I’m uploading this here because i have been asked by a follower to elaborate on the various types of Trans expression found here. I have covered this ground before but not in this form. So these are the types of ladyboys found in the Philippines.
Classifying the types of ladyboys in the Philippines is complicated because they are in part influenced by individual sexuality but also by the culture they appear in. The Philippines is similar to but not the same as other south-east Asian countries and markedly different, in significant ways, from the Anglo-West. It has a good deal in common with cultures found in both Latin America and Southern Europe but is not identical to either.
The Philippines itself does not have a homogeneous culture. There are two main reasons for this. The first is that the country is a huge archipelago of over seven thousand islands. In fact, new islands are being discovered all the time. Although many are not populated by humans, most are and this has led to significant cultural diversity between them. It has a population of approximately 120 million souls.
The second cause is the location, on two major navigation routes: east-west and north-south. For hundreds if not thousands of years, visitors have been coming to the islands and implanting both their genes and their cultures. But these implantations have not been uniform; they have varied in effect greatly, say from Mindanao in the south to Luzon in the north.
The cover picture shows me with two ladyboys, just so you know its all real; one of them is Homosexual, the other Autogynephilic, but can you tell which is which?
A unique culture
Today, Filipino culture remains essentially Malay, which is part of the Austronesian language family, but on top of that are European/Christian influences, especially through Spain, as well as Arabic/Muslim, Chinese, Japanese, Korean and of course, US American ones. All of these have had an effect on the overall culture of the Philippines and the precise flavour of the mix is unique. There is no other country in the world quite like it.
Ladyboys and gays
In Asian Culture, the terms ladyboy and gay are the standard English translations for a plethora of local terms such as bakla, kathoey, waria, nuhafu and many others, which all describe the same thing: an unmasculine male. Not all of these present as girls by any means but all consider themselves to be ‘girls inside.’ The dichotomy of gender identity here is not man and woman, but man and not-man. (Professor Don Kulick explains this well.) One is either a man or a not-man; that’s it. All the ridiculous made-up ‘genders’ that are so fashionable in the West are subsumed into one: not-man. To be a man, one must be male, masculine and a penetrator, in sexual terms. Everyone else is a not-man. I belabour this point because in the first place it is crucial to understanding gender in Southeast Asia, indeed anywhere outside the West and also because so many Westerners seem incapable of understanding it.
Essentially, ladyboys and their equivalents are unmasculine males who either pursue sexual and romantic relations with masculine men (not others like themselves,) or make a show of doing so. Note again, the Platonic notion of ‘like goes with like’ is regarded as absurd here; opposites attract, as is logical. Although some ladyboys do have sex with each other, this is situational: they can’t find men to do the honours. Ladyboys in relationships like this will typically identify as Bisexuals, of which more below.
Transsexual Homosexuals.
Westerners may be aware of the existence of various ‘trans’ phenomena. Many of these are not actually trans at all, but simply socio-political identities. However, there are two recognised forms that trans expression can take. One group is an extreme expression of Homosexuality, associated with an intense cross-gender identification. We call these Transsexual Homosexuals. They are on the same aetiology as other Homosexuals, but their expression is more feminine. This type has been called, in the past, Homosexual Transsexual but this is a misleading term which tends to mask the fact that this is a form of Homosexuality; there are no non-homosexual Transsexuals. Note that wherever one is, all Transsexuals are Homosexual. This is not dependent on cosmetic surgery but on transcending the male sexuality and replacing it with a female one; so in fact, all Homosexuals are de facto Transsexuals, just less completely so.
This type tend to be slight for height, neotenous, delicate of feature and build and generally, remarkably feminised from childhood, as well as showing cross-gender identification. They tended to be girlish as boys, to avoid rough and tumble, contact sports and so on and to prefer typically feminine toys and behaviours. Age of presentation is very young, typically in childhood; that is, before puberty, usually around age five. Some have claimed to have been girls ‘inside my mother;’ to always have been a girl, or that close relatives and family friends had commented ‘your son is a girl.’ I have confirmed this several times where those relatives are still alive.
Individuals in this group are sometimes known as batang baklas or baklitas, even when they are older.
