In its September issue, Time featured a 4,000-word human interest story on Evan Hempel, a 35-year-old who was born female but now identifies as male. Having “come out” as transgender 16 years ago, Evan has a stocky frame, receding hairline, and full beard—the aftermath of testosterone therapy. This spring, she had a baby. That’s the substance of the story. In the article, Jessi Hempel (Evan’s sister) admits: “I’d have no reason to tell you about this moment in my brother’s life were it not for the fact of his gender.”
Hempel means “gender” here in the modern sense: self-perception that may or may not conform to biological sex. Under this definition, however, it’s not at all clear why her sister’s gender makes the lengthy story worth telling. “He” is a she, and having babies, last time I checked, is something shes do.
Sex, which is an objective and empirically verifiable trait, is the only factor relevant to reproduction. You may think of yourself as a man, a woman, or a toddler in diapers. It doesn’t matter. A healthy female body will not consult its owner’s current gender preference before doing what female bodies do with sperm. A woman who calls herself a man conceiving and giving birth is not a surprise for the same reason a male boxer who calls himself a woman beating the ever-living daylights out of a female opponent is not a surprise.
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