WASHINGTON ¨C ¡°Why can¡¯t a woman be more like a man?¡± asks Henry Higgins in ¡°My Fair Lady.¡± Women might point out that, since too many men seem to trust a mysterious toilet paper fairy to change out the forlorn tube of cardboard, it makes more sense to ask: ¡°Why can¡¯t a man be more like a woman?¡±
But regardless of how we ask it, the question is a good one: Why can¡¯t members of the sexes be more alike? Why do so many irritating differences persist? Feminists¡¯ answer has been: cultural and structural sexism. Societies train women to take second fiddle to men in work and relationships ¡ª and then punish them for trying to break out of their assigned roles. No, say traditional conservatives: Women and men are different, and cultures reflect those differences.
The conservatives may now be getting some support from a surprising source: transgender men.
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