Congenital Sexual Inversion
The most convincing explanation for how this group comes to be is a phenomenon sometimes called congenital Sexual Inversion. (Ellis.) There is a great deal of evidence supporting the hypothesis that this is the result of anomalies in hormone delivery in the womb. This would make it a biological condition rather than a mental one (though it might have mental consequences.) Effectively, though this is not a popular view, it should be seen as an intersex condition, as Professor Guillamon asserted in his 2016 paper.
One study examined the effects of pre-natal testosterone delivery on physical features and found that, indeed, it tended to cause feminisation in males and masculinisation in females. While this study did not look at sexual orientation, it is logical to consider that this is also affected, especially as other studies do suggest this link.
Autogynephilia
The other type commonly found in the Philippines, which overwhelmingly affects males, was much harder to categorise. They were not of the Homosexual type described above. While most were androphilic, that is, attracted to men, they had acquired this orientation as a result of their trans identity; this contrasts with the Transsexual Homosexual type, where the two, gender identification and sexuality, progress together. Individuals in this profile always ‘came out’ later than Homosexuals, in the age range thirteen and up. For this reason they are often known both to themselves and the broader culture, as late bloomers.
Crucially, these individuals are primarily gynephilic, attracted to femininity. What happens is that the image of their Erotic Target, a feminine girl, is transferred onto themselves, usually onto their own bodies in some way. In the 1980s Dr Ray Blanchard, in a series of surveys and papers, characterised these individuals as ‘non-homosexual’ and stated
‘All non-homosexual Gender Dysphoria in males is caused by Autogynephilia, a man’s arousal at the thought or image of himself as a woman.’ (Gender Dysphoria refers to a feeling of discomfort at presenting in a gender one feels inappropriate.)
This leads to what he called the Erotic Target Location Error, (ETLE) since here the Target is inside the self whereas it is normally outside it, that is, another person. He posited that this type was related to what he called fetishistic cross-dressing, similarly to how Transsexualism is related to Homosexuality. He suggested that at some time, all such males had either cross-dressed and masturbated or imagined themselves to be women while doing so.
Bisexuals
This category is somewhat different to what we might be used to in the West. The root cause of the confusion is the Western reliance on attraction as an indicator of sexuality. This is notoriously hard to measure and has led to researchers relying on a piece of equipment called the penile plethmysmograph, a device that measures changes in the volume of the penis. This has led to misleading results, which unfortunately have been widely adopted. Asians disregard this (they likely never heard of it) and measure by practice instead. Essentially, a Bisexual in Asia is a Homosexual who is prepared both to penetrate and be penetrated. Such a person will have sex with other Homosexuals; however this is not a masculine expression and the individuals themselves see their encounters as lesbian, since both are, in this cultural context, girls.
Pseudobisexuals
Across Asia most of these are androphilic, or in Blanchard Pseudo Bisexual, which describes an Autogynephilic male who pursues men for romance and sex ‘when in role as a woman;’ but care must be taken here because in practice they are not usually bisexual. Instead they are exclusively androphilic, that is, they only pursue men. This happens because once they invest themselves in a feminine identity they adopt the sexual and romantic conventions of that identity. They are girls 24/365 so they pursue men 24/365; often assiduously. If they do not initially find pleasure in being penetrated, they quickly learn to like it. One said ‘I love anal sex. I just love it, I can’t live without it.’
Some individuals in this group will discuss how they became attracted to the idea of being a girl through immersion in female company; others were ‘triggered’ by pornography or even by finding an item of female clothing, perhaps their sister’s, trying it on and as one said to me ‘At that moment I became a girl. It was twelve years ago and I still am.’ (She was thirteen at the moment of her epiphany.) Critically, their attraction to men was pursuant to their identification as girls.
It is easy for the inexperienced to confuse this type and the Transsexual Homosexual, partly because of self-selection; they will not ‘trans’ if they don’t think they would be beautiful enough, but in order to achieve and maintain that beauty they are likely to use Hormone Replacement Therapy and often today, surgery for their bodies and faces. They can be very beautiful and many of the top pageant queens in the Philippines are of this type. However, standing next to a Homosexual, they are likely to be taller and perhaps more bulky. We will refer to them as Autogynephiles, after Blanchard.
It can be hard for lay people especially to distinguish between the Transsexual Homosexual form and this Autogynephilic type, which is exacerbated by the cultural convention that both types refer to themselves as ‘gays.’ Not understanding that this has a different meaning from the West, observers have assumed that it meant that the Autogynephilic form was homosexual as understood there; this assumption is incorrect.
