The Personal Website of Mark W. Dawson

Transgenderism - Sex and Gender

03/29/24 Sex and Gender – Meaning and Science

Sex and gender are two different aspects of being human; sex is physiological (of or consistent with an organism's normal functioning), while gender is psychological (mental or emotional as opposed to physical in nature).

Sex is the trait that determines whether a sexually reproducing organism produces male or female gametes. During sexual reproduction, a male and a female gamete fuse to form a zygote, which develops into an offspring that inherits traits from each parent. By convention, organisms that produce smaller, more mobile gametes (spermatozoa, sperm) are called male, while organisms that produce larger, non-mobile gametes (ova, often called egg cells) are called female. An organism that produces both types of gamete is hermaphrodite. Sex is determined by The XY sex-determination system, which is a physiological sex-determination system used to classify many mammals, including humans, some insects (Drosophila), some snakes, some fish (guppies), and some plants (Ginkgo tree). In this system, the sex of an individual is determined by a pair of sex chromosomes. In most cases, females have two of the same kind of sex chromosome (XX) and are called the homogametic sex. Males have two different kinds of sex chromosomes (XY) and are called the heterogametic sex.

There is another class of sex chromosomes, XXY syndrome, XYY syndrome, and XXYY syndrome, which are variations of the normal XX (female) and XY (male) chromosomal structures. The exact number of people with these variations is unknown, as these syndromes are often not diagnosed until physiological complications and sometimes psychological difficulties occur from these variations.

Gender includes the social, psychological, cultural, and behavioral aspects of being a man, woman, or other gender identity. Depending on the context, this may include sex-based social structures (i.e., gender roles) and gender expression. Most cultures use a gender binary, in which gender is divided into two categories, and people are considered part of one or the other (boys/men and girls/women); those who are outside these groups may fall under the umbrella term non-binary. Some societies have specific genders besides "man" and "woman", such as the hijras of South Asia; these are often referred to as third genders (and fourth genders, etc.). Most scholars agree that gender is a central characteristic of social organization.

In general, medical doctors must treat their patients based on their sex, while psychiatrists treat their patients based on sex and gender, and psychologists treat their patients based on gender for those who suffer from Gender dysphoria. Gender dysphoria (GD) is the distress a person experiences due to a mismatch between their gender identity—their personal sense of their own gender—and their sex.

Science informs us that male and female bodies differ not only in their sex chromosomes and their psychological organization for reproduction but also, on average, in size, shape, bone length and density, fat distribution, musculature, and various organs, including the heart and brain. These secondary sex differences are not what define us as male or female; organization for reproduction is what does that. If you are bodily structured to inseminate, then you are male, and if you are bodily structured to gestate, then you are female.

When we step back from contentious political debates, we can see scientists acknowledging what might be otherwise an unpopular truth: that there are biological differences between men and women, and they are consequential. The Institute of Medicine at the Nation Academy of Sciences published a report in 2001 titled Exploring the Biological Contributions to Human Health: Does Sex Matter?, in which the chapter titles of the report sum up basic truths of our bodily nature: “Every Cell has a Sex”, “Sex Begins in the Womb”, “Sex Affects Behavior and Perception”, and “Sex Affects Health”. Wikipedia has three main articles on the differences between males and females: Sex differences in human physiology, Sex differences in humans, and Secondary sex characteristic that highlight the main differences between males and females.

These are the scientific facts and truths that the Transgendered Rights activists would have you ignore or that they obfuscate with terms such as “Gender Identity”, “Gender Fluidity”, “Gender Affirmation”, “Gender Confirmation”, “Sex Assigned at Birth”, and other terms to lead you astray, which is the topic of my next Chirp “Sex and Gender – Gender Transitioning”.

03/30/24 Sex and Gender – Gender Transitioning

In my Chirp on “03/29/24 Sex and Gender – Meaning and Science”, I examined the basic differences between the sexes (male and female) and the meaning of gender. I would note that facts and truths must be based on reality; otherwise, we will live in a fantasy land that can change according to anyone’s discretion. Ignoring scientific facts leads you astray and to untruths. Science informs us that male and female bodies differ and that there are biological differences between men and women, and they are consequential.

