Sex and Sensibility

Women’s Sport.

 

To my knowledge, none of those pictured are Intersex. Certainly none are Trans. Humans vary.

Gloucester County School Board v. G.G - interACT: Advocates for Intersex Youth, et al.

Gloucester County School Board v. G.G - interACT: Advocates for Intersex Youth, et al. (Pdf)
Some highlights: This is, as far as I'm aware, the first court case involving Transgender where the binary nature of "physiological sex" has been challenged. Universally, Intersex people  have always been dismissed as inconsequential, rare one in a zillion cases of no importance. Or against sincerely held Religious belief, so their very existence denied, as it goes against what is still being taught in backwards and creationist biology classes.

    This case raises issues central to amici's mission as advocates for intersex youth. Petitioner maintains that the word “sex” in Title IX must refer only to an Individual’s so-called “physiological” sex, rather than the sex with which an individual identifies and lives every day. This is so, Petitioner argues, because “physiological” sex—purportedly unlike gender identity—is binary, objective, and self-evident. The intersex youth for whom amici advocate are a living refutation of this argument.

    Petitioner’s simplistic view of “physiological” sex is demonstrably inaccurate as a matter of human biology. Moreover, it demeans many thousands of intersex youth by erasing their bodies and lives and placing them outside the recognition of the law. Physicians who treat individuals with intersex traits recognize that the key determinant of how individuals navigate sex designations in their lives is their gender identity—their internal sense of belonging to a particular gender.

    Amici Have a strong interest in ensuring that The Court does not endorse Petitioner’s misguided View of “physiological” sex, and in seeing the Court interpret Title IX in a way that respects all children.

This brief argues that in cases of Intersex, Gender Identity is the only feasible way of determining anyone's sex. Rather than relying on handwaving and assertion, or religious texts, it shows that scientifically, there is no bright, distinct touchstone reliant on objective facts other than Gender Identity. It may not be perfect, but it's by far the best there is.

    Notably, the legal system has struggled for decades to answer the definitional question that Petitioner simply begs. By the time Title IX was enacted, courts well recognized that “(t)here are several criteria or standards which may be relevant in determining the sex of an individual.”
    M.T. v. J.T., 355 A.2d 204, 206–08 (N.J. App. Div. 1976) (listing chromosomes, external genitalia, gonads, secondary sex characteristics, and hormones, as well as gender identity).

     Commentators have noted the “variability of standards that courts employ” in making such determinations.

     Even courts in the same jurisdiction have disagreed about how to determine sex when physiological features do not align.

         Petitioner and its amici also assert that “physiological” sex has the virtue of being an “objective” classification. Pet. Br. at 32; McHugh Br. at 3–6, 12–13.

    Gender identity, they suggest, is “fuzzy and mercurial,” id. at 8, while “physiological” sex simply is. But the foregoing discussion should make clear that this assertion is similarly flawed. An intersex student’s "physiological” sex may depend entirely on which Physiological trait one chooses to privilege. Indeed, because of the diversity of medical perspectives, trained experts can and do disagree on the “correct” sex to assign to an intersex child.

    Interpreting “sex” to refer to a student’s gender identity would avoid (or at least mitigate) these problems. Unlike “physiological” sex, all parties appear to agree on what gender identity means: it is “[an] individual’s ‘innate sense of being male or female.’” Pet. Br. at 36; cf. Resp. Br. at 2 (similar). It is not subject to competing definitions depending on which expert or court is consulted. Moreover, unlike “physiological” sex, a student’s gender identity by definition cannot be subject to differences in medical opinion: each student is the ultimate arbiter of their own gender identity, as they (and they alone) experience it first-hand.

Moreover, at the time Congress passed Title IX, they either knew, or should have known, that Intersex people exist.

    Accordingly, when Congress enacted the provision at issue here, it knew—or, at minimum, should have Known—that not all students could be straightforwardly categorized as “male” or “female” based on Their anatomy alone. Congress could not have believed otherwise without ignoring millennia of Western history, science, and law.

Certainly by the time the Americans with Disabilities Act was passed, they knew.

