You know, there are an awful lot of things lumped together under the term “transhumanism”. It’s one of those amorphous scary things which some people don’t know what it means and don’t want to, they only know that it absolutely must be forbidden because… um… because it must be bad, otherwise we wouldn’t forbid it, clearly! Originally the term referred to a broad school of philosophy which originated during the mid-19th century (though proto-transhumanists existed going at least a century further back) which was all about discovering the limits of the human experience and using what they learn to better society for all people. That’s not what most think of when they hear the term, though. Some things which commonly get referred to as “transhumanism” these days:
Cyborgism: Already exists, and as part of many people’s lives to at least a limited extent. Despite commonly being seen as “half-biological-half-machine sci-fi beings”, cyborgism essentially started with things like peg-legs and hook-hands centuries ago (and arguably, even further back, in the form of crutches and monocles), and has changed to various new forms as technology itself advances. There’s some discussion whether someone who has become extremely reliant on their smartphone to function in everyday life counts as a cyborg, despite smartphones not typically being seen as parts of or extensions of one’s body. Some might wish to make a distinction between “true cyborgs” (the sci-fi concept which doesn’t exist in the real world yet) and people who have been “augmented”, but unless/until there are new races which are born cyborg and can’t be anything else without radical “de-augmenting”, it’s really a matter of degree.
Bioforming/Heteromorphism/Modding: There isn’t a good name for the concept as a whole that I’m aware of, these terms all have specific connotations which aren’t universally applicable. Basically means reshaping one’s body for a specific purpose and/or aesthetic. Cosmetic surgery, including SRS (Sex Reassignment Surgery), definitely count as this; as do piercings and tattooing; biohackers would probably insist what they do counts, but most of what they do is pseudomedicalist woo; gene therapy will count once it gets more advanced, as what currently exists is extremely limited and usually not visible in effect; some more extreme versions will probably be possible in the future, like furries becoming actual furries instead of having to wear costumes, or people changing their bodies to function normally (or better than normally) in microgravity. Can overlap with cyborgism but doesn’t necessarily.
Extropianism/Posthumanism: For now, these exist only as radical subsets of philosophical transhumanism which say that rather than be satisfied with improving society for all humans, we should also improve humans themselves. Posthumanists would go even further, believing that our descendants and perhaps even our future selves need not be members of the species homo sapiens in any meaningful sense. I say “for now” because the true believers would very much like to manifest their views into the real world ASAP. Much caution is needed here, because both groups are currently infested with techbro elitism and occasionally racism.
“Transgenderism”: Not really a thing, at least not how those who commonly use the term seem to imagine it. Nobody is transing your kids’ genders, as that would require major neurological engineering (read: brain surgery) in a way which probably won’t be available for several decades at least, and possibly gene therapy as well, if it’s possible at all. I’d think you’d very much notice that. Nor is anyone advocating for such a thing to happen.