Transgendered Rights activists would also have you believe, as Shakespeare put it, “To be or not to be, that is the question” on a transgendered sex transition. But this is the wrong question. Claiming that a question is wrong may sound odd. Surely, answers can be wrong. Likewise, suppositions, views, claims, and assertions can be wrong. But can the questions be wrong? The answer to this question is given in the Psychology Today article, “To Be or Not to Be": Is That Really the Question? Hamlet's famous question is limited and misleading” by Iddo Landau, Ph.D..

If you attempt to change your gender, it is not a change of your sex, as sex is at the chromosomal level, which cannot be changed. Substituting your gender through drug or surgical treatments runs the risk of physiological problems that could adversely impact your health for the rest of your life. There is also the possibility that you will encounter physiological problems in the attempt, which may require years of therapy to countervail. Drug and surgical treatments only impact your hormones and physical appearance, but your chromosomal structure will remain the same. Thus, any attempts to change your sex are futile, and any attempts to change your gender could be dangerous to your physical and mental health.

The question is not to be one sex or another, as this is impossible, but what is the best method of dealing with transgender dysphoria? Gender dysphoria is the distress a person experiences due to a mismatch between their gender identity—their personal sense of their own gender—and their sex. Is it to be by gender transition, or is it to be by mental health therapy? The Transgendered Rights activists would have you believe that the only means of dealing with transgender is to physically transition to the other sex. The scientific facts and truths say otherwise. No one can fully transition to another sex, and many transitioned transgender persons experience physical and mental problems during and after the transition. Many transgender dysphoria persons can be helped by mental health therapy rather than transitioning, but most do not receive the proper mental health therapy for their dysphoria. In today’s America, there is too much rush to transition a transgender person and insufficient consideration of mental health therapy.

The other question is, at what age should a transgendered physical transition be allowed? An adult person (18+ years old) should have the right to physically transition as they see fit. The real question is, is it appropriate to allow physical transition for children and adolescents? Many children role-play genders in their discovery of the world in which they live, but does this mean they are transgendered dysphoric? Adolescents, as a result of their puberty, go through tremendous mood swings as they adjust to the changes in their bodies from their sex glands becoming functional. Confusion abounds in adolescents during this time as they receive mixed messages about their bodily changes. In this confusion, they may question their gender identity, which is perfectly normal. But does this confusion mean that they are transgendered dysphoric?

In medicine, Informed Consent is a principle in medical ethics, medical law, and media studies that a patient must have sufficient information and understanding before making decisions about their medical care. In our society, it is not possible for children and adolescents to give informed consent as we recognize that their brains and intelligence are not sufficiently developed to properly reason for giving informed consent. Thus, for children and adolescents, informed consent can only be given by their parents or legal guardians, as I have discussed in my article on “The Destruction of Our Children”. Consequently, only a parent or legal guardian may approve a gender transition. However, society has a say in gender transition, as it impacts the physical and mental well-being of future members of society (which is why we have many different laws dealing with the upbringing of children).

In discussing the wisdom of allowing children and adolescents to gender transition, there has been much "Torturous and Convoluted Reasoning", "Obfuscation, Smoke, and Mirrors",  "Euphemisms, Doublespeak, and Disingenuousness", and “The Perversion of the English Language” on both sides of the issue. It is, therefore, important that we cut through this gobbledygook with a dispassionate analysis of the costs and benefits of children and adolescents' gender transitioning. But until this dispassionate analysis occurs, we should all remember a principle of medicine, “First, do no harm.”

03/31/24 Sex and Gender – Societal Impacts

In my Chirp on “03/29/24 Sex and Gender – Meaning and Science”, I explained that science informs us that male and female bodies differ not only in their sex chromosomes and their psychological organization for reproduction but also (on average) in their size and shape, bone length and density, fat distribution, musculature, and various organs, including the heart and brain. Some of the more predominant societal impacts of these differences regarding Transgenderism are its impacts on athletic competitions, Transgenderism in public accommodations, public K-12 education of Transgenderism, and public displays of Transgenderism, which are the topics of this Chirp.

