It's an amalgamation of bodies, identities and life experiences, of subconscious urges, sensations and behaviors, some of which develop organically, and others which are shaped by language and culture. Instead of saying that all gender is this or all gender is that, let's recognize that the word gender has scores of meanings built into it. So I ask you: Can't we find new ways of speaking? Shouldn't we be championing new slogans that empower all of us, whether trans or non-trans, queer or straight, female and/or male and/or none of the above? It's easy to fictionalize an issue when you are not fully in touch with all of the ways in which you are privileged by it. Whenever I hear someone who has not had a transsexual experience say that gender is just a construct or merely a performance, it always reminds me of that Stephen Colbert gag where he insists that he doesn't see race. Provided that you're not a trans man who has to navigate the discrepancy between his male identity and female history during job interviews and first dates.

And of course, this is a convenient strategy, provided that you're not a trans woman who lacks the means to change her legal sex to female, and who thus runs the very real risk of being locked up in an all-male jail cell. Look, I know that many contemporary queer folks and feminists embrace mantras like 'all gender is performance,' 'all gender is drag,' and 'gender is just a construct.' They seem empowered by the way these sayings give the impression that gender is merely a fiction.

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