Faces of Gender with Buck Angel
Starring entrepreneur and educator Buck Angel, Faces of Gender seeks to integrate the insights of gender-inclusive and gender-critical perspectives into a synthesis view.
CREDITS
Brought to you by: Synthesis Media
Director: Stephanie Lepp
Script: Stephanie Lepp and Buck Angel
Starring: Buck Angel
Music
Waltz of the Damned (Solo Piano), by JCar
Breezy, by mandimore
Kokobongo, by Alessandro Gugel
Special thanks: Marval A. Rex, Keith Martin-Smith, Igor Kruganov, Greg Johnstone, Jeff Salzman, Stella O'Malley, Elizabeth Debold, Dr. Adriane Fugh-Berman
POINTS OF SYNTHESIS
We’re talking about three interrelated things: biology (or sex), culture (or what’s often called gender), and psychology (or identity). Biology is the most fixed, but culture and psychology are equally important, and ultimately we need all three to understand what a woman (and what a man) is.
The question isn’t, “what’s more important: biology, culture, or psychology?” But instead, “under what circumstances should we lean on which of the three?”
No matter where we sit on the trans issue, we’re all up against a healthcare industry that drives over-medicalization, and an internet business model that drives poor body image, outrage, and polarization. Alleviating those perverse incentives would do a lot to alleviate the trans debate.
There may always be people for whom gender transition is the right path. And — to the extent that we create a culture where more people feel more comfortable in whatever body they inhabit — that path will be chosen less frequently with greater confidence.
SCRIPT
GENDER-CRITICAL: There are meaningful differences between men and women.
GENDER-INCLUSIVE: That there are meaningful differences between sex and gender identity.
GENDER-CRITICAL: Feeling like a woman doesn’t make you a woman.
GENDER-INCLUSIVE: I’m no TERF, but feeling like a woman doesn’t make you a female.
GENDER-CRITICAL: Inclusivity is important. But it can’t replace biology.
GENDER-INCLUSIVE: Can you imagine what it would be like if your biology felt wrong?!
Throughout history, there have been people whose gender identity did not map onto their sex. There have also been people who didn’t fit into a binary gender identity. And nowadays, people from David Bowie to Harry Styles are rejecting gender stereotypes altogether!
GENDER-CRITICAL: But trans people are reinforcing gender stereotypes. Like you!
If you’re a woman who likes to wear men’s clothing or is attracted to other women, you don’t need to become a man. You need to expand your definition of womanhood. Or deal with your homophobia.
GENDER-INCLUSIVE: Umm, trans people are using stereotypes in order to assimilate into their new gender identity. When I was in transition, I wore men’s suits and bowties in order to be perceived as a man.
We don’t have to choose between loosening gender stereotypes or letting people transition. We actually can do both.
GENDER-CRITICAL: The stakes are too high. Sports are becoming unfair, and bathrooms are becoming unsafe.
GENDER-INCLUSIVE: Unsafe for who? A quarter of trans adults report being physically as a result of being perceived as transgender. The stakes are also high for trans people.
GENDER-CRITICAL: Well then let’s talk about the highest stakes of all: our kids. Kids are making irreversible changes to their bodies, which could lead to infertility. Premature medicalization can be devastating.
Puberty can only be altered during puberty. That’s called science.
But if you’re worried about premature medicalization, try being more inclusive — so that young people who feel uncertain about their gender identity don’t feel pressure to medically transition.
SYNTHESIS: Gentleman. Females. Friends.
We’re talking about three interrelated things: biology (or sex), culture (or what’s often called gender), and psychology (or identity).
One of you thinks ‘what a woman is’ is entirely determined by a person’s sex, while the other thinks a woman is defined by whatever gender they identify with. In other words, one of you is leaning exclusively on biology, while the other is leaning exclusively on psychology and culture.
The truth is: biology is the most fixed, but culture and psychology are equally important, and ultimately we need all three legs of the stool to understand what a woman (and what a man) is. We need this damn stool, because this debate is honestly exhausting!
We’re also talking about different contexts — like sports, and classrooms. Sports is a competition between bodies, not a competition between identities. So perhaps in that context, we should categorize athletes according to their biology. Classrooms require civility. So perhaps there, we should identify people the way they want to be identified.
In other words, we should find a fair way to include trans women in sports, and we should strive to treat people the way they want to be treated, and those two things are not mutually exclusive.
Maybe the question isn’t: what’s more important: biology, culture, or psychology?
But instead: under what circumstances should we lean on which leg of the stool?
Look, we have a lot to learn. And it’s really hard to learn within the context of: a healthcare industry that drives over-medicalization, an internet business model that makes us think negatively about our bodies, and fight all the time! But I think we’ve learned enough to say:
All transgender people deserve legal protections and medical care. But the right to make irreversible body modifications should probably be reserved at least until the age of consent — except maybe in rare, evidence-based circumstances. I’m living proof that medical transition in adulthood can work!
I might not be the right face for Faces of Gender. I’m an old Tranpa. I transitioned in the early 90’s, when no one knew what transgender was, and it was impossible to get care. So my views about transitioning might be a little old-school, and many progressive young trans people don’t totally understand me.
I have been harsh because I care! I’m like a worried grandpa who’s grumpy about you being unsafe. Could I be less frustrated? Maybe. Would it be more effective? I don’t know. But please know I’m coming not from hate but from love.
I think we’d all love for everyone to feel comfortable in their bodies. But the truth is: no one feels comfortable 100% of the time, especially not teenagers. There will always be people for whom gender transition is the right path. And — to the extent that we create a culture where more people feel more comfortable in whatever body they inhabit — that path will be chosen with greater confidence.