Another group of Autogynephiles: silahis
The other group of non-homosexual ladyboys in the region is called in the Philippines the silahis, or ‘blade that cuts both ways.’ These are similar to a form once commonly observed in the West, of cross-identified males. They are so secretive that often their close family is unaware of their proclivity. Not all are Pseudo-Bisexual, many are annalloerotic and indulge only in private. They may or may not be occasional cross-dressers. They are often married, from higher social strata, have professional careers and usually families. Several, including Dr Neil Garcia, have discussed them but finding details is hard because of their intense secrecy. They are sometimes identified as Bisexual but from what we know, they are not true bisexuals.
A more Western form
In strongly Americanised, wealthy families, often called FilAm, the Western model of Autogynephilia occurs. This is typified by the case of racing driver Ian King, who transitioned in his late thirties. King is not feminine, married, and had a masculine career prior to his Autogynephilia becoming public. He was a typical boyish boy, whose wife, an actress, is an icon of feminine beauty. How many others there are, who remain closeted, is not known, but it is safe to say that King is not alone.
The Autogynephilic type is often known as the masculine ladyboy. This is a typically apt and at the same time blunt Filipino characterisation. It is usually quite accurate, although masculinity that might be apparent to locals is not always to foreigners — especially after years on hormones, on a dark street, with large amounts of make-up on.
Generally, Autogynephiles are indistinguishable in morphology and behaviour from related men and this is the case in the Philippines, despite the use of hormones and cosmetic surgery. Most notable about Autogynephiles developing in working-class Filipino society is their sexuality. Almost all are androphilic as a result of pseudo-bisexualism. This is an affirmative mechanism that works something like this: ‘If I am a woman I should desire men; and if men will have sex with me, then I must be a woman.’
Anal Sex
In many Southeast Asian cultures, there is no taboo on anal sex. Where such taboos exist they are a function of one of the cultural overlays, typically Christianity or Buddhism, in both of which (the latter contrary to popular belief) anal sex is seen as sinful. Anal sex was targeted by European missionaries and bureaucratic reformers during the colonial period; this was particularly the case in India. However, these cultural overlays are apparently not as strong as the underlying native ones, at least in Southeast Asia, where anal sex is pursued more-or-less enthusiastically. Note here that in this culture, being anally recipient does not necessarily mean that one is Homosexual. Especially amongst adolescent males, experimentation of this type is overlooked, indeed it is considered normal.
By contrast, there remains a huge taboo against anal sex in the West. Where this has lessened a little, it is with regard to men penetrating women anally. This is one of the fundamental causes of Western homophobia (the other is rejection of male femininity) and is enough to cause many Autogynephiles, by their own admission, to refuse to seek male partners. ‘To be penetrated by a man would be absolutely the most affirming thing I could do, as a woman; but I just can’t,’ said one Western Autogynephile, who was certainly speaking for many.
Behavioural and Interpersonal Autogynephilia
One form that Autogynephilia can take is called Behavioural. In this, the subject gains satisfaction from behaviours that he considers ‘womanly’. Another form is Inter-personal, in which satisfaction is gained from social interchange while performing and being accepted as a woman. Obviously, romantic and sexual relations may be seen as a significant part of that. The most common expression of sexual desire to be accepted as a woman is a desire to be penetrated. Pseudo-bisexualism is a function of this.
Cultural norms
While Anglo-Saxon Western culture is able to influence Autogynephiles away from sex with men through its relentless hostility to anal sex, with opprobrium heavily directed towards the recipient partner, Southeast Asian culture works in exactly the opposite way.
Here, cultural norms insist that ‘boys go with girls and girls go with boys,’ but crucially, this does not actually mean ‘males and females.’ The culture has a far more sophisticated understanding than is common in the West and can accommodate two further states: ‘boy become girl’ and ‘girl become boy.’ As a result there are four gendered social identities rather than two. Individuals are able to access and inhabit a social space within the society and culture if they accept this and perform the socially expected identity. If they don’t, however, there may be problems. These are unlikely to lead to violence but might involve some social exclusion. An Autogynephile might well be accepted as a ladyboy, but only as long as she behaves as a ladyboy is expected to behave, which is, like a girl; so pursuing females is not approved-of, due to the ‘boys go with girls and girls go with boys’ rule. Similarly, ‘gay men’ who are common in the West, where male femininity is abhorred, are rare in Asia because of the expectation that they will, as a result of their sexuality, perform some degree of femininity. If they do not they may be mocked or excluded, called pamintas or macho gays; they will certainly be encouraged to grow their hair and put on a dress.