The physical differences between the sexes often provide an advantage for the male physique over the female physique in terms of physical exertions. Strength, speed, height and weight, heart and muscular capacity, and endurance are generally greater in the male than in the female. As such, any attempt to commingle biological males with biological females in any competitive sport gives the biological male an advantage over the biological female. As Riley Gaines has stated, when she was a top ten competitor in women’s swimming, and her husband was in the mid-two-hundreds in men’s swimming, when she privately competed with her husband, he “always beat the pants off me.” This is why so many biological males are in the top ten when they compete against biological females. Not only do biological males have a competitive advantage, but we have seen an increase in female injuries when a male competes against them.

Privacy in the public arena in restrooms, locker rooms, and other public accommodations that have been traditionally segregated by sex is also being challenged by transgender activists. Traditionally, segregated accommodations were done for the purposes of privacy and safety. Privacy has always been important to females, as they do not wish to be exposed to or gawked at by males except by mutual consent. Fears of molestation or sexual assault that may occur without this privacy are also a concern, and a transgender male in their midst often causes emotional distress on their part. There is also a concern that a male will pose as a transgendered female to gain entrance to their private spaces for nefarious purposes.

Public K-12 sexual education has always been a contentious issue, made even more so by the LGBTQIA+ community's insistence that they be included in this sexual public education. This issue revolves around the propriety of Public K-12 sexual education and the parental or legal guardians' rights to instruct their children on sexuality in the manner and at the age of their children in which they see fit. Public education on LGBTQIA+, and more specifically transgender sexuality, has caused an uproar when it became an elementary school issue. The insertion of transgender sexuality education in a child’s (age 4-12) curriculum at a time in their life at which a child is incapable of emotionally or intellectually processing these concepts is unjustified and, indeed, unethical and immoral. Even in an adolescent's (age 13-17) education, sexual education can be confusing, given the hormonal changes that are occurring within their bodies. Transgender education in public education has even stepped into Gender Transitioning counseling in public education. Such teaching and counseling are not education but indoctrination, and it is often given without the knowledge or approval of a child’s parent or legal guardian.

We have also seen a rise in the lack of decorum in public displays of sexuality in flagrant public displays by the LGBTQIA+ community that would not be tolerated if they were done by the heterosexual community. The pride parades by the LGBTQIA+ community often devolve into simulated sexual acts that are inappropriate for public (especially children) viewing. There is nothing wrong with being proud of your sexuality, but pride should be tempered by modesty in public displays of your sexuality. There is also the issue of flagrant public displays and instruction of Transgenderism in public forums such as libraries, community centers, gyms, and other public accommodations. The issue of public libraries lending sexually explicit books and materials to underage adults without parental or legal guardian consent is also a concern.

In all of the above issues, the question is of a conflict of rights—the LGBTQIA+ community members' rights versus the non-LGBTQIA+ community members' rights. At what point do individual rights clash, at what point do the parental or legal guardian rights take precedence, and at what point do societal concerns override individual rights? This is a delicate question that has always been at the forefront of our American Ideals and Ideas. We should also remember my own aphorism, “The liberty and freedom to choose what you do or say does not free you from the consequences of your deeds or words.”

In the societal impacts of LGBTQIA+, and especially Transgenderism, we should all remember a rule of thumb: “First, do no harm.” Do no harm to both the LGBTQIA+ and non-LGBTQIA+ community members, as well as do no harm to society as a whole. All persons need to be treated politely and respectfully, with dignity, and with regard to their Natural, Human, and Civil Rights, but one person’s individual rights cannot transgress upon another person’s individual rights. The boundaries of transgression are very difficult to qualify and establish, but they must be dispassionately examined and instituted.

As for my opinion, I do not believe that Transgenderism should be permitted in athletic competitions or in public accommodations, nor should it be permitted in a child’s education and constricted in an adolescent’s education. I also believe that lewd and lascivious behavior in the public arena should not be allowed.

This viewpoint does not constitute hate for the transgender or the LGBTQIA+ community, but it does constitute a concern for the physical and mental well-being of persons suffering from transgender dysphoria. They need assistance in dealing with their transgender dysphoria, but this assistance should consider all options for treatment. To do otherwise is to potentially harm a transgendered person rather than help them with their dysphoria. When thinking about Transgendered Rights, we must always remember the scientific facts and truths; otherwise, we will make ill-informed or uninformed decisions on how to help and/or treat a transgendered person.