Current debates on gender tend to speak of gender identity in terms of “authenticity:” Transgender people, for instance, are sometimes described as “born in the wrong body,” so that gender transition is regarded as necessary for them to become “truly authentic.”  This paper argues that gender has ever been truly authentic and that we are currently undergoing a shift from gender roles to gender profiles. This shift pertains to both cisgender and transgender people, but contemporary forms of transgender identitites manifest it most clearly and explicitly.

Hans-Georg Moeller is a Professor at the Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies at the University of Macau. He authored numerous books including You and Your Profile: Identity after Authenticity, Genuine Pretending: On the Philosophy of the Zhuangzi (both with Paul D’Ambrosio), The Moral Fool: A Case for Amorality, and The Radical Luhmann (all with Columbia University Press). He is content creator of the YouTube philosophy channels Carefree Wandering and Philosophy in Motion.