On one hand, ‘behaving like a girl’ does mean pursuing male partners. But on the other hand, it also means ‘not pursuing female ones’. So there is a double-whammy of cultural expectation that inevitably pushes Southeast Asian Autogynephiles towards certain behaviours. The first is to actively seek male partners and the second is to deny any attraction to female ones, even if such an attraction is felt.
Western Autogynephiles are well-known for their economy of the truth and there is no reason to assume that Southeast Asian ones are any different. Talking to Homosexual ladyboys here makes it clear that Autogynephiles do indeed pursue women and perhaps more problematically, Homosexual ladyboys. Since these are strongly averse to sexual relations with anyone who is or appears to be a woman, they often display negative reactions to such approaches. These factors mean that Southeast Asian Autogynephiles, far from ‘claiming their lesbian nature’ (an oxymoron at best, since they are male) are strongly motivated to deny it.
With the two classes that are more-or-less equivalent to the Western models discussed there remains a third class in southeast Asia.
Let’s first backtrack a little. We have described the Homosexual form as being ‘innately sexually inverted’ which leads to a natural inversion of gender. They are fully same-sex oriented in terms of sexual desire and cross-sex identified, just as strongly, from as young as four or five years old. They also exhibit more-or-less strong feminisation of morphology. Their social behaviour is completely predictable. They have female sexuality, so they desire to have male partners and to appear to be feminine, in order to attract them. They are never interested in Homosexual partners, other gays, because they recognise such relationships to be Lesbian. Homosexual ladyboys are not at all homophobic in social terms but they are averse to having female or feminine partners. Like does not go with like here. As we’ve discussed, in higher social classes, these individuals might be sex-tyical or somewhat so while in lower ones, they will probably not be. A significant number, therefore, of Homosexuals in the Philippines will present as girls.
Then we have the Autogynephiles. One set of these exists within higher social classes and tends to somewhat mirror the Western form; this might be to do with the greater availability and expectation of privacy in such homes, than would typically be the case in other Filipino households. In the lower classes, Autogynephiles appear in adolescence and most will feminise at that time.
One thing or another
In Southeast Asian cultures, generally, an individual may be one thing or another; perhaps one thing for part of life and the other for another part. So, longhair baklas ‘detransitioning’ in middle age and adopting a more sex-typical gender presentation is not challenged. But being both at once is largely disallowed. Being a part-time transvestite might be less accepted than being a full-time one, for example, unless the individual were, for example, a cabaret performer for whom it was part of an act.
Fier
It’s all gay
All gender expressions in the Philippines that are not sex-typical, are considered to be ‘gay’ — the local terms are bakla, beki, bayot, bading and so on. These may all be translated as ladyboy. This covers a plethora of expressions; but the society has similar expectations of them. ‘Gay’ (in this usage) boys are expected to be feminine, to seek male partners, to desire to be penetrated by them and to be submissive.
This fits the Homosexual ladyboy exactly, of course; but it also conditions the behaviour of Autogynephiles. They are — at least the young-transitioning ones are — seen by the society as ‘gay’ and so they are expected to be attracted to men.
(Note that the partners of ladyboys, whether those be Homosexual or Pseudobisexual/androphilic, are neither considered to be ‘gay’ by the culture, nor do they themselves identify as such, as long as they are the penetrators. The Western notion, promoted by Kinsey, that both parties in any such relationship are ‘gay’ is completely rejected here. A man who penetrates is just being a man, irrespective of the sex of his partners; indeed, penetration is what makes a boy into a man, just as becoming a mother makes a girl into a woman. Modern Westerners would do well to remember that they are a small minority in the world.)
In other words, Homosexuals are expected to be feminine and males who want to appear to be feminine are expected to be Homosexuals. Being feminine means learning how to put on make-up and to choose dresses; to compete in pageants; to pursue ‘bakla’ careers; the crucial beauty secrets. The society sees no difference between a Homosexual and an Autogynephilic ladyboy, in other words. Like all gays, they’re ‘baklas.’ They can be fun and entertaining; they are amazing hairstylists and there are no better beauticians; today, they are appreciated as dedicated, hard workers in call centres and other, similar businesses — but they are not in the least challenging either to the broader society or to the gender norms it is founded upon. Entirely the opposite, in fact. They reinforce those norms.
