It is though
Wait.
Being trans isn’t a belief system?
Then what is it???
Of course it’s a belief system. Without that it’s nothing: just a vacancy.
Saying otherwise is like saying being Catholic or Muslim or Mormon is not a belief system.
Unless, perhaps, RMW is being nitpicky about the “being” bit. Being or calling yourself trans (or Mormon etc) isn’t itself a belief system, it’s trans or Mormon ideology that’s the belief system, but I really doubt RMW was being that nitpicky. I think he was saying trans ideology is not an ideology. Ha. It so is.
Two claims:
“If I identify as a woman I should be treated as a woman.”
“If I believe that this is the Body of Christ then it should be treated as the Body of Christ.”
I distinctly recall that PZ Myers once had a difference of opinion about the second ideological claim, and acted on it. But he’s all in on the first one. Why? Because for him personal identity trumps the fact of sex when it comes to what a woman is, um, supposed to be like. But communion wafers are just that, obviously. Frankly, Catholics don’t believe that transubstantiation is real, and that communion is in fact a symbolic act. It would be nice if Myers would straightforwardly acknowledge the same about gender identity being symbolic when it comes to the fact of sex, but of course feelings matter more for him when it comes to what a woman is. Hint: actually being female isn’t something you role play based on what you think a woman is supposed to act like.
Fine, it’s not a belief system: it’s a paraphilia and/or a mental illness. Like that better gobbo?