So, how does this situation affect Intersex kids? One example. A kid with XX/XY mosaicism, one of the syndromes that can cause a partial, apparent natural sex change.

    (I) was in a boys’ restroom, and someone saw that I went in there, and then complained to my counselor, who then said “Well, you can’t use the boys’ restroom, so you have to use the girls’ restroom.” And I was like “ok, fine, whatever.” But ... there (were) athen complaints that I was using the girls’ restroom. And I was told, “Well, you can use the nurse’s restroom.”

    Now, ... the nurse was on the complete opposite side of the entire building .... So if I was in the middle of class, I would have to leave, and I would be gone for 10-15 minutes, so of course my teachers didn’t like that. So I was told “You can’t use the nurse’s restroom .... There is a single-stall restroom in the special education area, which is near where your classroom(s) are, so you can use that one.” And I was like “fine, ok.” And I used that one for a bit and was then told that I couldn’t use that one....

    At that (point)... I was told “Well, you don’t Have a full school schedule, so you can just hold It.” So yeah, for the last semester, at least, I just wasn’t allowed to use the restroom at the high school at all.

Unfortunately... It has been since February 2016 the Republican National Committee dogma  that, and I quote

A person’s sex is defined as the physical condition of being male or female, which is determined at conception, identified at birth by a person’s anatomy, recorded on their official birth certificate, and can be confirmed by DNA testing;

What do we do when not merely a major political party, but the one controlling the House, the Senate, the Presidency, a large majority of state governorships and legislatures, soon to be the Supreme Court and a majority of Federal judicial appointments, when this party has as an article of Faith something as counterfactual as "Pi = 3" or "The Earth is Flat"?

SrY and 46,XX men

It has often been claimed that "DNA" or "Genes" or "Chromosomes" - the three words often used interchangeably - define what sex someone "really" is. That they are the very definition of sex.

There have even been attempts to enshrine this principle in law.

Reality differs.

A case report of an XX male with complete masculinization but absence of the SrY gene
Ghalia Abou Alchamat, Marwan Alhlabi, Muhyiddin Issa , Middle East Fertility Society Journal January 2010, Vol.15(1):51–53,

34-year old man with complete masculinization and a history of several years of infertility was referred to us for genetic reviewing. His semen analysis showed azoospermia. Conventional chromosomal analysis indicates a 46,XX karyotype, molecular analyses excluded the presence of SRY (the sex-determining region of the Y chromosome) gene. This case is one of the rare cases reported in the literature in whom testicular differentiation and complete virilization were found in a 46,XX chromosomal constitution, with the absence of SRY gene. This finding suggests that other genes downstream from SRY play an important role in sex determination. Through reporting this rare case and reviewing previous literatures, the aim of this report is to highlight the value of genetically screening all males with azoospermia who present for evaluation of infertility, since the phenotype does not always correlate with the genotype.

Tests for sex that rely on the presence of a Y "male" chromosome don't work. Some men don't have them. Tests for sex that rely on the presence of the SrY "male" gene somewhere on one of the other chromosomes also don't work. Some men don't have those either.

So why do we call these "male" genes or "male" chromosomes? Why do we, including those of us who know better, sometimes say someone with 46,XY chromosomes is "genetically male"? Because of laziness, basically. Imprecision. All but 1 in 300 men are 46,XY. That's most of them. Not all, and there are plenty of women who are 46,XY too, and some of those even give birth to 46,XY daughters.

This paper comes to the conclusion that there are other genes that may cause masculinisation. We know that to be true, DAX9 for example. But we also know that hormonal environment in the womb, absent anything unusual in the genome, can also cause the phenotype, the thing being built, to be uncorrelated with the genotype, the plan.

Trying to define anyone's sex purely from the genome is a philosophical or ideological issue, requiring much handwaving and dismissal of the existence of exceptions, or even outright denial that exceptions can exist, for philosophical reasons.

At best, we can say that DNA/Chromosomes/Genes determine sex..   except for the many cases where they don't. A good guide, usually true, but not completely reliable, so cannot possibly be used to "define" what sex anyone is.

