Now that's established, I'll move along to other questions for anyone inclined to try answering them, such as:
Why is this such a contentious topic?
My two pennorth is that it seems to be related to militant extremists on both sides.
On the "pro-trans" (for want of a better word) side there is a tendency to shut down discussion, to refuse to engage. TERFs should be attacked or doxed, events should be cancelled. Just to discuss whether the trans argument is right is to cause trans people to die in the same way that fairies die if someone says that they don't believe in them.
On the TERF side or "anti-trans" side there tend to be extremists whose position is that trans doesn't exist. It's just a mental health problem and we shouldn't be pandering. Trans people are all male perverts out to rape women and steal their achievements. No quarter should be given and no compromise made.
Neither of these positions is sane, sensible or sustainable.
I believe that there is a middle ground, but at the moment the discussion is about who shouts loudest, and if you are in a position where you are exposed to the public, expressing the wrong view can be devastating to your career. Famously JK Rowling has made it clear that she is in a position where it makes no difference to her if people boycott her work. She is wealthy beyond her wildest dreams and doing what she loves.
On the flip side, Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson and Rupert Grint have all stated pro-trans views. All of them, at the time were recently out of the Harry Potter franchise and could not afford to lose work. To put your head above the parapet is very risky. If you put it way above you risk becoming an extremist.
I think Graham Linehan started from a position of genuinely wanting to stand up for women's rights. He has suffered, but he has also caused suffering, and far too often espouses extremist views rather than working with rational argument .
Ideally it needs to be a topic that can be discussed openly and freely. For that to happen, we probably need a change of direction from Stonewall and other organisations.
There is room to be supportive of trans people, to accommodate them and make their lives better and as normal and open as possible, but I'm not sure that the panacea that some people want, of being genuinely able to change your gender freely and without question or limitation, is currently possible.
