Here's something you may find interesting.

http://theblog.philosophytalk.org/2005/04/the_boogey_of_g.html

Quote from: Starbuck on February 10, 2009, 11:46:51 PM
you do realise that Intersex already HAS genetic explanations?

That's a rather gross assumption. The majority of cases of intersex conditions are related to environment rather than heredity. About five to seven IS syndromes are caused by a variety of genetic conditions. The other twenty-odd are probably not with many caused by polutants.

thankyou for explaining what i meant by 'explanations' i never said hereditory... but that we know what causes them to an extent, not why, but what, and that they ARE caused.

Leiandra: Ofcourse genes provide a channelable pathway to certain attributes, but in the same vein, hair colour is a fact of genetics... as is say, breast size, features, or size.... Intersexed conditions are generally that form of genetically selected, not something you can change if you want to ><

Look, I believe that there's a scientifically knowable basis. I just have some problems with the implications that some people draw from that.

First, back to the original topic of this thread: having a scientifc explanation doen't make it a mental illness any more than a scientific explanation for homosexuality makes that a mental illness.

Second, I don't think we have a very good explanation yet.

Third, I hate appealing to science to justify my own existence, basically because I don't buy the resoning myself. being transsexual is okay because it's okay, end of story. We don't judge other traits on whether they are inate. We don't accept violence from XYY males (okay, that's been disproved -- but we wouldn't if it were a valid link). But, what the heck, if it works to help some people come around to accepting transsexuality, I'll swallow my pride. I'll just tell myself it helps people see it in a different light, and maybe that's what they need.

Whether it is or isn't...

After I transitioned I was waaaay happier.

If I'm mentally ill, I'm an immoderately happy mentally ill person. And I'm just fine with that.