By Rachel Williams Recently, literary magazine The Antioch Review published an article by Dan Harris called “The Sacred Androgen: The Transgender Debate”. This article is deeply transphobic - this post is my response. The first “wtf” moment of Harris’ article is when he begins right away referring to trans people... Continue reading

By Rachel Williams Can trans people change their sex? In the trans community it’s passé to call bottom surgery getting a “sex change operation”. Many trans people believe they have always been their sex/gender and bottom surgery is merely bringing the body into alignment with the sex/gender that they have... Continue reading

By Rachel Williams I often tell people I am a trans woman. But what am I really? Proposed candidates include: Transgender woman Woman Sub-type of male Sub-type of female Unspecified third gender Mainstream trans ideology insists I am a “real woman”. Gender critical radical feminists insist I am really just... Continue reading

by Rachel Williams The theory of autogynephilia is a theory created by Ray Blanchard in the 1980s and 1990s about why some trans women pursue medical transition through HRT and surgery. Autogynephilia literally means “love of oneself as a woman”. Blanchard originally conceived of autogynephilia as a sexual fetish or... Continue reading

By Rachel Williams As I sit in my old bedroom at my parent's house, home for the holidays, I keep reflecting on the question of whether trans people are "brave". Trans people hear this all the time. "You're so brave". "You're so courageous". Why might people think this about trans... Continue reading

By Rachel Williams What happens when a patient demands a medical intervention that the doctor is reluctant to give? How does informed consent play a role in protecting the autonomy of the patient? How far can we push that principle? If the doctor thinks the intervention will reduce the patient’s... Continue reading

by Rachel Williams First of all, this is my first post on PhilPercs and I want to thank Jon Cogburn for inviting me to blog for this fantastic platform. I look forward to engaging with the philosophical community here - I can already tell I am going to learn a... Continue reading