Transsexualism as an Intersex Condition

Transsexualism as an Intersex Condition, M.Diamond. Transsexuality in Theology and Neuroscience: Findings, Controversies and Perspectives), ed. by Gerhard Schreiber, Berlin and Boston: De Gruyter 2016.

While more conclusive experimental data in support of the thesis presented is desirable, two recent publications have appeared that amplify and review much of the material discussed above, a paper entitled “Evidence Supporting the Biologic Nature of Gender Identity” and Bevan’s book with the title “The Psychobiology of Transsexualism and Transgenderism” (Bevan, 2015; Saraswat, Weinand, & Safer, 2015). To this investigator there seems evidence enough to consider trans persons as individuals intersexed in their brains and scant evidence to think their gender transition is a simple and unwarranted social choice.

2015 U.S. Transgender Survey Report

In 2011, a report Injustice at Every Turn was produced, detailing in bald terms just exactly what the situation was for Trans people in the US.
A follow up report, with an even larger sample size, has now been written.

 One in ten  (10%)  respondents who were out to their immediate family reported that  a family member was violent towards them  because they were transgender.

One in twelve(8%)respondents who were out to their immediate family  were kicked out of the house, and one in ten (10%) ran away from home.

Nineteen percent(19%) of respondents who had ever been part of a spiritual or religious community left due to rejection

One-third(33%) of those who saw a healthcare provider in the past year reported having at least one negative experience related to being transgender, such as being refused treatment, verbally harassed, or physically or sexually assaulted, or having to teach the provider about transgender people in order to get appropriate care, with higher rates for people of color and people with disabilities.

In the past year, 23% of respondents did not see a doctor when they needed to because of fear of being mistreated as a transgender person, and 33% did not see a doctor when needed because they could not afford it.

(16%)  respondents who have ever been employed—or 13% of all respondents in the sample—reported losing a job because of their gender identity or expression  in their lifetime.

In the past year, 27%  of those who held or applied for a job during that year—19% of all respondents—reported being fired, denied a promotion, or not being hired for a job they applied for because of their gender identity or expression.

Fifteen percent(15%) of respondents who had a job in the past year were verbally harassed, physically attacked, and/or sexually assaulted  at work because of their gender identity or expression.

...and so on. Similar to 2011, but this report is in more detail and with greater confidence levels. Improvements over that period have been made... But you need a microscope to see them.

An Issue Whose Time Has Come: Sex/Gender Influences on Nervous System Function

An Issue Whose Time Has Come: Sex/Gender Influences on Nervous System Function
Journal of Neuroscience Research, vol 95 1-2, Jan/Feb 2017

"Be careful, it's the third rail.” I received this strong advice to steer clear of studying sex differences from a senior colleague around the year 2000 when my research into brain mechanisms of emotional memory began drawing me into the issue of sex differences—or better yet, sex influences—on brain function. And in a way, he was right. For the vast majority of his long and distinguished neuroscience career, exploring sex influences was indeed a terrific way for a brain scientist not studying reproductive functions to lose credibility at best, and at worst, become a pariah in the eyes of the neuroscience mainstream......

Yup.

Certifiable

Updating a previous post... the act will come into force on the 29th August 2016. Touch wood. Then I can apply for the appropriate Recognised Details certificate, which I can then use to apply for a UK Gender Recognition Certificate, which I can then use to apply for a corrected UK Birth Certificate... which will then allow me to, amongst other things, not only board aircraft in the US and Canada, but even use the correct restroom in North Carolina.

Bizarre? Grotesque? Surreal? Let's just say that those responsible for making laws that don't correspond with Reality, and force Trans and Intersex people to jump through these hoops are Certifiable.

US Potty Panic Hysteria - Multimedia edition

You're all going to Hell

A freshman U.S. Congressman quickly made a name for himself Thursday morning at a weekly early morning meeting of Republican lawmakers. GOP Rep. Rick Allen of Georgia quoted Bible verses and told his fellow Republicans that they are "going to hell" if they vote for the a vital spending bill later that morning because of an attached amendment that would protect LGBT workers.

Congressman Allen "launched the GOP's regular policy meeting in the Capitol basement by reading a Bible passage condemning homosexuality and suggesting that supporters of the LGBT provision, which passed the House the night before, were defying Christian tenets, attendees said," The Hill reports.

