Dan Wilson
Senior Member.
Ben Shapiro is a lawyer and author who has gained a following as a political commentator. He has weighed in on a variety of current issues, one of which being transgenderism and transgender rights. He has a lot of specific talking points and examples that I do not want to touch on in this thread. What I do want to talk about here are these specific claims.
Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fHhJNsgNovU&t=189s
Shapiro mentions that there is nothing in biology to support the idea that transgenderism is a real phenomenon distinct from a delusional mental illness. He frequently says that biology makes you either male or female. This, of course, refers to the fact that people are normally born either as female with two X (XX) or male with one X and one Y (XY) chromosomes.
While this is mostly true, many biological males and females are born every year with sex development disorders. These abnormalities can have a variety of effects including serious health issues, ambiguous genitals, abnormal puberty, and hormone deficiencies. The time at which individuals born with one of these conditions are diagnosed can depend on how mild or severe the effects are and it is thought that many are never diagnosed. Whether or not any of these characterized conditions have any strong influence on transgenderism has been poorly studied but from this we know that genes have a profound affect on traits that influence cultural perceptions of male and female.
Is there any biological basis for someone to be transgender? There are no definitive mechanistic answers that science can offer us yet but we can say some things for certain. We know that genes on the X and Y chromosomes help determine the level of hormones in the body which ultimately influence what we would typically classify as "male" or "female" characteristics. We also know that measurable physiological differences can be associated with transgender individuals. For example, particular regions of the brain look different between men and women. http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0303720717304306?via=ihub
As a result of struggling with their gender identity, the transgender community is more prone to suicide and mental health issues. As far as treatments go, gender reassignment therapy is an option that is being done more often as time goes on. Shapiro claims that this kind of treatment does nothing for patients. In the scientific literature, however, the data support the idea that socioeconomic factors and particular treatment methods following surgery can have significant positive impacts an individual's mental health following reassignment surgery. http://transgenderinfo.be/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/QOL_Motmans.pdf
Transgenderism and gender ambiguity is nothing new with records of such individuals being described in a variety of cultures throughout history. Considering the persistence of transgenderism is human history and what we know about genetics and development, there are strong clues that transgenderism is rooted in but not completely determined by biology. To say that there is nothing in biology to support an individual's identification with the opposite sex is completely inaccurate.
Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fHhJNsgNovU&t=189s
These views are widely held by and influential to some voters and lawmakers. They are misleading at best.1:37 The idea that transgender surgery accomplishes anything for people that are 'transgender' is nonsense... 2:33 [Transgenderism] is a mental illness... 4:53 There is no such thing as a female brain existing in a male body, it just doesn't work that way that's not how biology works- there's nothing more unscientific than this notion of magical transgender fluidity...
Shapiro mentions that there is nothing in biology to support the idea that transgenderism is a real phenomenon distinct from a delusional mental illness. He frequently says that biology makes you either male or female. This, of course, refers to the fact that people are normally born either as female with two X (XX) or male with one X and one Y (XY) chromosomes.
While this is mostly true, many biological males and females are born every year with sex development disorders. These abnormalities can have a variety of effects including serious health issues, ambiguous genitals, abnormal puberty, and hormone deficiencies. The time at which individuals born with one of these conditions are diagnosed can depend on how mild or severe the effects are and it is thought that many are never diagnosed. Whether or not any of these characterized conditions have any strong influence on transgenderism has been poorly studied but from this we know that genes have a profound affect on traits that influence cultural perceptions of male and female.
Is there any biological basis for someone to be transgender? There are no definitive mechanistic answers that science can offer us yet but we can say some things for certain. We know that genes on the X and Y chromosomes help determine the level of hormones in the body which ultimately influence what we would typically classify as "male" or "female" characteristics. We also know that measurable physiological differences can be associated with transgender individuals. For example, particular regions of the brain look different between men and women. http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0303720717304306?via=ihub
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0091302211000252?via=ihubIn general, using the term “sexual dimorphic” is correct only regarding a few brain characteristics, while most do not overlap or have a minimal overlap between the two sexes (Cosgrove et al., 2007; Joel, 2011; Juraska, 1991; Koscik et al., 2009; Koscik et al., 2009; Lenroot and Giedd, 2010; McCarthy and Konkle, 2005).
When we compare the pre-operation brains of males transitioning to females to normal males and do the same thing with females, we see that the brains of transitioning individuals resemble the sex they are transitioning to rather than their biological sex. http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0022395610001585#sec2.1As sexual differentiation of the brain takes place at a much later stage in development than sexual differentiation of the genitals, these two processes can be influenced independently of each other. Sex differences in cognition, gender identity (an individual’s perception of their own sexual identity), sexual orientation (heterosexuality, homosexuality or bisexuality), and the risks of developing neuropsychiatric disorders are programmed into our brain during early development.
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0149763415002432Our results show that the white matter microstructure pattern in untreated FtM transsexuals is closer to the pattern of subjects who share their gender identity (males) than those who share their biological sex (females). Our results provide evidence for an inherent difference in the brain structure of FtM transsexuals.
While specific genes have yet to be identified in this case, twin studies have also suggested that transgenderism has a strong genetic component. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12211624The available data from structural and functional neuroimaging-studies promote the view of transsexualism as a condition that has biological underpinnings.
In summary, the biological determination of gender and gender identity is not black or white. A complex set of genetics, development, epigenetics, and experience contribute to gender identity in ways we don't fully understand. Despite our lack of a complete understanding, we can say with certainty that our current understanding of science and the data support the idea that biology plays an important part in influencing an individual's gender identity.Overall, the results support the hypothesis that there is a strong heritable component to GID. The findings may also imply that gender identity may be much less a matter of choice and much more a matter of biology.
As a result of struggling with their gender identity, the transgender community is more prone to suicide and mental health issues. As far as treatments go, gender reassignment therapy is an option that is being done more often as time goes on. Shapiro claims that this kind of treatment does nothing for patients. In the scientific literature, however, the data support the idea that socioeconomic factors and particular treatment methods following surgery can have significant positive impacts an individual's mental health following reassignment surgery. http://transgenderinfo.be/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/QOL_Motmans.pdf
The evidence is strong that individuals passing for the sex they are reassigned to, following up surgery with hormonal treatment, and having access to the resources that assist them in achieving these goals have significantly positive effects on their quality of life. The idea that these treatments do absolutely nothing for these individuals is not supported by the data.Recent research into the self-reported physical and mental health-related quality of life (QOL) of transgender individuals reveals lower scores when compared with a general population sample but suggests a positive impact of certain medical interventions.
Transgenderism and gender ambiguity is nothing new with records of such individuals being described in a variety of cultures throughout history. Considering the persistence of transgenderism is human history and what we know about genetics and development, there are strong clues that transgenderism is rooted in but not completely determined by biology. To say that there is nothing in biology to support an individual's identification with the opposite sex is completely inaccurate.
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