Social Pressure
One effect of social pressure is to make Autogynephiles tend more towards Pseudo-Bisexualism, or, at least, to suppress it less. In this way, society is having a direct influence on the sexuality of individuals within it. But is this the only case?
No. There is another, at least within the male forms. To understand it, you need to understand the axiom ‘if you are a ladyboy, then you are really a girl inside.’ But there is another, less well known: ‘if you are girlish in any way, then you are a ladyboy.’
True Inverts, of course, are the group whom this is based on — a group that is, in the West, abused more than almost any other. Here, however, it’s the gold standard. They look like women, they act like women, they feel themselves to be women, they pursue men and they pride themselves on their sexual abilities.
Autogynephiles have it somewhat differently: they desire to appear to be women but are not natively Homosexual. But the application of the bakla axiom means that nearly all of them, nevertheless, will be Androphilic and, more, enjoy the attentions of men and being penetrated, even if this is learned. One said to me, on being asked, ‘It hurt like hell at first but then it was like uh, uh, uh, kapow, you know? Fucking volcano. Then I couldn’t get enough.’
Scale of Variation
If we adhere to biological theory, as we should, then we must recognise that there is a scale of variation. In this context, that means that there will be full Sexual Inverts and partial ones; full Autogynephiles and partial ones. Statistical theory tells is that as we approach the perfect expressions of a phenomenon, the numbers should go down. That is, there should be more partial Inverts and Autogynephiles than complete ones.
The society, however, doesn’t cater for that. It simply says, ‘You’re bakla.’ There’s no gradation of bakla; you either are or you’re not and if you are, then you join the club, no questions. You don’t get to upset the apple-cart here. More disturbingly, to Western sensibilities, is the lack of choice in the matter that appears to apply here.
Cast longing looks after the boys – assuming you are one – bakla. Don’t like to play basketball – bakla. Like chatting with the girls – bakla. Pinch your sister’s panties — bakla. Be naturally cherubic – bakla. Enjoy dancing – bakla. Have a sensitive or nervous disposition – bakla. Dislike smoking or drinking – bakla. Be unusually petite – bakla.
Similarly, all feminine gender sex-atypical expressions are conflated into one: tomboy. If you’re a girl with a crush on another girl – tomboy. If you like to play basketball – tomboy. If you’re butch and don’t like to grow your hair long – tomboy.
Choosing to be a ladyboy
Several researchers have remarked how kathoeys in Thailand decided to be kathoey. Perhaps they had modelled themselves on another, older kathoey, a successful model, hairdresser, sex worker or the professional partner of a man. Perhaps their naturally creative natures rebelled against conforming to the standards required of men.
The same applies in the Philippines: some baklas are naturally so and follow this path because it is the only one the society and culture offers them; they have no choice because they really are ‘born that way’ Others, though, follow it because it suits them to.
Westerners, with their view that gender is prescribed from birth, find this shocking. Traditional conservatives will argue that all transsexual and homosexual expressions are wrong and should be suppressed, either by the individuals or by the society. Others will argue that it seems unreasonable for a boy to turn into a girl, just because he has cute eyes, likes to dance, or is a talented make-up artist. They might argue for him to become a man with these qualities. But that only occurs because Western society is peculiar. It has no Few individuals there will be typical masculine men; most will be either women or feminine Homosexuals. Well, in Asia, those latter would be ladyboys. It’s really as simple as that.
Social Oppression?
The result of this is that Westerners, who see their society as traditionally vaunting the individual, discern, in the things that make ladyboys, a stifling social oppression. They see being obliged to play a pseudo-male role — dressing more or less like a man in the culture, basically — as ‘liberating.’
Asians, on the other hand, are less focussed on the individual and more on the family, the clan and the interpersonal relationships within these. They see, in the main anyway, the Asian gender system as a way in which a person who doesn’t conform to sex or gender expectations and norms can still be accepted and have a full life. They see the Western approach as devious and sly — dishonest, basically.
