This is a re-publication of an article I wrote for Centre for Inquiry Canada, which was originally published there (with the minor difference that the citations are presented differently on their website). Note also that Centre for Inquiry Canada is independent from Center for Inquiry (US), which I mentioned in a previous article.
My name is River, and I’m a trans woman (see picture). These days, anti-trans rhetoric is everywhere, and too often, these discussions happen without trans people present to challenge misconceptions and set the record straight.
Vocabulary notes:
A trans woman, short for transgender woman, is someone born with male organs but whose gender is feminine, and who transitions to live as a woman in society.
Symmetrically, a trans man is someone born with female organs who transitions to live as a man.
Non-binary: A term for people whose gender is outside the male/female binary. Non-binary people may identify as both, neither, or somewhere in between.
The word “cis” is the opposite of the word “trans” in Latin. Therefore, a “cis woman” just means a woman who is not trans, like most women.
In this article, I mainly discuss the experiences of trans men and trans women, but non-binary people are also trans. They face their own specific challenges, which I won’t cover here.
Are Trans Women Dangerous in Bathrooms?
This seems to be the # 1 obsession of transphobes. But the idea that trans women harass cis women in bathrooms has no basis in reality—there’s no documented evidence of it happening. In fact, studies show that allowing trans women to use women’s bathrooms does not increase any risks [2].
Transphobes also seem to completely forget that trans men exist, since most of their rhetoric is aimed at trans women. But statistically, if you had a group of 5 trans people, 2 would be trans women, 2 would be trans men, and 1 would be non-binary [4].
Laws that force people to use bathrooms based on biological sex cause serious problems for both cis and trans people:
Trans men would be forced into women’s bathrooms, which would be extremely awkward for cis women—because trans men look like men.
Trans women are much more likely to be harassed in men’s bathrooms [3] because:
They would be the only woman (or young girl) surrounded by men.
They face an even higher risk of harassment [5] due to transphobia, and it would be immediately obvious they are trans since they are using the "wrong" bathroom for their appearance.
It forces trans people to out themselves. Many trans women live in stealth mode, meaning they let people assume they’re cis women to avoid transphobia. But these bathroom laws would force them to out themselves every time—since people would see them entering the men’s bathroom. And, unsurprisingly, the places pushing these laws are often the most transphobic, where being stealth is the most valuable.
It creates an easy loophole for bad actors. A man could simply pretend to be a trans man and claim he’s a “biological woman” to enter women’s spaces. Since people would start seeing people who "don’t look right" in their bathrooms from time to time, this would actually make abuse easier, not harder.
For trans people, using the wrong bathroom is traumatizing [6]. It’s a constant reminder that society doesn’t believe us when we say who we are and that we’re seen as second-class citizens who don’t deserve the same rights.
They would create awkward situations for trans people all the time. People already challenge those who "don’t look right" in bathrooms, so trans people would constantly have to explain, "I’m only doing this to comply with stupid laws.". The law forces you to do the opposite of expected social conventions.
Are Kids Getting Irreversible Medical Procedures?
People often worry about cis kids who mistakenly think they’re trans and supposedly "damage" their bodies permanently—especially by becoming sterile. But let’s take a step back and look at what transitioning for kids actually looks like in reality:
Social transition is the first step. This includes changing pronouns, using a different name, and dressing differently. Nothing irreversible here.
The first medical step is puberty blockers. These delay natural puberty but don’t cause any permanent changes. If a child stops taking them, they simply go through their natural puberty as if they had never taken blockers [7,8].
The next step is HRT (Hormone Replacement Therapy). This means going through the puberty that matches a child’s gender identity instead of the one dictated by their birth sex. This does cause irreversible changes—just like any puberty does.
Bottom surgery (genital surgery) is never performed on minors in Canada [8]. The kind of surgery typically performed sometimes on minors is mastectomy (also called “top surgery”) for trans boys (note that blockers and HRT taken early enough avoid the need for it).
Also, keep in mind that even trans adults don’t necessarily undergo bottom surgery—in fact, most trans people haven’t had any surgery at all [10].
Why Not Just Avoid All Medical Procedures in Kids?
Because for actual trans kids, avoiding "natural" puberty is a huge deal.
This debate suffers from the same bias as vaccination debates—people fixate on rare potential side effects while completely ignoring the well-documented, life-changing benefits.
For trans people, puberty isn’t just a phase—it can cause permanent, unwanted changes that are difficult (or impossible) to reverse [7]. For instance, in the case of trans girls (which I know from first-hand experience):
Your voice will break and take on a masculine tone. If you want a feminine voice later, you’ll need to train it like a voice actor, which takes effort and time.
You’ll grow facial hair, which means dozens of painful laser or electrolysis sessions to remove it.
Your breasts won’t develop fully even with HRT later—early puberty blockers allow breast growth that looks more natural.
Overall, access to puberty blockers and HRT for trans kids has a significant positive impact on their mental health, reducing the risk of depression by 60% and the likelihood of suicidal thoughts or attempts by 70% [9].
Aren’t There Too Many Trans Kids?
Today, more kids identify as trans compared to the past. But surely there were no trans kids in the 90s, right?
