No one is born in the wrong body, but anyone who says so is immediately written off as a transphobe

Former minister Ronald Plasterk never recommends a book in his column, but for Rebel Girls he made an exception! Plasterk is a scientist, biologist, former social-democratic politician and entrepreneur, and he almost became prime minister. He writes a weekly column in De Telegraaf. In the paper of 6 March 2025 he praises 'Gender Rebels' and accuses 'woke' thinkers of narrow-mindedness. Thank you, Mr Plasterk!

'With that background, I have followed the trans issue with growing amazement. As a geneticist you know that (very rare chromosomal abnormalities aside) there are exactly two sexes: with two X chromosomes you are a woman, with an X and a Y chromosome a man. Most people are sexually attracted to the other sex, some to the same sex: lesbians and gay men. There are also bisexuals. Hence the abbreviation LGB. But then!'

Read more

Read the original column in De Telegraaf

More about the book

Plasterk's column was about Gender Rebels (Uitgeverij het Haantje, 2024), a book of 368 pages with forty contributors, edited by Sybilla Claus. Read more on the Gender Rebels page, discover the English edition Rebel Girls, or see what Renzo Verwer wrote about the book. All reactions are collected in the media overview.