In this Op-Ed, writer Morgan Jerkins explores the criticism Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie received for her comments about transgender women.

As promotion for her new book, * Dear Ijeawele, Or a Feminist Manifesto in Fifteen Suggestions*, author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie recently appeared on the U.K.’s Channel 4 where she was asked “Does it matter how you’ve arrived at being a woman? I mean, for example, if you’re a trans woman who grew up identifying as a man, who grew up enjoying the privileges of being a man, does that take away from becoming a woman? Are you any less of a real woman?”

Chimamanda responded, saying: “When people talk about, ‘Are trans women women?’ my feeling is that trans women are trans women. ... If you’ve lived in the world as a man with the privileges that the world accords to men, and then sort of changed, switched gender, it’s difficult for me to accept that then we can equate your experience with the experience of a woman who has lived from the beginning in the world as a woman, and who has not been accorded those privileges that men are.”

Chimamanda has received backlash to her comments, with Jamil Smith of MTV News saying that Chimamanda “should not use a woman’s plumbing to assess her identity” and transgender reporter Meredith Talusan explaining in a tweet thread the fallacy of male privilege and what it says about solidarity amongst women: “When I know that I will always be here for all women, no matter what, but many women will never be here for me.”

While there does not exist a universal marker or experience of womanhood, what is perhaps the most inaccurate and dangerous about Chimamanda’s statement is that it indicated that to her, trans women are not women, and erased the unique experiences and challenges that trans women face. Laverne Cox tweeted a series of messages on Saturday, saying, “My gender was constantly policed. I was told I acted like a girl and was bullied and shamed for that...Gender exists on a spectrum & the binary narrative which suggests that all trans women transition from male privilege erases a lot of experiences and isn't intersectional.” Thanks to trans people of color, like Laverne Cox, this event has served as a teaching moment. But will this controversy break new ground in dialogue between trans and cis women or prevent it from happening altogether?

To see Chimamanda — who has captured the hearts of millions with her novels and outspoken feminism, and whose words were included in Beyoncé’s Flawless — be trans exclusionary is beyond disappointing. At the same time, however, as an author who has gained a reputation as a public intellectual, she is held up to an impossible standard. Despite her international literary acclaim, her knowledge, just like everyone else’s, has its limits; she may be an incredibly accomplished woman whose work speaks for itself, but she is human and will fail, just like the rest of us. The difference is that unlike Chimamanda, we can fail quietly.

“The stakes are higher for a black woman in feminism. I know that as a marginalized woman that in many ways when I am pushed up against a wall, it is difficult to distinguish who is trolling me and being oppressive or who is expecting me to have politics on where I'm not quite there yet,” Raquel Willis, a black transgender activist, tells Teen Vogue. “Sometimes thought leaders are expected to have an opinion on everything. As a Nigerian, black woman, and intersectional feminist, she is expected to speak for or know about any experience where someone can be marginalized and it's impossible. It's a lofty expectation that no one can live up to."

When we do not know something, it is acceptable to admit our ignorance and amplify the voices of those who can speak for what we cannot. At the same time, if we choose to discard thinkers whenever they say inherently offensive things, especially if it’s the first documented time we have publicly witnessed this, then we will never be able to make improvements and find ways in which to dismantle all forms of oppression. Chimamanda’s comments don’t “mean that she’s a morally repugnant human who needs to be immediately disposed of,“ said mx. b., founder of biyuti publishing, an independent publisher that focuses on promoting the works of queer/trans people of color, on Twitter. “It also doesn’t mean her contributions to feminism and whatever else have all been rendered invalid.”

Choosing not to cancel Chimamanda over her comments is not defending what she said, but a call for more dialogue between cis and trans women. It’s also a lesson for the media to not ask a cis person about the experiences of a trans person. “So much space is given to cis women as if our experiences are invalid. I think this is an instance where Chimamanda could've walked away or given a non response,” Raquel adds. “It wouldn't have been remiss for her to say 'That's not my experience and so I don't feel comfortable positioning myself as an authority.'”

Ultimately, we should consider this a lesson to demand more from ourselves and to not be afraid to challenge our favorite public figures, rather than cast them off. Work yields results from both sides. Chimamanda’s comments should remind us all that we have a long road to go toward total liberation of allwomen — and we have to achieve this by correcting and building others up, including those who we previously felt could do no wrong.