What Happens in What Is a Woman??
The complete story of What Is a Woman?, from the first scene to the last, in 475 words (about 2 minutes). Spoilers throughout.
Spoilers ahead
What Is a Woman? features Matt Walsh asking “what is a woman?” and related questions to a variety of people, with the goal of convincing them that their definition of womanhood is circular. It discusses topics such as puberty blockers, transgender youth, and transgender athletes in women’s sports. Interviewees include a gender-affirming therapist, a pediatrician, a gender studies professor, a psychiatrist, a transgender man who had a negative transition experience, a surgeon specializing in gender-affirming surgery, a transgender person opposing medical transition for children, and a father of a 14-year-old transgender boy. The film also interviews American politician Mark Takano, and Canadian author and psychologist Jordan Peterson. Walsh also discusses non-binary and transgender concepts with a tribe in Kenya, and features a gay man practicing public nudity in San Francisco. Walsh also attends a women’s rights march to ask the question.
In the middle of the film, What Is a Woman? delves into some of the history of gender identity, discussing sexologist Alfred Kinsey and psychologist John Money, with the latter being known for performing sex reassignment on a Canadian infant, David Reimer. After a botched circumcision, Reimer was then raised as a girl without having knowledge of the procedure and transitioned back to living as male. The film also shows news stories treated as representative of nationwide trends such as the Wi Spa controversy, and a school bathroom assault at Loudoun County, Virginia.
The final quarter of the film shows Walsh saying “I’m done asking questions,” before the film changes from an investigation into a call to action. One of his actions is his appearance on The Dr. Phil Show, in where he states his mission “I care about the truth, so basic truth matters, I want to live in a society where people care about the truth, I care about children”. In the conclusion segment, it shows Walsh’s speech during a Loudoun County School Board meeting in Virginia. The meeting was called to provide a platform for people to express their views about Policy 8040, which instructs staff members to use the preferred name and pronouns of transgender students and allows the students to access school facilities that correspond to their gender identity. In his speech, Walsh says to the board, “You are all child abusers. You prey upon impressionable children and indoctrinate them into your insane ideological cult, a cult which holds many fanatical views but none so deranged as the idea that boys are girls and girls are boys.”
At the end, Walsh asks Jordan Peterson what is a woman. Peterson responds with “Marry one and find out.” Walsh follows his advice and goes home, where he finds his wife in the kitchen making sandwiches. She answers the question of “what is a woman?” – “an adult human female,” she then asks Walsh to help her open a jar of pickles.