Rep. Allen "opened the weekly GOP conference meeting with a prayer about the LGBT issue, prior to the vote," Politico reports.

"A good number of members were furious," one Republican told Politico. "There was some Scripture that was read and the like. ... Nothing good was going to happen to those that supported [the LGBT provision]. A good number of members were furious."

A few moderate Republicans who supported the LGBT protections bill reportedly walked out of the room.

“Many members were visibly disturbed by the comments,” a GOP source in the room told The Huffington Post.

"It was f---ing ridiculous," one GOP lawmaker also in the room, said, according to The Hill. "A lot of members were clearly uncomfortable and upset," a GOP leadership aide also said.

A sdmall selection of videos that are available of events happening thrpughout the USA at the moment.

There does not appear to be video of Rep. Allen's remarks, nor is it clear exactly which biblical scriptures he quoted.

Some of the leaflets making the rounds, from groups or individual churches

Some of the violence

Man says he was attacked for taking 5-year-old daughter inside men's restroom

CLINTON — A trip to the men’s restroom at a Walmart in Clinton quickly escalated into a full-fledged struggle when one man criticized another for bringing his 5-year-old daughter with him.

Christopher Adams said his 7-year-old son, Kyler, and 5-year-old daughter, Emery, both had to go when the family visited the store Sunday to buy blinds and storage bins, so he took them both inside the men’s restroom in the back of the store.

“This guy walks in and goes to the bathroom, the urinal,” Adams recalled Tuesday. “Then he just, like, turns to me and starts freaking out, dropping the ‘F-bomb,’ and what he was freaking out about was that my daughter was in the men’s bathroom.”

Adams said the man told him it was “inappropriate,” and soon began to push him after Adams gave him a terse response.

The father said he tried to usher his kids away from the man.

“When I turned back around, I got sucker-punched right here,” Adams said, pointing to his left eye, which still was bruised.

From there, Adams said he was punched in the face and kicked in the knee multiple times during the struggle in which the dad ultimately defended himself, forcing the man out of the restroom.

“I just slammed him on the ground and just held him until associates from Walmart could get there,” Adams said.

Clinton Police Lt. Shawn Stoker said the man was cited at the scene for disorderly conduct, and the city attorney was screening a potential assault charge.

Attacked for not looking feminine enough

A woman in Paintsville, Kentucky, said she was assaulted by a man this week for looking like a "dike," according to a Facebook post that's been shared more than 13,600 times, and has now been set to private.

According to a May 11 statement, Brittany Nicole Wallace was viciously assaulted because of her appearance. He apparently told her that he would "beat me like the man I want to be," and that "people like me make him hate the world."

"Anyone that knows me knows that I tried my best to fight back. The truth is he was bigger and stronger than me," she wrote."...This has not only physically but mentally and emotionally damaged me."

Wallace's post posits that if she donned a more "feminine" appearance, others would have stepped in and the attack might have not happened at all.

A Paintsville police spokesperson told ATTN: that the assailant had been arrested and jailed following the incident. Wallace, the spokesperson said, was taken to a nearby medical center.

Some of the politics

Eleven states sue Obama administration over bathroom guidance for transgender students

Eleven states and state officials filed a lawsuit Wednesday challenging the Obama administration over federal guidance directing schools to allow transgender students to use restrooms....

A US Potty Panic Roundup

Anyone who's been watching the US political scene recently must be wondering if they've all suddenly gone crayzeee.

The State of North Carolina was first cab off the rank. You see, the city of Charlotte, after years of debate and study, passed an ordinance that added 9 words to existing legislation.

Sec. 12-58. - Prohibited acts.
(a) It shall be unlawful to deny any person the full and equal enjoyment of the goods,
services,facilities, privileges, advantages, and accommodations of a place of public
accommodation because of race, color, religion, sex, marital status, familial status,
sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, or national origin.

