….this idea that, like, “Oh, you’re not a biological woman”—well, I am a woman. That’s a fact. I am female. So all my identity records, my racing license, my medical records, all say female. Right? And I’m pretty sure I’m made of biological stuff. So I’m a biological female as well.”

Katy Montgomerie:

Natalie Wynn:

In a number of videos, YouTuber Contrapoints (a transwoman whose channel has 1.6 million subscribers) refers to “herself” as a biological female, such as in the first few seconds of this video.

Grace Lavery:

Ari Drennen

Riley Dennis:

I can’t link to the original video this is from since it’s no longer publicly available, but the article recommending it at the site “Everyday Feminism” lets us know exactly what Riley was saying:

From Australia:

In a lawsuit out of Australia, where a creator of lesbian dating app is being sued for not allowing a transwoman to be on the app, this statement was submitted in a filing by the Australian "Sex Discrimination Commissioner":

Andrea Long Chu

In a March 2024 cover story for New York Magazine, Pulitzer-prize winning author Andrea Long Chu argues for the right for kids who claim to be trans to have access to medical interventions that “change their sex”. In Chu’s own words:

What trans kids are saying is this: The right to change sex that has been enjoyed for decades by their parents, friends, teachers, coaches, doctors, and representatives, especially if those people are white and affluent — this right belongs to them, too.

“The Right to Change Sex” is in fact the headline of the article when scrolling down the page, as seen in this screenshot:

Dr. Helen Webberley, founder of GenderGP, an online gender clinic.

The examples shown above are not fringe voices. They are all prominent, popular and respected figures in the trans community, people who the media and cultural institutions and trans supporters invite on talk shows and do interviews with and take their cues from about the “right” way to think about these issues.

And of course, it’s not just prominent figures promoting this idea; it’s also very well established in the TRA circles of the average Joe (or Josephine), as evidenced by the Reddit post I linked to above, in which the poster emphatically states, “Many of us ARE arguing you can change sex”. Searching for the phrase “trans women are biological women” on Twitter returns an endless list of results. And here’s another highly upvoted Reddit post from r/MtF unambiguously expressing this view:

[Added 4/16/23] A helpful reader pointed out to me this Reddit post from Reddit powermod Bardfinn that also expresses this sentiment. (Powermods are moderators that have massive influence in how Reddit polices its content.)

Here is an extensive Twitter thread with many examples of random people echoing the idea that biological sex isn’t real and that people can truly change sex. Here is another thread detailing the prevalence of these views.

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Let’s now consider the related claim that “no one is saying biological sex isn’t real”. Here are numerous examples of TRA voices explicitly saying that biological sex is not based in material reality and is merely a social construct:

This person is the chair of UC–Riverside’s Gender and Sexuality Studies department:

In the following video on the Canadian talk show “The Agenda”, Professor Nicholas Matte, from The University of Toronto explicitly states (timestamp 11:20):

“Basically, it’s not correct that there is such a thing as biological sex… that’s a very popular misconception.”

George Takei (former Hollywood actor, 3+ million Twitter followers):

Jeffrey Marsh (690k TikTok followers, 163k Twitter followers):

“Biological sex is fake.”

@thejeffreymarshBiological gender is construct too. Who knew? Biologists did!🥰💛💛💛 #biology #gender #lgbtq #trans #nonbinary #science #beingkind

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Here is an account from a Chicago school teacher that relates something told to her at an employee training session:

“I was shocked to hear the presenter – an employee of the school district’s central office – assert that “the concepts of gender and sex are actually not rooted in biology… Instead, they are socially constructed, which means they have been created and enforced by people in a society.”

This idea of biological sex being a social construct is also promoted in higher education, even at medical schools. Journalist (and podcaster) Katie Herzog reported on the incursion of wokeness in med schools in a detailed article at The Free Press. In an interview about her reporting she said:

A similar report comes from an anonymous medical student interviewed by Sasha White:

Zach Elliot, a YouTuber who makes explainer videos on sex and gender issues, related what he encountered on his first day in a “Sociology of Gender” class:

From the Harvard Crimson¹:

Here are some headlines promoting the idea that sex is a social construct:

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I hope you find the above information useful for when you encounter people making false claims about what are actually mainstream positions from the TRA side of the trans debate. Feel free to share any additional examples you might have in the comments below and I will consider adding them to the list.

If you find this informative, please consider subscribing to be notified about future articles. I have many more such pieces that I plan on releasing to address untruths I see in the popular discourse.

1. Added 2/23/24