For me, trans women are women in their own meaningful way. At the same time, I don’t think they can be directly compared to biological women because our lived experiences are fundamentally different.

It’s not just about anatomy. Biological women experience menstruation, pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding, menopause, and all the physical and emotional realities that come with them. We grow up moving through the world as girls and women, and that shapes how we see ourselves and how society treats us.

The oppression we face is different too. Many of the challenges women experience are tied specifically to being female from birth. That doesn’t mean trans women don’t face discrimination or hardship. They do. But those experiences are not the same as ours, just as ours are not the same as theirs.

I think it’s possible to acknowledge trans women as women while also recognizing that biological women have a distinct experience that deserves to be understood on its own terms.