In 2016, a controversial bill was signed in Georgia, banning transgender individuals from using restrooms designated for the sex with which they identify. In the wake of this legislation, Between the (Gender) Lines: The Science of Transgender Identity explored what was known at the time about transgender identity, discussing scientific evidence for its biological bases, as well as the social and psychological ramifications of binary gender classifications. Regrettably, both the text and the figures in this article were being abused by those seeking to support their own beliefs. As such, we decided to remove this article in 2021 to prevent its further misappropriation by individuals and groups seeking to oversimplify this complex subject and promote views that lack a scientific basis.
We still believe in the value of rigorous scientific research about transgender identity and encourage you to read the published, peer-reviewed studies that we cited in the original article if you are interested in learning more about this topic (linked below):
- Transsexuality among twins: Identity concordance, transition, rearing, and orientation
- A sex difference in the human brain and its relation to transsexuality
- Male-to-female transsexuals have female neuron numbers in a limbic nucleus
- A sex difference in the hypothalamic uncinate nucleus: relationship to gender identity
- Changing your sex changes your brain: influence of testosterone and estrogen on adult human brain structure
- Regional gray matter variation in male-to-female transsexualism
- White matter microstructure in female to male transsexuals before cross-sex hormone treatment: A diffusion tensor imaging study
- The (CA)n polymorphism of ERβ gene is associated with FtM Transsexualism
- Should transvestic fetishism be classified in DSM 5? Recommendations from the WPATH consensus process for revision of the diagnosis of transvestic fetishism
We also encourage you to explore additional resources on this topic:
- For a SITN blog article discussing sex determination, check out “I’m XY and I Know It”: Sex determination systems 101
- For a quantitative view of transgenderism in the US, take a look at this analysis from Times Union
- For a review of discrimination against transgender persons, see this report from the National Center for Transgender Equality
- For a more complete discussion on queer acronyms, see this description from BBC news
- For an in-depth look at how disagreements over restroom usage has shaped policy, check out this Politico article
Sincerely,
The SITN editorial team
Well I will tell you what ! article is wrote by a leftist with same ideology as all of you here just to make wrong things normal in society , this is a sik society, and remember my words this stupid ideology is pushing by leftists only for one reason to get totally power and then who knows but my knowledge of political scienc,history, economy, and psychology… tell me that alll this crap about lgbt propaganda is going to finish very bad, VERY Bad …WHEN YOU MAKE A MENTAL ISSUES A NORMALITY that’s going to end bad because this is affecting lots of people who don’t want to know about this and someone even angry when your stupid ideology affect also children s …… be ready for bad time for all you in future because you pushing normal people to the edge !!!
Finished with your rant!
If you want to discredit the research why not post peer reviewed research rather than just spewing your hatred of transgender people all over the internet,
Wow it’s simply amazing to me how we as individuals want to love science and swear it’s the answer to all of life and in the same breath deny science and make excuses. DNA is always correct without exception, regardless of your ‘Feelings’. DNA never lies and never makes a mistake, on the other hand, we as human beings make mistakes every day. Of those mistakes would be a person who has the DNA that specifically designates them as male and attempts to say they’re female. Take Bruce Jenner for example, no matter how he mutilates his body, no matter what changes he makes it’s impossible to change his DNA, which testifies to the fact he is a male. Bruce’s feelings don’t matter, our feelings deceive us all the time. I love how transgenders want to play both sides of the fence; meaning the Bible is a lie and what it says here or it is wrong, it’s science that’s always right. Though, when science goes against their ‘feelings’ now science is wrong, how convenient. Another fact that needs to be pointed out we in America don’t live in a Democracy even though they are pushing it everywhere because if you don’t understand your heritage I can fill your mind with whatever I desire. We live in a Republic and a Republic is controlled by laws. A Democracy is controlled by feelings and feelings change day to day and soon starts to Anarchy. Our voting is done democratically but what we vote on can’t disregard the law, this is a quick breakdown so I hope you’re understanding. When California voted against gay marriage and the 9th circuit Court stepped in and said they can’t vote against gay marriage because it’s unconstitutional. What was unconstitutional in a Republic was for a Federal Court to make and pass a law because it flies in the face of what makes a Republic. We wouldn’t be having any of these discussions if America was truly running as a Republic. However, if you push a lie long enough it becomes the truth especially when dealing with Millennials because they, for the most part, are strict ‘feelings’ based. Transgender is a lie and a slap in the face of science and Biblical truth. A lie will fall Every time but truth stands on its own; DNA is the truth and many of you aren’t going to like this post but you can’t argue against truth; because a lie falls Every time and with it your ‘false feelings’.
