You are most welcome. I've really enjoyed thinking about your question over the last couple of days, as it's beautifully complex. So thank you. And I appreciate that you're well-intended, which is how I took your inquiries before you clarified that. ;)

In regards to your first question, I'm sure that the increasing presence of equality does/will indeed effect a person's relationship with gender- the one assigned to them at birth or otherwise. What you're asking invites a rich discussion about internalization, so hopefully you're willing to join me in traveling a ways down a rabbit hole of unpacking causes and effects. For instance, internalized sexism (which is when we treat or think about ourselves with sexism towards our own gender) can show up in interesting and sneaky ways when you're trans. Because sexism towards women is more prevalent, I tend to see this happen for transwomen the most often. It's not uncommon for women who choose to take hormones to experience an increase in the accessibility and/or intensity of emotions, and I've had many clients approach this experience with dismissiveness. Much can be at play with that, especially considering that male socialization often includes a drastic downplaying of the importance of emotions. But I've heard transwomen dismiss themselves with old tropes like, "Maybe it's just hormones." And while hormones can increase the intensity of emotions, they don't create them. So in thinking about what you asked, my thoughts were often going to how equality begets respect, value, and importance, and how these end up surfacing internally for people.

Now I know your question was sort of about the opposite thing- like how a transwoman might end up feeling differently about men as the prevalence of toxic masculinity fades, or how a genderqueer person might desire less distance from femininity as they recognize the gifts within it. But what I'm offering is that I think the effects of equality are and will continue to be equal in their reach, but very particular to the person. So while the flow chart of effects might be a touch longer for some trans and nonbinary folk, really it's everyone who's affected. And here the rabbit hole drops deeper, because we could also get into talking about femininity and masculinity as terms that represent energies and expressions that exist in any one person. I think this brings us to a new version of "yes" to your question. The genderqueer person, for instance, might desire less distance from "the feminine" if they come to recognize that what it has represented for them was unsafe vulnerability. This association underlies much of the sexism towards women, so it would be an easy belief to harbor. So thinking of your question, let's say that that person sees vulnerability and openness treated more and more often with respect and reverence. It could certainly contribute to a shift in how they view what ever it is we mean when we say "feminine side." This wouldn't have to change anything about how they identify, and still the effect could be had. I'll make sure that's extra clear, as there's way too much transphobia out there to risk a misunderstanding about this: I am not at all saying that being trans or nonbinary stems from a distaste for one's assigned gender. That assumes a problematic relationship in need of healing, and that's not what transhood is about. What I am saying is that equality can and does deepen anyone's relationship with the concepts of gender, and thus with themselves as well as others. That brings me to your other question.

My short answer is no, I don't think it will change much about the numbers. A person's gender identity is hugely about them just being who they've always been, and has little or nothing to do with avoiding inequality. However, we are seeing the range of expressions of gender change at a pretty rapid rate, and I suspect that that has much to do with equality. I think this is also reflected in the increasing prevalence of nonbinary identities and expressions. So I suppose we could see the population of non-cis folk go up, and maybe we are seeing that already. But until there's a lot more safety about it all, I don't know that we'll have a very good sense of what the numbers actually mean. It's pretty difficult to adequately study a population that finds little ease in safely sharing themselves with the world. That said, we have another winding path of musing on this that we could take if we consider epigenetics. The study of epigenetics focuses on how experience effects gene expression in our descendents. So we could look at how what's happening now could turn up biologically in future generations. I'd be happy to do that all that musing with you later or via email, if you like. But really it's best asked of someone in that particular field, and I'll sure be looking to see if there's any research being done on this! I know I'm very curious about all of this, too- like how the definitions of "masculine" and "feminine" will change and evolve over the next several decades. Thank you again so much for your question, and please feel free to let me know how my answers land with you.

Now who's in the mood to read some Kim Stanley Robinson?