Most Americans today support transgender rights and transgender acceptance as a matter of basic fairness and equality. I do too. Everyone, regardless of race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, sex, or mismatch between biological sex and gender identity should be treated with dignity and live free of bigotry and discrimination. The problem is that transgender identity is a far more complex phenomenon than most people realize, encompassing a variety of situations that range from an innate orientation to a political posture or cultural fad to personal struggles and mental health issues. In some cases, civil rights protections and societal acceptance are the only answer compatible with liberal values. In other cases, compassion and support are certainly warranted, but validation may amount to enabling self-destructive behavior.
Exhibit A: The latest New York magazine cover story by transgender journalist Gabriel Mac titled “My Penis, Myself,” which chronicles, in literally painful detail, the author’s phalloplasty.
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