On the "Moderate Transsexual" Question
Exposing the Illusions of Moderation in the Gender Debate
I used to argue for the "moderate transsexual" position, but it’s no longer tenable. I had sex reassignment surgery at the age of 19 in 1994, and until about 2020 I described myself as a “transsexual woman”. I use different terminology now. In this article I will critique the allegedly moderate positions of notable transsexual Brianna Wu and explain how he fails to actually be a moderate in any meaningful sense that distinguishes him from a typical transgender activist, and I will suggest more tenable moderate positions.
Brianna Wu, a self-described “normal trans woman” or “moderate transsexual” has recently gained attention among the heterodox left, including Bari Weiss, Triggernometry, Nancy Rommelmann, and many others who have showered attention on Wu principally because Wu has been willing to jam a screwdriver into the back of the progressive movement following Kamala Harris’s failure to win the 2024 US election. In each of these programs, Wu tries to make the case that he is a “moderate transsexual”. But his positions fall short.
Position on Sex-Trait Modification in Children
Transgender activist position: (1) Gender-affirming care is a human right. Criticisms aside, there are studies that show benefits to (2) social transition, (3) puberty blockers, and (4) other forms of medicalization including cross-sex hormones and surgeries to alter secondary sex traits.
Brianna Wu’s position: Wu in general believes boys should be medicalized in adolescence and girls should normally wait until adulthood. (1) Gender-affirming care is evidence-backed and the “best treatment” for gender dysphoria. Wu’s “highest goal” is to ensure access to this treatment, including to minors. (2) Social transition done in secret by schools is bad; social transition otherwise is up to parents. (3) Puberty blockers are necessary for boys to avoid “bodily destruction”. (4) Although there should be greater safeguarding steps before surgery, reconstructing a girl’s amputated breasts is “genuinely not a big deal”.
A moderate position: (1) Children should not be transitioned. In cases of extreme adult gender dysphoria, some limited procedures should be available. (2) Boys and girls should be encouraged to explore activities and interests without being shamed on the basis of gender stereotypes. It is abusive to tell a child they can become the opposite sex and to undertake social transition. (3) No child needs to be medicalized for gender dysphoria. Instead, they should have therapy and be encouraged to engage in exercises that help them feel comfortable in their bodies. (4) All sex-trait surgery on minors should be banned, no exceptions.
Position on Men in Women’s Sports
Transgender activist position: (1) Trans women are women, and therefore deserve to have access and accommodation to all sports that any other girls or women play. (2) Trans women have no natural advantages over women.
Brianna Wu’s position: (1) Some trans women are women. These are the trans women who assimilate and are androphilic. Wu understands that he is male, and believes the people he interacts with see him as a woman. (2) Although trans women do have biological advantages in sport, it is bigotry to have female-exclusive categories in activities like pinball and chess.
A moderate position: (1) “Trans women” are men who attempt to disguise their sex so they have social interactions and relationships in ways similar to women. (2) Because trans women are actually men, they should not participate in women’s sports or in any other competitive activity that has been established to afford women opportunities they’d otherwise struggle to achieve.
Position on Trans Women (ie, Males) in Women’s Spaces
Transgender activist position: (1) Trans women are women. Enough said.
Brianna Wu’s position: (1) Trans women who have had “bottom surgery” should be allowed in all women’s spaces. Women should not have to encounter penises in private spaces. Unless the trans woman is on estrogen.
A moderate position: (1) Males should not be in any space where women are naked and have a reasonable expectation of privacy. Third spaces should be available for those who have had significant changes to their sex traits.
Position on the Culture War
Transgender activist position: (1) There is presently an ongoing trans genocide. (2) TERFS and conservatives are trying to exterminate and oppress trans people.
Brianna Wu’s position: (1) There is a trans genocide, but Wu will not say so directly. (2) TERFS are man-hating ideologues who do not deserve to have political power.
A moderate position: (1, 2) After more than a decade of extreme trans activism, it’s time to reset to a position where women’s rights and women’s spaces are protected and respected. People who transition should be allowed to enjoy the same civil rights as anyone else, but crazy demands have got to stop.
Conclusion: Toward a Genuine Moderation
The label of "moderate transsexual" has been co-opted to defend positions that are anything but moderate. Figures like Brianna Wu, while positioning themselves as reasonable voices, fail to offer meaningful distinctions from mainstream transgender activism. This does a disservice to those of us who have long sought to protect women and children while advocating for fairness and reason in these debates.
True moderation must confront uncomfortable truths: children should not be transitioned, women’s spaces and sports must remain protected, and ideological demands must not override basic rights and biological realities. It is time to reset the conversation. The extreme demands of trans activism have pushed society to a breaking point, and only by returning to grounded, principled positions can we hope to restore balance and protect what matters most.
If the classical liberal viewpoints on the left want to continue to espouse debate and reason in public policy, the programs that bring on guests like Wu need to be prepared to push back and ask probing and difficult questions. Otherwise, they risk providing unearned credibility to the illiberal ideologies we are working to dismantle.
Totally agree. I emphasize that there should be no child transition, including NO medical interventions to appear the opposite sex and NO social transition. As you said, children and teens should never be shamed for their interests, ways of expressing themselves, or general levels of masculinity or femininity. Instead of telling effeminate boys they are girls and then going out and buying new clothes and letting them grow their hair, how about assuring a boy there is nothing wrong with dressing differently than most boys or having long hair or playing with Barbie dolls? Same for masculine girls. They don't need anything other than acceptance.
For teens, some may need therapy if they have strong self-hatred connected to their bodies, but they should also be re-assured that they are fine as they are, and allowed to express themselves however they like w/o medical interventions and without social transition. For adults - 25 and up - my position is that these extreme cosmetic interventions should not be outlawed, any more than we would outlaw other extreme cosmetic procedures, and they can socially pretend they are the opposite sex in general (except as noted below). However, in addition to assuring that the person seeking these interventions is mentally stable, there should never be an indication that this is a medical intervention. They should be given the full list of effects and side effects and potential problems, including the unknowns, and allowed to do this if they want to. It should not be covered by insurance/Medicaid because it is not a medical treatment. Nobody who has such cosmetic interventions should be discriminated against - fired, excluded from housing, prevented from marrying or adopting, disrespected or physically harmed. However, no man - regardless of cosmetic procedures - has the right to enter women only bathrooms (though some will because they "pass" and are stealth, as has always been the case), locker rooms and showers, women's prisons, women's domestic abuse shelters, rape crisis centers, homeless shelters, or participate in women's sports. That's it.
This is a a succinct and accurate distillation, thank you! I especially appreciate where you highlight the difference in Wu's opinions on child transition in boys vs. girls. This disparity jumped out at me, and Wu seems absolutely thrilled to chime in on the phenomenon of girls transitioning being something different from boys. I agree that it is (mostly and historically) a different phenomenon but as time goes on, the contagion aspect has almost certainly bled into some of the boys' experiences. Beyond that, I sense a dismissal in Wu's tone of the level of distress that girls are experiencing, that makes transition an attractive option. I hear in it the completely self serving view that boys with gender distress are suffering something "real" where girls are are just going through a phase. It tracks with Wu's general attitude toward women (unless those women offer a potentially lucrative platform). Thanks again to you and Nina, for enduring Wu's behavior, it brought to light the underlying misogyny that I can't unsee.