An Inconvenient Truth for TERFs: Trans Men Can Be Feminists Too

Debunking the Biased Arguments in Lisa Shultz's "Girls, Are You Sure?" Affirming Trans Identities and Bodily Autonomy

Photo by Matheus Ferrero on Unsplash

Unpacking a Smorgasbord of Transmisia

Hello there PITT crew, how are you all doing? Today we are going to talk about Lisa Shutlz’s article "Girls, Are You Sure? Is it worth giving up on being a girl?" Author Lisa Shultz argues against gender transition for trans youth assigned female at birth.¹ Through a series of leading questions, she implies that being a girl is inherently valuable and that transitioning to live as a boy or man means "giving up" one's true self. Shultz's piece relies heavily on biased framing, myths about trans identities, and logically fallacious arguments to make her case in a way that dismisses the real experiences of trans people.

This article will dissect the manipulative rhetoric used, fact-check the many misconceptions promoted, center the voices of actual trans men, reframe the conversation around bodily autonomy, and envision a more inclusive feminism in response to Shultz. Her article is a prime example of the kind of emotionally charged and pseudoscientific arguments that are often used to undermine the validity of trans identities, especially those of trans youth. We must critically examine the underlying assumptions at play.

Concern Trolling 101
Emotional Manipulation Masked as Care

From the very first line, Shultz employs emotionally manipulative language to provoke feelings of fear and sentimentality about womanhood in her target audience. The title, "Girls, Are You Sure?", has a patronizing tone, as if trans boys could not possibly know their own minds and needs. It is followed by the leading question, "Is it worth giving up on being a girl?", which presumes that being a girl is something inherently valuable that would be tragic to lose.²

This type of leading question is used throughout the article to subtly undermine the legitimacy of trans boys' identities by appealing to emotion rather than reason. Shultz asks questions like "Are you sure you will be safer presenting yourself as a trans man?"³ This plays on parents' fears about their child's well-being while providing no actual evidence that trans men are less safe.

Similarly, she asks "If something you decide to do makes a loved one cry, could something be amiss in your decision?"⁴ This question is a blatant guilt trip, implying that a child's personal identity and bodily autonomy should be contingent on their parents' approval. A girl who likes short hair and pants instead of dresses would never be asked to consider her mother's tears before getting a haircut. The double standard for trans youth is clear.

The entire framing of the article around "giving up on being a girl" promotes the cisnormative assumption that being cisgender (i.e. identifying with one's assigned sex at birth) is the natural default, and that being transgender is an aberration.⁵ Shultz's possessive language about "the amazing girl or woman you are naturally" erases the reality that trans boys are not confused girls, but boys who were assigned female at birth.⁶

This framing also rests on biological essentialist notions of womanhood and manhood. Shultz equates being female with having breasts, a uterus, and the ability to get pregnant. She assumes that all girls should want to "embrace a different way and still remain a woman" as if womanhood is defined by biology rather than identity.⁷ This ideology has long been used to exclude not just trans people, but infertile and intersex cis women, from "real" womanhood.⁸

Fact-Checking the Fearmongering:
Debunking Transition Myths

Throughout her article, Shultz heavily implies that transitioning leads to regret, health problems, sexual issues, and loss of relationships without providing any factual evidence for these claims. This is a classic example of the slippery slope fallacy, in which one assumes a relatively small first step (i.e. a trans boy socially transitioning) will lead to a chain of related events culminating in a significant and negative effect (i.e. misery and detransition).⁹

In reality, studies show that transition significantly improves mental health and quality of life for trans people. A 2019 study by the American Academy of Pediatrics found that access to pubertal suppression treatment was associated with lower odds of lifetime suicidal ideation among transgender adults.¹⁰ According to the 2015 U.S. Transgender Survey, respondents who had undergone gender-affirming surgeries reported significantly lower rates of psychological distress and suicidal ideation compared to those who had not.¹¹

Regret rates for gender transition are actually very low. A 2021 meta-analysis of 27 studies found that only 1% of trans people who underwent gender-affirming surgery experienced regret.¹² Detransition is even rarer - a 2015 survey by the National Center for Transgender Equality found that only 8% of respondents reported detransitioning at some point, and 62% of those people later returned to living as a gender different from the one they were assigned at birth.¹³

