What is a woman?

A far right "gotcha" is no such thing

In the Senate confirmation hearings of U.S. Supreme Court nominee Ketanji Brown Jackson a few weeks ago, Jackson was was asked (in the video clip above) by Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) to define the word "woman." Jackson did not take the opportunity, explaining that she was not a biologist. Senator Blackburn opined that the exchange highlighted the “dangers of a progressive education.”

Asking politicians and others who support the rights of trans individuals to define “woman” has quickly spread among those on the political right, and is suggested to be some sort of “gotcha” question. Check out the clip below from Sky News Australia, in which the news reader assuredly opines that the definition of woman “is pretty simple, black and white.” She is right about that, but wrong in the substance.

Here is how I’d answer the question of “what is a woman?” — coming from someone who is currently studying the regulation of trans individuals in sport, and with expertise is how science is and is not connected to policy. Of note, I’m not a biologist either, but I do know what a woman is.

So, what is a woman?

• A woman is an individual who was assigned female at birth and has maintained that status until today.

• A woman also is an individual who was not assigned female at birth, but transitioned to a woman at some point before today.

That’s it. That’s the definition of a woman.

Senator Blackburn in the U.S. or Senator Antic in Australia do not have to like this definition, and they may prefer another. But wishes do not change reality. The map below (from Equaldex) shows the recent status of laws in different countries giving individuals the right to change genders. Across jurisdictions laws vary in their details, of course, but what is undeniable is who is a woman.

In this way, the question of “what is a woman?” parallels the question, “what is an American?” The answer is that an American is a citizen by birth or naturalization — that’s it, that’s the definition. No one need like that definition, and may prefer to speak of “real Americans” as a subset of actual Americans. All that sort of denial does is to reflect the biases, prejudices and sometimes even bigotry of those offering a definition at odds with reality.

The idea that we can look to science as an authority that rests above law and policy is evident in both cases of the Senators apparent efforts to deny the laws of their own countries. In defining a “woman,” I fully understand that some may prefer essentialist arguments focused on chromosomes, ovaries, giving birth or the like, but in actual fact, most of the world has decided to go in a different direction. Of course, that simply sets the stage for those on the losing end to try to use the issue to inflame passions for political gain, and in the process, create considerable harm to real people.

The ongoing battle over recognition of trans women in sport is simply mirrors a larger culture war, in which some (typically, but not always, on the far right) wish to deny the actual existence of trans women as women as a way to protest the reality of existing laws. It is part of the outrage playbook so common in our time.

My reply to these folks? Get over it. Trans women are in fact women.

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