“Misgender” is an artificially created word but it is a nonsense word (a la Edward Lear) which has been assigned a meaning which I shall show is unreal. It has been created to fit the woke fantasies and is an unnecessary word. “To misgender” (verb) means to assign a gender to someone (male or female) which does not match the desired gender of that someone. This is impossible in practice. Suppose person A perceives person B to be male and refers to person B as male. Person B – irrespective of whether actually male or female – wishes to be perceived as female and screams to high heaven that “she” is being “misgendered”. Person A has no interest or use for the word. Person B – if truly female – feels no great insult. Only if person B is actually a male, but who desires to be perceived as female (or vice versa), does that person take umbrage. Yet it is person B who is responsible and therefore liable for how he/she is perceived by others. The fault lies always with person B.
The artificial concept of “misgendering” is nonsensical because it rests on the utterly mistaken fantasy that a person may choose which gender to be. There is a tiny fraction of people (0.02%) who are born with physical aberrations which makes their gender truly ambiguous. There are a few (perhaps 1% of births) where mental aberrations lead to people genuinely believing they ought to be the other gender than they are. There are still others who are brain washed into believing likewise and some who pretend to that belief to get attention.
We need to start with identity.
I take the identity of a “thing” to be that which distinguishes that thing from every other thing in our universe.
The identity of any “thing” in our universe is then given by any unique combination of parameters that can distinguish it from all other things. These parameters can vary depending on the nature of the thing:
- Physical Things:
- Atomic Level: Spatial and temporal coordinates, quantum state, and isotopic composition.
- Macroscopic Objects: Spatial and temporal coordinates, mass, shape, chemical composition, and other physical properties.
- Concepts and Abstractions:
- Concepts: Definition, authorship, relationship to other concepts, and cultural context.
- Abstract Objects: Mathematical properties, logical axioms, and formal definitions.
- Living Things:
- Biological Parameters: Genetic code, species, developmental stage, and physiological state.
- Spatial and Temporal Parameters: Location and time of existence.
A human’s DNA is pretty well frozen at or soon after conception. Chromosomes and gender are fixed then – forever. A human’s unique identity in the universe is also determined at this time – forever. That unique identity persists, in fact, even after death. The probability of a particular human DNA sequence having ever existed or ever appearing again is vanishingly small.
The human genome contains approximately 3 billion base pairs. Each base pair can be one of four nucleotides: adenine (A), thymine (T), cytosine (C), or guanine (G). The likelihood of two individuals having identical DNA is extremely small, with estimates around 1 in 10^480000. This is an incredibly small number, essentially zero. Even considering the entire history of humanity and potential future generations, the chance of another person having the exact same DNA sequence as you is practically zero.
Humans often use other descriptors (name, physical attributes, occupation, ….) as part of their identity but these are just descriptors, adjectives, and not unique identifying parameters. Professions or occupations such as a lawyer or a doctor are descriptions and not strictly about identity. A descriptor may sometimes also be convenient as a supporting identifier, but is never sufficient on its own for identity. Descriptors may change during a person’s life or only apply for a short time. In the case of humans such descriptors are redundant for identity because something much more immutable is available in the form of a DNA sequence. What is absolutely clear is that an individual human cannot choose or change identity. They can certainly change and develop and gain descriptors during their lifetimes. They can change their skills and their jobs and their hair style and their weight and their appearance. They can even pretend to be other than they are. They cannot, though, change sex and they cannot change gender. They cannot choose their identity. They are who they are and not who they wish to be. They cannot ever change the DNA sequence they are born with. They may undergo all manner of treatment or therapy or surgery but their DNA remains unchanged.
It has become fashionable in the current age of woke hysteria to claim to be a victim of “misgendering”. (These are among the most cringe-inducing claims possible). It is a very artificial and awkward word and is a part of modern wokery. It is a verb based on the noun “gender”. But “misgendering” claims are all nonsense claims. When somebody is not perceived to be the gender they claim to be, it is always their own fault and their own responsibility. How one is perceived is not the responsibility of the perceiver but of the perceived. The remedy for an “erroneous” perception lies with the perceived not with the perceiver. There are indeed a few people who are genuinely transgender. They are clearly suffering from a mental condition in believing they are a different gender. They need medical and psychological support. But they are not usually the ones screeching about being misgendering victims. The majority of the self-proclaimed victims of “misgendering” are delusional or brainwashed. They are those who imagine and/or claim to be transgender in a desperate quest for attention. The worst of these attention-seekers are usually the ones who also whine loudest about being victims of “misgendering”.
Victims of “misgendering” have only themselves to blame for being perceived to be the gender they do not wish to be perceived as. Pretending to be the gender that you are not, does not help. You cannot impose your delusions about yourself to be the perceptions of others.
The reality is that only you can “misgender” yourself.
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