Shultz also misrepresents the current scientific consensus on gender identity. Major medical organizations like the American Academy of Pediatrics, American Medical Association, and American Psychological Association all affirm that gender-affirming care is safe, effective, and medically necessary for trans youth.¹⁴ As Dr. Jack Turban, a fellow in child and adolescent psychiatry at Stanford University School of Medicine, explains: "Overall, we found that accessing gender-affirming hormones during adolescence is linked to better mental health outcomes in adulthood.”¹⁵ and follows up with “Some media reports have called gender-affirming medical care for trans adolescents "experimental." This is not true."¹⁶

Trans Men Aren't a Monolith (Shocking, We Know)

One of the most glaring omissions in Shultz's article is the voices and lived experiences of actual trans men and transmasculine people. She makes sweeping generalizations about how all trans men will inevitably miss "girls' nights" and female bonding, as if trans men are a monolith with universally feminine interests and experiences.¹⁷ This is a hasty generalization fallacy, in which one makes a broad conclusion based on limited examples.¹⁸

In contrast, many trans men report feeling alienated from girlhood and much more at home in male friendships. Grayson Bell writes: "it was like putting on a costume. It was fun for a brief period, but it wasn’t me."¹⁹ Other trans men recall the gender euphoria and self-recognition they felt when first allowed to cut their hair short, wear masculine clothes, and be seen as boys.

Shultz also creates a false dilemma between embracing femininity and transitioning, as if trans men cannot be feminine.²⁰ But some trans men enjoy playing with gender expression and do not feel the need to be stereotypically masculine.²¹ "People need to realize that gender expression is not always about what someone’s gender label is, and that not all gender expression is an appeal to gender identity," explains Danny, a 23-year-old trans man.²²

When you consider the article's many invasive questions about his body and regrets, I believe they are dehumanizing. Cis people don't get asked to justify their gender like this. Shultz is concern trolling and it's obvious she doesn't actually care about the well-being of others. These leading questions about sterility and regret would be considered inappropriate if asked of cis people making decisions about their reproductive health.

My Body, My Choice: Radical Idea, We Know

At its core, Shultz's article is an argument against the bodily autonomy of trans youth. Her framing of transition as "giving up" one's "true" female self denies the reality of trans men's gender and the importance of self-determination.²³ As Janet Mock writes in her memoir Redefining Realness:

"I believe that telling our stories, first to ourselves and then to one another and the world, is a revolutionary act. It is an act that can
be met with hostility, exclusion, and violence.
It can also lead to love, understanding, transcendence, and community."

Mock's words underscore that embracing one's true identity is not about "losing" anything, but about gaining everything - truth, authenticity, and the freedom to live one's life with dignity.²⁴

This freedom is what bodily autonomy is all about. As the UNFPA]s Dr. Natalia Kanem states:

“Bodily autonomy means my body is for me; my body is my own. It’s about power, and it’s about agency. It’s about choice, and it’s about dignity. 

Bodily autonomy is the foundation for gender equality, and above all, it’s a fundamental right.”²⁵

Forcing trans people to go through the wrong puberty, as Shultz advocates, violates this fundamental human right. It's a form of gender-based oppression that feminism must stand against. Shultz takes a position rooted in biological essentialism, and equates being female with having a uterus and breasts, as if those body parts define womanhood.²⁶

The fact is, everyone deserves the right to make decisions about their own body and identity, regardless of their age or assigned sex at birth. Denying trans people that right is not only cruel, but can lead to a lifetime of health issues and psychological distress.²⁷ Shultz's concern about regret ignores the very real harm caused by denying trans people the ability to live authentically.

Feminism fights for every person's right to make decisions about their own body and life, regardless of their gender identity. As intersectional feminist scholar Kimberlé Crenshaw puts it:

"If we aren't intersectional, some of us, the most vulnerable,
are going to fall through the cracks."

Supporting trans youth's bodily autonomy is essential to an inclusive, justice-oriented feminism - one that leaves no one behind.

Plot Twist: Trans Men Can Be Feminists Too

Shultz's article presents a very narrow view of feminism and womanhood that excludes trans people. She implies that transitioning is inherently anti-feminist and that "sisterhood" cannot include trans men.²⁸ But this ignores the reality that trans men can be and often are active participants in the fight against patriarchy and gendered oppression.