Tissue of lies
That is the case: the Anglo-Saxon West is a living tissue of lies. Ask yourself, if you hear of a man who is a fine ballet dancer, is there some part of your mind that immediately asks if he is a Homosexual? Sculptors generally get the bye, because of all that sweaty manly stuff, but what about painters? If a man is a talented flower arranger, what is the thought that comes immediately into your head? And why would it be an entirely different one if you were, say Japanese? Why is there a difference between being a painter and decorator (definitely masculine) and an interior decorator (not so much)?
In most of these cases, the males involved are much more likely to be Homosexuals. They might not all be so, but many more will be than in, say Engineering. So the West has exactly the same social understandings as exist in Asia, it just lies about them. It says, ‘Oh, you can be a homo if you like; just don’t be a girl. Be a man.’
Asian culture says ‘Okay, so you’re a Homosexual. That horse has fled. Well why not be a girl? You’re obviously not a man, so own it, baby.’ This occurs because In Asia it is impossible to be a ‘gay man’ since to be a man you must be both male and masculine. While there are other motifs that indicate masculinity, such as smoking, drinking, fighting and checking out girls, by far the most important is being a penetrator; penetration maketh the man. Indeed this is one reason why men in this region are so notorious for philandering: it reinforces their performance of masculinity (in addition, we presume, to being enjoyable!)
The entire thrust of the modern Western ‘gay’ movement, otherwise known as the New Gay Man, is to hide in plain sight. It’s a massive deception. It is a world in which, as one denizen who later completed as a girl said to me ‘women pretend to be men in order to have sex with other women pretending to be men.’ It is the most complete fabrication imaginable. It only works because of the pedantic, literalist nature of Anglo-Saxon society that says ‘born with a dick = man.’ Asian culture doesn’t care what you were born with, it cares who you are now and what you want to be. It allows you to live in the identity that best suits who you are – as long as you play by the rules; and of course, it recognises that all males have an opening that can stand service as a pseudo-vagina, something that apparently horrifies Westerners.
Human Rights
You might come over all human rights concern about the society deciding, for an individual boy, that he should be bakla, but again, this is your cultural lens confusing you. The people around the child know which boys will succeed, within the context of Man in this culture. You’re 4’10”? How are you going to play basketball or keep up with the big boys? Your friends and relatives, those who care about you, will gently guide you towards a gendered identity in which you can succeed in society, allowing you to play a role that fits your nature. It’s no different from a parent advising a child whether to be a doctor or a joiner.
This is possible because gender is not the battlefield in Asia that feminists, Western Elderly Autogynephiles and New Gay Men have made it into, in the Anglo-Saxon West. Gender, here, is ‘Men and everyone else’ or ‘Men and Not-Men.’ But it should actually be the other way round, ‘Not-Men and Men’ because these cultures are matriarchal. The real power is in the hands of women, not men. Women make the homes and families, decide how the money will be spent, make the plans for the future, are the authority figures. They control access to sex, even to the marital bed. Men just work till they die. The only advantage for a man is access to the status he can acquire within the Men group and, in large part, such status exists only within that group. He doesn’t take it home. If a man does well in life, his family, and his mother, gain status; if a woman has a successful family, she gains status.
‘Why would anyone want to be a man?’
In fact, from an Asian perspective, the question is ‘Why would anyone want to be a man?’ When you examine that carefully and weigh up the relative advantages and disadvantages, you can see why it might be that sensitive, unaggressive boys might choose otherwise. But in this culture there are only two paths — ‘Man’ or ‘Not-man’ and if you choose not to be the former, you must be the latter — which means, if you were born male, that you must be a bakla or equivalent; a ladyboy. It is crucial to understand this switch.
Both the Western types exist here, but there is this third one, those who are neither naturally Homosexual nor Autogynephilic but who choose to be ladyboys. They learn to be girls and that includes both learning to enjoy sex with men and how to perform femininity, to attract them. To make matters more complicated, all of them consider themselves to be ‘women inside’ whether it begins from a desire for men, a love of dressing as a girl, or just from not being able to reach the standards demanded for membership of the ‘Men’ group — or even, not wanting to. If you don’t want to be a man, then you must be a woman inside, no? Doesn’t matter what your physical attributes are.
And if you are a ladyboy, then you want to be good at it, because under all that glamour, you have XY chromosomes; you’re as competitive as any male.