The common belief about biological sex being two restrictive categories is flawed. Biological sex is a set of traits to describe certain human anatomy. Although, gender and sex might be perceived as a strict binary; it’s not as clear cut as you might think. 

Humans have naturally occurring variations, so of course “sex” is hard to define, as is gender. Making conclusions based on non-scientific notions is a huge mistake: neither sex nor gender is a restrictive category and because of this the transgender relationship with biological sex is a complicated one.  No, a person is not a girl simply because their chromosomes are XX. In fact, most people don’t even know for sure what chromosomes they have.

How do you define a person’s sex if their traits fit outside of the norm? This question is especially puzzling for transgender people, and medical transition is still relatively under-researched. The question on what sex really designates is difficult to answer; research on trans people is biased and hard to find because quite frankly: not enough care to do it. 

Gender is a human condition and a psychological process that cannot be restricted to what a body does. Many doctors, scientists, and psychologists have agreed upon this principle. Not all females or males may fit into the preconceived ideas about these categories. We can find examples of this outside of the typical western outlook of gender identity: 

• Two-spirit is a way to describe people in Native American cultures who have both a masculine and feminine spirit. Communities have their own specific terms for gender outside the binary that go back far into the history of many different Indigenous cultures. European colonization led to attempts at suppressing Indigenous culture, including the existence of two-spirits, but they are currently gaining more acceptance in their communities. 
• Hijras in South Asia are born with male sex traits but also include intersex perople. They are recognized in Hindu religious texts, found throughout South Asian history, and have an important place in Hinduism. Hijras are legally recognized as a third gender in India, Bangladesh, and Nepal, despite facing marginalization after their identities being criminalized during British colonization. 
• Calalai, Calabai, and Bissu are three genders outside of the binary recognized by the Bugis ethnic group of South Sulawesi, Indonesia. Calalai have female sexual characteristics but present in traditional masculine ways with a social position close to men’s. Calabai are born with male sexual characteristics and have a role similar to what is traditionally occupied by women, but they do not identify as women. Bissu people embody the entirety of masculinity and femininity. They are believed to surpass other genders and have a spiritual role.

Ignorance on gender identity fuels prejudice, and although subtle language and misconceptions might seem inconsequential, the lack of research and understanding from the general public will continue to hurt and even kill trans people as time goes on.

These misconceptions and myths about trans people directly relate to the violence against us. 

The data on trans people’s poor mental and physical well-being is astounding: 47 transgender people were killed since November 11, 2022, and about 50% of trans people have been victims of sexual violence.

The data on violence can be understated as it is very under-reported, and many trans people fear coming forward because of the likelihood of facing discrimination from both the justice system, doctors, and the general public.