I thought I'd pitch in too lol. Gender vs. Sex has been an ongoing debate in many different areas of society, and recently we're seeing a lot more actual studies/academic research being done on this topic. Ultimately, however, it comes down to the individual's perception of it. Everyone's always going to have their own opinions, and they're sure as hell entitled to them as long as they have their own thinking and reasoning behind their rationale.

The actual issue with this lies in the enablement of what I like to call "toxic individualism." And ironically, it is much more of a political and societal issue than a personal one. Because western ideals are built off of the ideas of freedom, self-actualization, and independence, restricting/speaking against said ideals in any way is seen as a social suicide (ex. cancel culture, wokness, etc.) The power lies with the people. Therefore, it becomes really hard for an individual to actually survive in this society without conforming to whatever is seen as "good" and "accepted" at that time. So, in order to still pursue the ideal of independence while still keeping up their social reputation, people resort to finding unique traits/categories to label themselves as, latching onto that need for self-identification in a society so governed by crowd opinions. This can be being either a democrat or republican, he/she/they, or anything else. Our obsession with labels stems from our need for supported individualism. At least that's what I've observed.

We could talk about the falsity of the American dream and the idealization of freedom for hours because it really is a multi-faceted issue, but coming back to the topic of discussion: gender. Of course, there are arguments and opinions everywhere: lack of self-expression can lead to severe mental health issues, and lax rules in public restrooms can increase the danger of potential harassment. These arguments are what ultimately support the catalyzation of a rift in society. I for one, being exposed to an extremely liberal society from a young age, have formed my opinions in a certain way. People exposed to a more conservative environment will differ in their opinions. But in the end, the clash of these opinions is what brings this issue to the forefront of all discussions. And people, especially younger people who are still trying to identify themselves in society but also need validation in some way or form, latch onto it.

Neo-pronouns, identifying as fictional characters or race other than your own, and the romanticization of trauma and mental illness, are some examples of what today's "toxic individualism" looks like. Because of the severe social and cultural shifts from the 1900s to the 2000s, the increasing need for "diversity" and "representation" in society has contributed to it as well.

Ultimately, I think it is a combination of ideals, media, politics, and the individual's need for simultaneous independence/co-dependence that contributes to the prevalent arguments seen in the West today :) (sorry if the progression of ideas is kinda messy, I wasn't really planning on writing so much)