I was a trans kid in the 90s. But when 7-year-old me said she wanted "to be a girl," all the other kids laughed at her. She quickly learned that it was better to never say things like that again. That’s why people think there were "no trans kids" back then.
Why Do Trans People Say That “Trans Women Are Women”?
I’m a lesbian, which means I’m attracted to women—and sometimes to feminine-presenting non-binary people. But my attraction isn’t based on sex—it’s based on gender.
If I meet a trans man (who is biologically female), I won’t find him attractive at all. On the other hand, I am attracted to trans women, even though they are not biologically female. This shows that, in real life, the word "woman" makes more sense as trans people use it, rather than in a strict biological sense. That’s one of the reasons we say "trans women are women."
If you don’t personally know trans people, you might think they always have an unusual or androgynous appearance. But that’s only because the trans people you notice are the ones who look different. Trans people who fully pass—trans women who look just like cis women—go unnoticed. You likely see them every day without realizing they’re trans.
But What About Biology? Aren’t Trans Women Still Men Biologically?
First, most trans people go on HRT (Hormone Replacement Therapy) if they can [10], which replaces their natural hormones with those of the gender they identify with. For anything controlled by hormones, trans women function like cis women, and trans men like cis men. For example, many trans women on HRT, including me, notice they cry more easily.
Second, people often assume that biology and hormones alone determine behavior differences between men and women. In reality, both biology and socialization play a role, and their exact influence is still debated in science.
For example, men are typically more violent than women—not just because of testosterone, but also because society reinforces aggressive behavior in men and discourages it in women [11]. We naturally adopt behaviors that are seen as “acceptable” for the gender we identify with. That’s why trans women, who identify as women, tend to pick up feminine behaviors—just like cis women do.
As a personal anecdote, I copied some feminine behaviors even before I realized I was a woman, just to give you an idea of how powerful this phenomenon is.
To be fair, there is a definition of "woman" where trans women wouldn’t count—if you define women strictly by chromosomes and reproduction. But by that logic, not all cis women would be women either!
For example, someone born with XY chromosomes but who is intersex might be socialized as a woman, develop a typical female body, and, if she identifies as a woman, she is a cis woman. She never transitioned, so no one sees her as a trans woman.
Also, being intersex isn’t as rare as people think—it affects 1.7 to 4% of the North American population [1], which means between 680,000 and 1.6 million people in Canada.
Conclusion
There are still a few misconceptions I haven’t covered, like those about trans athletes. But I feel this article is long enough, and while trans athletes are a relatively niche topic, the issue is often used as a tool to attack all trans people’s rights. That said, I doubt readers of this newsletter would be misled by such flawed arguments.
This isn’t just a scientific debate—it’s part of an ongoing cultural war aimed at erasing us from public life and stripping away our rights. What’s at stake here are the lives of actual trans people.
I hope this article gave you a better understanding of the trans perspective and that you learned something new about us.
References
Kruse, M.I., Baas-Sylvester, K., Wildeman, V. et al. Systematic review of guidelines for care of intersex people in the emergency department. Can J Emerg Med 27, 32–37 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1007/s43678-024-00797-y
Hasenbush, A., Flores, A.R. & Herman, J.L. Gender Identity Nondiscrimination Laws in Public Accommodations: a Review of Evidence Regarding Safety and Privacy in Public Restrooms, Locker Rooms, and Changing Rooms. Sex Res Soc Policy 16, 70–83 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13178-018-0335-z
Gabriel R. Murchison, Madina Agénor, Sari L. Reisner, Ryan J. Watson; School Restroom and Locker Room Restrictions and Sexual Assault Risk Among Transgender Youth. Pediatrics June 2019; 143 (6): e20182902. 10.1542/peds.2018-2902
Office for National Statistics (ONS), released 6 January 2023, ONS website, statistical bulletin, Gender identity, England and Wales: Census 2021
Violent Victimization by Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity, 2017–2020, Jennifer L. Truman, Ph.D., and Rachel E. Morgan, Ph.D., BJS Statisticians [here is a backup copy of this document before it was taken down by the U.S. administration]
Impact of Bathroom Discrimination on Mental Health Among Transgender and Nonbinary Youth. Price-Feeney, Myeshia et al. Journal of Adolescent Health, Volume 68, Issue 6, 1142 - 1147
Guss C, Gordon CM. Pubertal Blockade and Subsequent Gender-Affirming Therapy. JAMA Netw Open. 2022;5(11):e2239763. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2022.39763
How to access gender-affirming care: Options, Government of Canada
Tordoff DM, Wanta JW, Collin A, Stepney C, Inwards-Breland DJ, Ahrens K. Mental Health Outcomes in Transgender and Nonbinary Youths Receiving Gender-Affirming Care. JAMA Netw Open. 2022;5(2):e220978. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2022.0978
James SE et al. The Report of the 2015 U.S. Transgender Survey. National Center for Transgender Equality 2016. http://www.ustranssurvey.org/reports.
Bennett, Sarah & Farrington, David & Huesmann, L.. (2005). Explaining Gender Differences in Crime and Violence: The Importance of Social Cognitive Skills. Aggression and Violent Behavior. 10. 263-288. 10.1016/j.avb.2004.07.001.