News and Events => Opinions & Editorials => Topic started by: Shana A on August 21, 2010, 08:10:24 AM Return to Full Version
Title: Don’t know much biology
Post by: Shana A on August 21, 2010, 08:10:24 AM
Post by: Shana A on August 21, 2010, 08:10:24 AM
Don't know much biology
T-Notes
by Robbi Cohn August 21, 2010
http://goqnotes.com/8002/don%E2%80%99t-know-much-biology/ (http://goqnotes.com/8002/don%E2%80%99t-know-much-biology/)
I always liked Sam Cooke's "Wonderful World." The lyrics, "don't know much about history, don't know much biology," really get to me. When I went to college, I was headed for a pre-med curriculum. That didn't last as I found myself, ultimately, studying philosophy and history of religions. My scientific acumen is mostly that of a layperson, even though I do have a bit of a pre-med background. That being said, I sometimes find myself doubting efforts to find a biological or genetic foundation for gender diversity. This uncertainty manifests in several ways.
First is the issue of choice. Many of us have said that being gender diverse is not a choice, that it's the way we are constituted. Such reasoning dismisses the possibility that a person might choose any way of being in the world. We choose religion, profession and a myriad of other so-called lifestyles. We say that gender diversity, however, is not a lifestyle, but an essential part of who we are, and not a choice. There is grey area here — is it not possible that someone, for any number of reasons, might believe they are gender diverse? What happens if, given we ascertain a genetic or biological component, a person who does not have said genetic component still maintains their gender diversity? Such a requirement (the genetic marker) becomes a gauntlet a person must run to "qualify" officially, or medically, as gender diverse. Failure to do so would mean failure to obtain treatment.
T-Notes
by Robbi Cohn August 21, 2010
http://goqnotes.com/8002/don%E2%80%99t-know-much-biology/ (http://goqnotes.com/8002/don%E2%80%99t-know-much-biology/)
I always liked Sam Cooke's "Wonderful World." The lyrics, "don't know much about history, don't know much biology," really get to me. When I went to college, I was headed for a pre-med curriculum. That didn't last as I found myself, ultimately, studying philosophy and history of religions. My scientific acumen is mostly that of a layperson, even though I do have a bit of a pre-med background. That being said, I sometimes find myself doubting efforts to find a biological or genetic foundation for gender diversity. This uncertainty manifests in several ways.
First is the issue of choice. Many of us have said that being gender diverse is not a choice, that it's the way we are constituted. Such reasoning dismisses the possibility that a person might choose any way of being in the world. We choose religion, profession and a myriad of other so-called lifestyles. We say that gender diversity, however, is not a lifestyle, but an essential part of who we are, and not a choice. There is grey area here — is it not possible that someone, for any number of reasons, might believe they are gender diverse? What happens if, given we ascertain a genetic or biological component, a person who does not have said genetic component still maintains their gender diversity? Such a requirement (the genetic marker) becomes a gauntlet a person must run to "qualify" officially, or medically, as gender diverse. Failure to do so would mean failure to obtain treatment.