Faces of X is a series devoted to perceiving reality more fully. Watch the full series and make your own.
CUTTING ROOM FLOOR
Nuggets that didn’t make it into the script:
ANGEL’S STORY
Buck will always regret tattooing his wrist when he was 17 — with the female symbol! He covered it up with a Playboy tattoo. Meaningful, ironic, and a good reminder of the age of consent.
He acknowledges that progressive young trans people don’t totally understand him. He also admits that he doesn’t totally understand them. But he knows that comparing his transition journey to theirs is like comparing apples to oranges. He had his struggles, and they have theirs. He experienced homophobia, transphobia, and everything in between, but he has no idea what it’s like to come of age in the ruthless era of social media.
EXAMPLES & STATS
Examples of peoples throughout history whose gender identity didn’t map onto their sex: the Hijra in India, the Onabe in Japan, and the two-spirit people among Native Americans
The percentage of trans youth (ages 6-17) who seek medical intervention is actually relatively small – just 16%.
The number of young people who identify as transgender has nearly doubled in recent years. So it’s likely that more young people think they're trans today than will be the case in a decade.
We don’t fully understand the relationship between culture and biology, and the idea that there’s a hard line between them is itself contested. For example, in societies where the male gender-role requires physical strength and exertion, we see an exaggeration of the biological differences between female and male muscular structures and body types. In societies where the male gender-role don’t require a high degree of physical strength, secondary sex characteristics such as body type and musculature are more evenly matched among females and males. Put simply: culture and biology co-evolve.
CONTEXT
There are dangers on both sides of this debate: young people not having their preferred gender affirmed can lead to depression (and worse), and young people prematurely having their preferred gender medicalized can lead to….the same place. Puberty can only be altered during puberty, but that’s also precisely the time when we’re discovering ourselves, and experimenting with our identity.
Multiple things are changing at the same time, which complicate the debate:
We’re renegotiating gender roles — with women entering all areas of public life, and men entering all areas of private life
We’re surfacing new (and old) forms of gender fluidity
New technology is enabling people to change their body to match their gender identity
Furthermore, this debate is happening within the context of: a healthcare industry that over-medicalizes, and an internet business model that makes us think negatively about our bodies, and fight all the time. No wonder it’s so fraught!
Two forces have collided: smartphones and social media caused teen mental health to plummet while the trans rights movement was emerging, presenting gender transition as a potential cure to mental distress. Sometimes it is, and sometimes it’s not.
Polarization is terrible for learning, because we just see what we want to see. The left refuses to admit uncertainty around gender-affirming care, and the right exploits uncertainty to ban access to it. The left shuns de-transitioners, and the right exploits them to push their agenda. It’s precisely because we have so much to learn that de-transitioners should be respected as a hard-won source of insight into the complexities of the trans experience.
SYNTHESIS
Young people can experiment non-permanently, e.g. with clothing
As with most things in life, it’s impossible to know that a young transitioner won’t have regrets
We all value safety, fairness, and inclusivity. The question is: how do we balance those values, and navigate trade-offs between them — especially when one person’s safety conflicts with another person’s inclusivity?
Reframe the debate:
From: pro-trans vs. anti-trans
To: those of us who want people to feel more comfortable in their bodies (and more confident in their decision to change them) vs. people who are legitimately transphobic or so blinded by ideology that they can’t see the dangers of premature affirmation – let alone medicalization
What percentage of trans women who are attracted to men would have been equally happy as gay men? Maybe there’s not one right answer of what combination of sex, gender, and identity would make us happy. Perhaps we’re much more fluid and unpredictable than we give ourselves credit for. But some combinations are less medically risky than others.
In the words of gender futurist Elizabeth Debold, “I would love to see scientific research that shows that there is no long-term harm in medical interventions of all kinds, from puberty blockers to surgery. My hunch is that it doesn't exist.
There seems to be psychological trouble if intervention happens or it doesn't. Do kids whose hormones are changed in adolescence run a greater cancer risk in adulthood? I don't think it's known. Are they likely to have other issues due to the addition or suppression of their body's hormones? This is a HUGE experiment.
Rather than trying to change the pattern of hormones in children's bodies to conform to this false dichotomy, why don't we try to embrace the range of human qualities and capacities expressed by persons with whatever bodies they have?
Remember Mr. Rogers: Every body's fancy, every body's fine. Your body's fancy and so is mine! :-)”
REFERENCES
ARTICLES
As Kids, They Thought They Were Trans. They No Longer Do. By Pamela Paul (2024)
Largest survey of transgender people in the US reveals key insights at a time when trans rights are under attack, by Chandelis Duster (2024)
Integral Approach to Sexual Identity, by Michele Eliason (2022)
Coding Gender, by Jeff Cohen (2022)
PODCASTS & VIDEOS
What Is a Man? By Keith Martin-Smith (2023)
Sex, Identity, Gender: Beyond Wokism and Trumpism, by Corey deVos and Keith Martin-Smith (2023)
Sex & Culture: Warren Farrell & Mary Harrington, Rebel Wisdom (2022)
Gender Fluidity, Fruitful and Fanatic, with Jeff Salzman (2022)
Transtrenders, ContraPoints (2020)
Gender Critical, ContraPoints (2019)
Pronouns, ContraPoints (2019):
Bret Weinstein and Heather Heying - Gender Ideology vs Biology, Rebel Wisdom (2019)
Ken Wilber - Upper Right (objective-individual) view of sex and gender (2017)
Integral Sex and Gender, with Warren Farrell and Ken Wilber (2004)