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DNA is more complex then the simplicity you have written here. However, since you are so amendment on DNA being the truth this article refers to an Australian-led study investigating the biological basis of gender dysphoria. Researchers at the Hudson Institute of Medical Research in Melbourne analysed DNA of transgender women (male-to-female transgender people) and compared it to that of non-transgender men. They found variations in four genes involved in processing sex hormones were significantly over represented in transgender women — suggesting a possible biological basis for gender dysphoria.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/health/2018-10-04/study-reveals-potential-biological-basis-for-gender-dysphoria/10334512
I am not sure if anyone still responds to this section, but as a trans woman, I have been curious if any legitimate studies have been done on whether trans women can have periods. I have many friends claiming to have periods, and frankly, I believe them. It’s logical, as estrogen is a huge factor in periods. At the same time, I know many people that deny the existence of periods for trans women, and I wish to show them proof, but realistically, there are no scientific studies available on the matter, and I can only offer testimonials.
The article says transgenderism is genetic. However, the WHO article states it’s a social construct, where sex is determined while gender is differentiated, mainly thru cultural norms. Which is it? I am not sure how it can be both. Can you help me reconcile?
quote “… WHO article states it’s a social construct …” unquote. Would appreciate a link to this article please.
I cannot get past the first part of this article where it says “gender is assigned by a third party.” There is no point in reading the rest of this article.
Why?
That is what happens in maternity wards.
Nurse or doctor looks at the genitalia and then records male or female on the birth certificate. You have seen it function differently somewhere?
If all of this science of male and female brains is true, then presumably people who say they are transgender get tested for whether they have the opposite gender brain before they are diagnosed with actual transgenderism and put on hormones or whatever, right? Nope, in fact, anyone who “feels” like he or she is the opposite gender can get this treatment from a credulous medical establishment. So all this science is grand, but it seems to have nothing to do with how professionals are actually diagnosing anyone as transgender or providing potentially dangerous, life-long drug regimens and invasive surgeries, particularly to kids and adolescents. That is nuts.
The use of the word ‘feel’ is incorrect. I have never felt I was a female; rather from the age of seven I knew I was a female – it’s just that my body, and the way I was treated by other people because of my body, was all wrong. This phrase “feels like he or she is the opposite gender” is a relatively new phrase and has not come from transgender people. Rather this type of phrase has come from, and is used by, anti-transgender lobby groups to imply that being transgender is a made-up condition and/or the person has a mental health condition.
As for the brain science of being transgender, the author states, “In 1995 and 2000, two independent teams of researchers decided to examine a region of the brain called the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis …”, this occurred some 23 years after I first knew I was female. Before all these types of studies being transgender (transsexualism) was based on transgender people being considered as being mentally ill and/or having a sexual fetish. Indeed ‘treatments’ such as reparative conversion therapy was (and still is) based on the belief that transgender people have a mental health condition and/or a sexual fetish.
Although the science is still relatively new and evolving, imposing MRI as mandatory testing raises the question; Who is going to pay for these expensive tests? The Government? Health insurance companies? Individuals themselves? Given neither the (Australian) Government nor (Australian) health insurance companies currently pay for transgender treatment (i.e. pre-transitioning treatment and transitioning medication/surgery) I would assume the later. Therefore, making this test as mandatory will be done to place a further barrier to prevent transgender people receiving lifesaving medical treatment.
As for “… providing potentially dangerous, life-long drug regimens and invasive surgeries, particularly to kids and adolescents.” First, no country has laws that allows for children to commence HRT let alone have SRS. At the start of puberty teenagers can commence hormone blockers. As the name suggests this medication blocks the chemical reactions that cause puberty.
A teenager can use this medication up until the age of sixteen, thereby giving the person some additional time to learn about their gender identity. Additionally, a teenager can stop this hormone blocking medication at any time and puberty will commence shortly thereafter. Puberty blockers are not new and have been around since the 1980’s. If a teenager is certain of their gender at the age of fourteen to sixteen, they can commence HRT and then have SRS from age 18 onwards.
Forcing a transgender person to go through the puberty of their assigned birth sex is both cruel and in-human. Cruel because as every adult knows puberty shapes the body to be masculine or feminine, and for transgender people this is truly torture. It is in-human, because we have treatments that can help transgender people feel both better about themselves and see a brighter future for themselves.