Feminism is not just about advocating for people assigned female at birth, but about dismantling all gender-based oppression. Trans men face misogyny, transmisia, and male violence just like women do.²⁹ Excluding them from feminist movements only serves to uphold the rigid gender binary that feminism seeks to dismantle. This touches upon a common observation outside the TERF anti-trans movement, particularly when framed in feminism - it is antithetical to hold an anti-trans position while proclaiming that one is a feminist. If you are a woman, then holding anti-trans views also means advocating against your own self-interest.

In fact, many trans men and transmasculine people are on the front lines of intersectional feminist activism. Trans masculine artist and activist Alok Vaid-Menon challenges gender norms through their work. Transgender journalist and researcher Alex Verman writes about the intersections of transmisia and misogyny³⁰, and writer Thomas Page McBee³¹. McBee writes:

“My feminist mother taught me to speak up. Now, as a trans man, I am trying to make space for women to be heard.” Trans men belong in feminist spaces not despite their gender, but because of it.“

True solidarity means embracing a diversity of genders and experiences. It means recognizing that there is no one right way to be a woman or a feminist. An inclusive feminism makes room for trans men's complex relationships to gender and doesn't demand that they deny their authentic selves in order to be part of the "sisterhood."

Conclusion

Lisa Shultz's article "Girls, Are You Sure?" relies on biased framing, emotional manipulation, and pseudoscience to argue against the validity of trans identities. Her leading questions and incorrect claims promote a view of gender that would force trans people to live inauthentically for the comfort of others.

But we must see this rhetoric for what it is: a denial of trans people's basic humanity and right to self-determination. These arguments, however well-intentioned, have real and dangerous consequences for trans youth. As Dr. Turban notes, "There is a significant inverse association between treatment with pubertal suppression during adolescence and lifetime suicidal ideation among transgender adults who ever wanted this treatment."³² To paraphrase that in my own words, “Forcing transgender youth to go through endogenous puberty is associated with poor mental health outcomes, including suicide attempts.”

Trans people deserve respect, not condescension. They deserve autonomy, not guilt trips. It's time to trust trans youth to know their own minds and needs. It's time to fight for a world where trans people of all ages can live safely and authentically, without having to justify their existence. There is nor right or wrong way to be a man, a woman, or non-binary. Since Mrs. Shultz seems to like Japanese proverbs, perhaps she will like a real one:

“There are many paths to the top of Mount Fuji”

This proverb implies there are multiple valid ways to achieve a goal or live one's life. Here I use it to demonstrate that there is no one singular way to be a man, woman, or non-binary.

To support trans communities, we must critically examine the biases and assumptions in articles like Shultz's. We must uplift trans voices and educate ourselves on the realities of trans experiences with reputable sources. And we must materially support trans-led advocacy organizations working to protect trans rights and increase access to gender-affirming care.

Only then can we build a society and a feminism that is truly inclusive of all genders. As trans actress and activist Laverne Cox put it:

"We are born as who we are, the gender thing is
something that is imposed on you."³³

It's time to let trans people be who they have always been.
That is true authenticity.

1. Shultz, Lisa. "Girls, Are You Sure? Is it worth giving up on being a girl?" EyesOpen, 1 Nov. 2024. https://thetranstrain.substack.com/p/girls-are-you-sure

2. Shultz, Lisa. 1 Nov. 2024. See 1 Above.

3. Shultz, Lisa. 1 Nov. 2024. See 1 Above.

4. Shultz, Lisa. 1 Nov. 2024. See 1 Above.

5. Israel Berger & Y. Gavriel Ansara."Cisnormativity.” The SAGE Encyclopedia of Trans Studies, edited by Abbie E. Goldberg and Genny Beemyn, vol. 1, SAGE Publications, Inc., 2021, pp. 121-125.
NB: This is a very expensive thing to purchase with no free available PDFs online, so the wikipedia article, which uses the same source(s), will have to do:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cisnormativity

6. Shultz, Lisa. 1 Nov. 2024. See 1 Above.

7. Shultz, Lisa. 1 Nov. 2024. See 1 Above.

8. Sumerau, J.E. "Cisgendering Reality." Transgressing Feminist Theory and Discourse, Routledge, 2020. https://jsumerau.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/Social-Currents-2015-Sumerau-2329496515604644.pdf

9. "Slippery Slope Fallacy." Logical Fallacies, Excelsior Online Writing Lab, LINK.

