On paper

Older binary transsexuals complain about the "pretenders", some youth confuse cross gender feelings for needing to transition, drag queens are now 'trans' when most don't identify as such. All this because we have put expression and identity on equal footing as being perfectly synonymous.

On paper the answer is simple: we let people be themselves. If you are male and want to wear a dress to work then knock yourself out. In the Toronto office of my former company there was a woman there who presented traditionally male (right down the haircut) but did not have a cross gender identity. She was a masculine and preferred to dress that way.

Ah yes, on paper it's easy but in practice not so much because the world is full of naysayers and idiots who get hung up on these things. Some have religious programming so severe that they need serious intervention. Gender is so sacrosanct that they are mentally blocked by it.

Will some people continue to need to transition? Oh absolutely but I will wager less than the ones who are currently waiting in the queue. The alternative is for the current situation to continue and we get confused over what 'trans' means which seems to differ depending on which website one visits. Regardless, we will always be talking about a very small fraction of the population so please everyone take a chill pill. Yes I know, easier said than done.

But seriously, don't we have bigger problems?