It is holding back on medical treatment that we know works and, thereby from our actions, knowingly subject children, teenagers, adolescents and adults to life of self-hatred, mental anguish and pain from the effects of gender dysphoria that is truly nuts!
I believe that Transgender or the actual term Gender dysphoria is a mental illness, now that does not mean as a Trans Guy I am incapable of doing things, yes there are things that are wrong, I’m a guy in a female body. Again though it doesn’t stop me from doing normal things, sure it slows things down when it comes to running or dances or even going outside. It doesn’t mean I’m mentally unstable.
Gender dysphoria can be cured as scientists did a test seeing on who would feel better after transitioning, the brought in a group of Transgender People, and helped them Transition in the way they as a person needed to, because not every Transgender person is the same. After they did the test, recording how each individual was doing after transitioning and healing, they came up with the results showing that all of the people felt at least 80% better, yes all the the dysphoria can be cured but it depends of the person, some don’t want to fully transition some do.
There is no substantial evidence showing that the brains of trans people are closer to that of their chosen sex, and even if there was, it only compounds the many hypocrisies and circular logic of the modern trans movement. If there are sexed brains, then that reinforces the fact that there are biological differences between males and females (which there clearly are) but if this is the case how can there be a gender spectrum? And if males and females are different, how can the issue be societal? Then on the other hand trans advocates use behaviours and characteristics that are ‘societal stereotypes’ to determines that someone is trans. The whole trans rhetoric makes no sense. Now, where I fall on the issue, is that once you are of the age to make the informed choice (eg an adult) then crack on, do what you want (just don’t expect the tax payer to fund it) but where the problem lies is the forced insertion of this false ideology into the education system and confusing the young, impressionable minds of children. Doing that when adults don’t even understand the issue, and the science is so unclear, is clearly wrong. Following this, the administration of hormone blockers and gender treatments to minors is a gross breech of medical ethics and morality, and I can’t believe there isn’t more resistance to it. The effects of these are unknown and are practically experiments on confused youth, sometimes as young as 3 years old. This is why 5 doctors have left the Tavistock centre in London, their uncomfortable with the unethical experiments on children, especially when there is evidence to suggest that many children go through such phases and naturally outgrow them.
Personally I fall on the side of transgender ism being a mental disorder, and the suicide rate is suggestive of this. The high suicide rate is clearly not due to societal discrimination, and even if it was, the fact that it remains at a similar rate after transition, shows that transition is not effective in solving the mental and emotional anguish of those people. Treatment should be focused on helping the mind fit the body, rather than mutilating the body to fit a dysfunctional mind. We don’t cut the arms off those who believe they shouldn’t have that arm, or give liposuction to anorexics. This is a dangerous political issue and one which will have heavy ramifications into the future if allowed to go unchecked as it currently is.
Wow, at first I thought I had found an article that just might shine some light on this topic (scientifically).
I’m wondering what a jump shot has to do with features. Anyway, upon further digging and information gathering on many key terms/lables used in this article, I found this article to be a mass collection of misinformation. People do yourself a solid and really look into what your reading. I suggest learning what the “autonomic and neuroendocrine” is as well as “bed nucleus of the stria terminalus” is and what funtions ” purposes” it is responsible for. Hint, nothing to do with determining what sex you are or “gender”.
I’m always interested in new transgender research. Afterall perhaps you have stumbled on a cure for me and hundreds of thousands of other transgender people. To assist us would you like to expand on the “… further digging and information gathering …” you conducted. I’m aware that the author, Katherine J. Wu, is a biologist and has a Ph.D. in biomedical sciences from Harvard University, but I am most interested in your discoveries from your research
If you was born with female soul in the wrong body with inner girl deep inside you no one cure or doctor can help you. So the problem only is in which moment you let your inner girl out. As usual you can realise her in your body when you are 4 or 5 till 10. But sometimes later. As longer you stay her as a prisoner in your wrong body as more unhappy will be your life. And if you don’t want to consider your life as damned before your death, let HER out as soon as possible. It’s absolutely not mental desease. We are mental healthy like cisgender people. And when TG girl tries to put on girl’s dress in her childhood she is not guilty in her dreams and deceisions. To what level you must go in your transition you must detemine yourself. It depends on many factors and the main is your physical health. It is a very silly by my private opinion in trying to change your body completely, die on a surgical table. The long and winding road of transition becomes this way unreasonable. As for female brain I highly recommend a test of London Psychology Society.