The gender thing is a good example of Chris being at the mercy of the world he lives in. He absorbs popular culture without the capacity for critical thought. You’ll notice he’ll emulate people’s speaking styles in conversation, attempting Ebonics in conversation with a black person for example.
Sometimes it feels like his language skills and vocabulary came primarily from cartoons and video games. He can not determine what is appropriate based on context, and emulates whatever influences he has taken on board, thinking the same thing will work for him.
I refuse to believe Chris would be trans in the absence of our prevailing cultural zeitgeist. It’s not an original line of thought, or something he felt instinctively, it was suggested to Chris and he ran with it. Just like how his childlike mind believed he could castrate himself by listening to binaural beats, absorbing without the capacity for critical thought.
In some respects Chris epitomizes the NPC archetype. Acting based on external stimulus, not out of any real conviction or insight.
The one exception to this might be Jacob Sockness, an individual so utterly repugnant it caused Chris himself to have doubts about meeting. I propose the Jakoba theory, that insanity can be minimized or curtailed by the introduction of a greater insanity.
