Scientific Research

[Gabby]

It's natural to change sex if the environment is suitable!

I love this line in particular Rabbits , I'm off to check that pdf out

[JohnAlex]

Remember the pain of gender angst? You would allow a baby to be born with this curse?
Screw that!
I would do just about anything to be sure my child was not born this way.

And I'll just say it again, knowing what I know now, I would never forgive my parents for doing that to me.   Being transgender is a hard life (and I've only begun), but I would rather be transgender than female.
I understand how you think you have good intentions here, but it's like kyril said, the brain is who I am.  I don't want anyone messing with or manipulating who I am.  I would never forgive them for that.

But I guess all this is a non-issue because thankfully it's not possible (and probably never will be) to do that a transgendered before birth.

[Gabby]

They'd sit back and say we've saved all those people all that pain by screening them out, and reports would come in of what they term 'normal' people becoming transsexual or transgendered, or both.

Trans is a natural condition within the universe an 'up yours' to the idea of ultimate truths; any physicists who believe in those has simply shorn an omnipotent God down to it's core.

[cynthialee]

I believe it is our experiances that make us who we are.
A baby is a blank slate. I think it would be far better to give a child as much as an advantage as possible. And not being trans would be an advantage.

However I would be vehemantly opposed to changing the brain once the child has been born. The experiance cycle has started at that point.

[JohnAlex]

I believe it is our experiances that make us who we are.
A baby is a blank slate. I think it would be far better to give a child as much as an advantage as possible. And not being trans would be an advantage.

However I would be vehemantly opposed to changing the brain once the child has been born. The experiance cycle has started at that point.

Oh wow.  I don't know where you get your information from, but no evidence suggestions that babies are blank slate.  No credible doctor would agree that they are.

And if babies were blank slates, you realize that would imply that it was social experiences that caused them to be trans.  Your logic is inconsistent.

[cynthialee]

I think you are not compartmentalizing my statements well enough.
My logic is consistant and solid.

[JohnAlex]

I am also very interested in this topic, particularly about the cause behind gender dysphoria.

Here is a leaflet released by the UK National Health Service.
http://www.gires.org.uk/assets/DOH-Assets/pdf/doh-transgender-experiences.pdf

See the section on Gender Dysphoria - it specifically says that this condition is NOT a mental illness. And that "this condition is increasingly understood to have its origins before birth." It talks about recent research on the development of the brain.

Personally I have felt like a boy since as early as I can recall. So I honestly believe it is something which happened before the child is born.

For the record, I have never been a victim of child abuse or any abuse of any kind.

Any additional info on this topic would be welcome. There needs to be more research into this area.

Ah, thank you for this link. 


And that's going to be the worse part of trying to convince my friend.  Even if I manage to convince him that at least some people are born transgendered, he probably won't believe that I could be born transgender since I did experience some child abuse.

[Arch]

I think you are not compartmentalizing my statements well enough.
My logic is consistant and solid.

Can you explain further? I'm curious because I would have a hard time "fixing" a kid in utero, but I would hate to put a kid through the crap so many of us experience. I guess it's all hypothetical, but worth discussing.

[kate durcal]

I have posted this before and got flame for it. It is what it is, emerging research that points to the biological underpinning of the area(s) of the brain that determines your gender. Just like in the body are many anatomical and physiological sexual dimorphism, e.g breast, hip, bossing, hair distribution, liver metabolism, etc. So there are many areas in the human brain that are anatomically and/or physiologically sexually dimorphic, e.g, corpus callosum, putamen, anterior comissure, olfactory cortex, sexual dimorphic nuclei, and the famous bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BST).

The evidence indicates that it is the BST the master center that determines your gender. A number of gens are responsible for the maleness or femaleness development of the BST in uterus. In addition to mutation on the gene, epigenetic factors such as estrogenic substances can alter the development of the BST.If you PM, I will send you a few scientific papers on the topic. I caution you that even in this forum, there are people who refuse to believe that TG/TS is a medical condition, and prefer the esoteric explanations

Love Kate D (PR)

[Arch]

I caution you that even in this forum, there are people who refuse to believe that TG/TS is a medical condition, and prefer the esoteric explanations

Well, nobody knows all of the factors, and anyway, the larger community is made up of all different types of people. I wouldn't expect the same cause for drag kings, erotic cross dressers, and transsexuals, for example.

[kate durcal]

I think you are not compartmentalizing my statements well enough.
My logic is consistant and solid.

You logic, or lack of it, aside, the state of current research in genetics, neurobiology, and developmental genetics, points to the contrary, that is that many aspect of your personality and abilities are genetically hard wired in the neuronal connectivity of the baby in uterus. Having say that, we also need to remember that the brain is plastic and that it can be rewired by training, hormones, and experiences, but when it come to the fundamental core of our self the change can be minimal. For example, if your were born shy, you could become  little more outgoing, bu you wll die shy. The same for some of us, I was borne with a female BST in my brain, and thus a femele, no matter what hormones,  psychiatric-, or religious-interventions were performed, I remain and will die being a female.

Kate D