Understanding transgenderism.

[Jehanne]

This did not originate with me, "But, is transgenderism hardware or software? Or, perhaps, more appropriately, firmware?" I would opt for the third option.

[Foxaèr]

Huh..?

[Jehanne]

This is in light of Dawkins' comments, Jerry Coyne, etc., who are biologists, of course; is one's gender everywhere and always reducible to one's biological sex?

[Foxaèr]

Of course not.

[Jehanne]

I would agree with that, but, of course, there are conservatives (including, some academics) who would say that being transgender is a choice, kind of like choosing Domino's over Pizza Hut.

[Foxaèr]

Unfortunately, there will always be ignorant people. The best we can do is attempt to steer them away from their ignorance with the knowledge we possess.

[Jehanne]

That's true, but, I thought the above analogy in my OP is a useful one, at least for me. For instance, one could play pong on an IBM mainframe, even though mainframes were not designed for such games, and Pong, on such a computer, would not be very enjoyable. No doubt the analogy is woefully inadequate, offensive to some, etc.

[Foxaèr]

Such an analogy only works with computer nerds.

[Duty]

There're two plausible causes of gender dysphoria/transgenderism that I'm aware of:

1. Internalised sexist gender role stereotypes (eg a boy thinking he is more like a girl on the inside).
2. Free floating unhappiness/existential anomy being mis-attributed to transgenderism (eg somebody thinking: "I'm just not happy/feel weird/don't feel I fit in....I know, I must have been born in the wrong body! That's it!")

The head of the UKs only NHS transgender clinic resigned fairly recently due to blinkered pressure from "pro-trans" advocacy groups to "diagnose" transgenderism and prescribe hormone treatment/surgery for every case of presented gender dysphoria - with clamouring hysterical calls of "TRANSPHOBIA!" and the consequent suppression of less....invasive treatments/diagnoses. A sorry situation with no clear remedial exit door I think. And no, I do not think it's possible to be "born in the wrong body."

[zwanzig]

Such an analogy only works with computer nerds.

This. ^^^

I have no idea what the OP is trying to say. You would need to explain to me "what does it mean that transgenderism is hardware? Software? Firmware?" Thus ruining the simplicity and point of the analogy.