Kulturkampf

[Alpacx]

   


Gold Jerry, Gold.

When I began medically transitioning, my body radically changed. My center of gravity shifted, my skin felt entirely different, fat redistributed all over my body and I lost a shoe size. That's because the way hormones interact with your body happens on a cellular level. When I tell people that many trans women lose height from HRT they are astonished. When I mention its because our ligaments change due to the hormone readjustment they usually say something along the lines of "now that you mention this, it makes sense, but never in a million years would I have considered thinking about this."

This applies to sports, considerably. I've talked about how transitioning completely redid how I need to perform a rowing stroke and how the muscle memory I had built up when I was a collegiate and club rower was now misaligned. It took me quite a bit of time to feel stable in a boat again because I need to relearn how to do a sport that had been second nature for quite some time.

So, no I am not a biological male. I don't know what that would entail, but certainly it is not what my body's endocrine function is right now. Even just saying that is telling you more about my personal history that anyone is entitled to, but I am mad. I'm furious even. This phrase is offensive to myself on a deep level, yes, but it is also inaccurate in a way that is harmful. Same with using the phrase "trans-identified male" which media outlets across the pond seem to be adopting en masse.

If you believe I am a man just say it. Stop calling me a "biological male" or a "trans-identified male" and just be honest for once. You don't want to protect or promote women's sports, you just think trans women are men if they want to participate alongside cisgender women. That's what these columns boil down to. They are transphobic, they are rooted in the belief that no matter what we do for transitioning it will never fully make us women and for that we should not have access to spaces that the general public uses without a second thought. You can tell me how valid you think I am until the cows come home, but you are calling me a man. I just hope that you never have to experience someone defining who you are, and using chosen language for how you exist all without your consent or input. It really is awful and draining. But clearly the world needs another column where you justify doing just that with little editorial oversight.