Have you ever thought about sleep paralysis, and what a tenuous and terrifying piece of the human condition it is? We mistakenly assume that sleep is peaceful by its very nature, but the truth is we spend an astonishing amount of time unconscious and paralyzed and we have little understanding or control over it, and it only takes a little neurological glitch for one to happen without the other: sleep without paralysis, paralysis without sleep.

Gender and gender identity are also mistakenly assumed to be one and the same. There is a map in your brain that tells you what shape you are. Whenever you observe or experience your body, an electrochemical process tells you, “This is fine. I enjoy being this specific variety of meat puppet, despite how undeniably gross and smelly it is.” It’s a trick the meat plays on us to prolong its freshness.

We cannot yet reprogram the process in the brain, unless you count a sledgehammer as a hacking tool. Luckily, it is relatively simple to reshape a body. And if you think humanity is having a hard time adjusting to the idea of a changeable body, just wait until we figure out how to actually reprogram the brain. I expect that revolution will be a thousand times more perilous. We should probably dismantle our systems of brutality and exploitation before that technology arrives, because it might be really hard to do after.