Intersex and Transsex: Atypical Gender Development and Social Construction

[Robyn]

 A recent paper by Dr. Milton Diamond, Professor Emeritus, University of Hawa'i.

"Neither intersexuality nor transgender is new. Scientists for years have known of many species of animals and plants that combine male and female characteristics. But, until the last decade or so, intersexuality has been relatively unknown among the general public. So too is transgender expression relatively new. Transgender is also a comparatively new term and applied to an increasing number of people choosing to live a role variant life; some going as far as taking steps to change their sex. Over the last ten years, however, these topics, along with the individuals to which they relate, have increasingly come "out of the closet." In the context of this discussion it must be clear that sex and gender are distinct entities. Sex is related to anatomy and medically recognized differences while gender is more related to society and culture (Diamond 2000; Diamond 2002). With this approach it is thus obvious that a biologic male can live as a girl or woman and that a biologic female can live as a boy or man."

http://www.hawaii.edu/PCSS/biblio/articles/2010to2014/2012-intersex-and-transsex.html

[Jamie D]

Thank you for posting this.  It is my hope that every member will read the article.

I found the footnote to be of particular interest:

U.S. Supreme Court Justice Antony Scalia, in an attempt to clarify usage of the terms, has written (J.E.B., 1994) "The word gender has acquired the new and useful connotation of cultural or attitudinal characteristics (as opposed to physical characteristics) distinctive to the sexes. That is to say, gender is to sex as feminine is to female and masculine is to male."

[SandraJane]

A recent paper by Dr. Milton Diamond, Professor Emeritus, University of Hawa'i.

".... In the context of this discussion it must be clear that sex and gender are distinct entities. Sex is related to anatomy and medically recognized differences while gender is more related to society and culture (Diamond 2000; Diamond 2002). With this approach it is thus obvious that a biologic male can live as a girl or woman and that a biologic female can live as a boy or man."

http://www.hawaii.edu/PCSS/biblio/articles/2010to2014/2012-intersex-and-transsex.html

So...what about this theory?


JCEM
The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism

Male-to-Female Transsexuals Have Female Neuron Numbers in a Limbic Nucleus

    Frank P. M. Kruijver,
    Jiang-Ning Zhou,
    Chris W. Pool,
    Michel A. Hofman,
    Louis J. G. Gooren and
    Dick F. Swaab

May 2000 | Kruijver et al. 85 (5): 2034 | Retrieved from the Internet on December 4, 2012 by SJ

http://jcem.endojournals.org/content/85/5/2034.full

Abstract

Transsexuals experience themselves as being of the opposite sex, despite having the biological characteristics of one sex. A crucial question resulting from a previous brain study in male-to-female transsexuals was whether the reported difference according to gender identity in the central part of the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BSTc) was based on a neuronal difference in the BSTc itself or just a reflection of a difference in vasoactive intestinal polypeptide innervation from the amygdala, which was used as a marker. Therefore, we determined in 42 subjects the number of somatostatin-expressing neurons in the BSTc in relation to sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, and past or present hormonal status...

... The present findings of somatostatin neuronal sex differences in the BSTc and its sex reversal in the transsexual brain clearly support the paradigm that in transsexuals sexual differentiation of the brain and genitals may go into opposite directions and point to a neurobiological basis of gender identity disorder.