Erm... what basis do you have to claim that saying I'm a dolphin and going out and getting blowhole surgery is flawed?
You're basically telling me that words have an ethereal Meaning (capital M) and that this basically justifies using them however we want for whatever reason why want, even if it makes communication impossible.
If someone perceives an Ethereal Meaning to the word dolphin to apply to them and wants to get such a surgery, what basis do you have to tell them that they are wrong?
As a note, I'm actually all for adjusting our bodies in any damn way we want for whatever reason we want, including animal traits. Bigots who use this argument are trying to create a distasteful example. I'm wondering why you find it distasteful at all. I sure don't, beyond the not being able to communicate part. But it isn't hard to redefine terms to include the identities of people who want animal body structure too, you know. So I don't consider that a fatal flaw to the needs of people like that.
Re: Part 2
You're basically telling me that words have an ethereal Meaning (capital M) and that this basically justifies using them however we want for whatever reason why want, even if it makes communication impossible.
If someone perceives an Ethereal Meaning to the word dolphin to apply to them and wants to get such a surgery, what basis do you have to tell them that they are wrong?
As a note, I'm actually all for adjusting our bodies in any damn way we want for whatever reason we want, including animal traits. Bigots who use this argument are trying to create a distasteful example. I'm wondering why you find it distasteful at all. I sure don't, beyond the not being able to communicate part. But it isn't hard to redefine terms to include the identities of people who want animal body structure too, you know. So I don't consider that a fatal flaw to the needs of people like that.