LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Renowned 'detransitioner' and activist Chloe Cole is taking on famous astrophysicist Neil Degrasse Tyson after he made a thought-provoking but controversial TikTok post. In his intriguing video, Tyson challenged the notion that biology alone can fully explain gender, advocating instead for a more nuanced perspective - one that sees gender as a dynamic "spectrum."
"Apparently, the XX/XY chromosomes are insufficient because when we wake up in the morning, we exaggerate whatever feature we want to portray the gender of our choice, either the one you're assigned, the one you choose to be, whatever it is," Tyson said in the video. "Suppose, no matter my chromosomes, today I feel 80% female, 20% male — I'm gonna put on makeup," he said. "Tomorrow, I might feel 80% male. I'll remove the makeup, and I'll wear a muscle shirt." "Why do you care?" he added. "What business is it of yours to require that I fulfill your inability to think of gender on a spectrum?"
Who is Chloe Cole?
Chloe Cole is an American activist who opposes gender-affirming care for minors and advocates for banning such care. She personally experienced detransitioning, having undergone treatments like puberty blockers, testosterone, and a double mastectomy after starting transitioning at the age of 12. Cole has gained recognition for her activism, appearing alongside conservative politicians and in the media, where she supports and promotes restrictions on gender-affirming care for minors. Cole criticized Tyson for drawing a comparison between biology and makeup in a video that she shared on Twitter on Tuesday, August 1.
'You're using 1950s gender stereotypes'
"I watched @neiltyson flail around trying to describe gender as a spectrum and decided to refute some of his points in a short video," Cole wrote in the caption. "How about we stop confusing basic human biology with cosmetics," Cole said in the video. "Like what a weird jump. I don't wear makeup most days. If I leave the house without makeup on, does that make me like 70 percent male? You're using 1950s gender stereotypes for an ideology that leads to the sterilization and mastectomies of 15-year-old girls who just don't fit in, girls like me. The only thing that you've established in this video is that men wear trousers and tank tops, but women they wear lipstick and dresses. The idea that people can be percentages of either male or female just further reinforces that fact that biological sex is a binary. There's only two. There may only be two sexes, but there are an infinite number of personalities. I mean, it really doesn't take a degree in astrophysics to know that," she added.