10. Turban, Jack L et al. "Pubertal Suppression for Transgender Youth and Risk of Suicidal Ideation." Pediatrics vol. 145,2 (2020): e20191725. doi:10.1542/peds.2019-1725
Link: https://publications.aap.org/pediatrics/article/145/2/e20191725/68259/Pubertal-Suppression-for-Transgender-Youth-and

11. James, S. E., Herman, J. L., Rankin, S., Keisling, M., Mottet, L., & Anafi, M. (2016). The Report of the 2015 U.S. Transgender Survey. Washington, DC: National Center for Transgender Equality. Link: https://transequality.org/sites/default/files/docs/usts/USTS-Full-Report-Dec17.pdf

12. Bustos, Valeria P et al. "Regret after Gender-affirmation Surgery: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of Prevalence." Plastic and reconstructive surgery. Global open vol. 9,3 e3477. 15 Mar. 2021, doi:10.1097/GOX.0000000000003477
Link[PDF]: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8099405/pdf/gox-9-e3477.pdf

13. James, S. E., et al.(2016). See 11 Above.,

14. "Professional Organization Statements Supporting Transgender People in Health Care." Lambda Legal, https://legacy.lambdalegal.org/sites/default/files/publications/downloads/resource_trans-professional-statements_09-18-2018.pdf.

15. Turban, J. [@jack_turban]. (2022, January 12). Overall, we found that accessing gender-affirming hormones…”. Twitter. https://x.com/jack_turban/status/1481336823993356292?lang=en

16. Turban, J. (2021, July 16). Some media reports have called gender-affirming medical care for #trans adolescents "experimental." This is not true." Twitter. Retrieved November 17, 2024, from https://x.com/jack_turban/status/1481336823993356292?lang=en

17. Shultz, Lisa. 1 Nov. 2024. See 1 Above.

18. "Hasty Generalization." Logical Fallacies, Excelsior Online Writing Lab, LINK.

19. Bell, G. (2020, October 19). FTM transition: Do I have any regrets? Medium. Retrieved November 17, 2024, from https://medium.com/age-of-awareness/ftm-transition-do-i-have-any-regrets-2f4897701599

20. Shultz, Lisa. 1 Nov. 2024. See 1 Above.

21. INTO. (n.d.). Femme trans men on what you should know about gender expression. INTO. Retrieved November 17, 2024, from https://www.intomore.com/impact/femme-trans-men-on-what-you-should-know-about-gender-expression/

22. See 19 Above, Interview.

23. Shultz, Lisa. 1 Nov. 2024. See 1 Above.

24. Redefining Realness and Surpassing Certainty - List of her books here.

25. United Nations Population Fund. (2022, March 16). Bodily autonomy: A fundamental right. [Keynote by UNFPA Executive Director Dr. Natalia Kanem]. https://www.unfpa.org/press/bodily-autonomy-fundamental-right

26. Shultz, Lisa. 1 Nov. 2024. See 1 Above.

27. Olson, Kristina R. "Prepubescent Transgender Children: What We Do and Do Not Know." Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, vol. 55, no. 3, 2016, pp. 155-156.e3., doi:10.1016/j.jaac.2015.11.015. Link: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26903246/

28. Shultz, Lisa. 1 Nov. 2024. See 1 Above.

29. Abelson, Miriam J. "Men in Place: Trans Masculinity, Race, and Sexuality in America." University of Minnesota Press, 2019.

30. Verman, Alex. "Go ahead, transition." Xtra Magazine, 25 Nov 2021, https://xtramagazine.com/power/transition-non-binary-trans-desire-173589

31. McBee, Thomas P. “My Voice Got Deeper. Suddenly, People Listened.” The New York Times, 9 Aug 2019. https://www.nytimes.com/2018/08/09/style/transgender-men-voice-change.html

32. See 10 Above.

33. Cox, Laverne. Quoted in "Laverne Cox: 'Now I Have the Money to Feminize My Face. But I Don't Want To. I'm Happy.'" The Guardian, 8 Jun 2019, https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2015/jun/14/laverne-cox-orange-new-black-transgender.