Sex used to rule. Now gender identity is on the throne. Sex
survives as a cheap imitation of its former self: assigned at
birth, on a spectrum, socially constructed, and definitely not
binary. Apparently quite a few of us fall outside the categories
‘male’ and ‘female’. But gender identity is said to be universal –
we all have one. Humanity used to be cleaved into two sexes,
whereas now the crucial division depends on whether our gender
identity aligns with our body. If it does, we are cisgender; if it
does not, we are transgender. The dethroning of sex has meant the
threat of execution for formerly noble words such as ‘woman’ and
‘man’.
In this provocative, bold, and humane book, the philosopher Alex
Byrne pushes back against the new gender revolution. Drawing on
evidence from biology, psychology, anthropology and sexology, Byrne
exposes the flaws in the revolutionary manifesto. The book applies
the tools of philosophy, accessibly and with flair, to gender, sex,
transsexuality, patriarchy, our many identities, and our true or
authentic selves.
The topics of Trouble with
Gender are relevant to us all. This is a book for
anyone who has wondered ‘Is sex binary?’, ‘Why are men and women
different?’, ‘What is a woman?’ or, simply, ‘Where can I go to know
more about these controversies?’
Revolutions devour their own children, and the gender revolution
is no exception. Trouble with
Gender joins the forefront of the counter-revolution,
restoring sex to its rightful place, at the centre of what it means
to be human.