Fairly uncontroversial one would have thought. Raleigh, another city in that state, had had such a law on its books for over a year. 17 states and over 200 cities in the US, including 16 of the 20 largest, have similar laws in effect. It mirrors similar wording in some Federal laws too. For example, the Violence against Women Act, passed in a Republican Senate and Republican House, and in force in North Carolina for years.

No person in the United States shall, on the basis of actual or perceived race, color, religion, national origin, sex, gender identity (as defined in paragraph 249(c)(4) of title 18, United States Code), sexual orientation, or disability, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any program or activity funded in whole or in part with funds made available under the Violence Against Women Act of 1994 (title IV of Public Law 103–322 ; 108 Stat. 1902), the Violence Against Women Act of 2000 (division B of Public Law 106–386; 114 Stat. 1491), the Violence Against Women and Department of Justice Reauthorization Act of 2005 (title IX of Public Law 109–162 ; 119 Stat. 3080), the Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act of 2013 , and any other program or activity funded in whole or in part with funds appropriated for grants, cooperative agreements, and other assistance administered by the Office on Violence Against Women.

 The NC legislature promptly scheduled an emergency session, writing, voting on, passing, and getting the Governor's signature on HB2, legislation that repeals this dangerous law within a record time of 11 hours.

Er.. what the....?

HB2 amongst other things defines "biological sex" as having nothing to do with biology. Intersex people can't exist. "Biological Sex" is defined as whatever's on the birth certificate, male or female, regardless of biological reality. the object is to compel Trans and Intersex men to use female restrooms apparently, because of the danger. What danger? The Danger! There just is one!

Some proponents claim it's Trans people themselves that are "repulsive perverts".. Other proponents say it's not them, it's people pretending to be Trans who are the danger. The fact that no Trans person, or anyone pretending to be Trans, has ever assaulted someone in a restroom is immaterial. They might do, one day, you see. Any Pervert could just pretend to be an 8 year old Trans schoolgirl for example. Eh? Isn't this getting more than just a little... insane? It's not as if Trans women and men haven't been using the appropriate restrooms for their gender presentation since, oh, about forever. As long as there's been sex-segregated restrooms, from the mid 19th century.

So why? Why would a GOP legislature do something like this?

Here's a Republican National Committee resolution from February that explains it.

RESOLUTION CONDEMNING GOVERNMENTAL OVERREACH REGARDING TITLE I X POLICIES I N PUBLIC SCHOOLS

WHEREAS, A person’s sex is defined as the physical condition of being male or female, which is determined at conception, identified at birth by a person’s anatomy, recorded on their official birth certificate, and can be confirmed by DNA testing;

WHEREAS , Transgender policies deal with students who choose to be designated by their desired gender identity ; an identity that conflicts with their anatomical sex;

WHEREAS, The U.S. Congress has never included gender identity within the Title IX Federal Law that prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex in any federally funded education program or activity and that mandates allowing students of one biological sex to play sports designated for the opposite biological sex;

WHEREAS, Federal courts have ruled that Title IX does not extend to claims of discrimination based on gender identity and that schools can maintain separate restrooms, locker rooms and other facilities on the basis of sex where privacy is a concern;

WHEREAS, The Obama Administration’s Education Department’s Office for Civil Rights released an updated policy letter stating that Title IX’s sex discrimination prohibition extends to an individual’s chosen gender identity of male or female;

WHEREAS, Federal courts have ruled that the U.S. Department of Education’s interpretation of Title IX is not legally binding because the Department lacks authority to promulgate such an interpretation; and

WHEREAS, Policies of the Obama Administration, presidential candid ate and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, and public schools that allow any students to use the restrooms, locker rooms, or other facilities designated for the exclusive use of the other sex infringes on the rights of privacy and conscience of other students; and therefore be it

RESOLVED, The Republican National Committee calls on the Department of Education to rescind its interpretation of Title IX that wrongly includes facility use issues by transgender students;

RESOLVED, The Republican National Committee encourages State Legislatures to recognize that these Obama gender identity policies are a federal governmental overreach, a misinterpretation of Title IX policies, and an infringement upon the majority of students’ Constitutional rights; and

RESOLVED, The Republican National Committee encourages state legislatures to enact laws that protect student privacy and limit the use of restrooms, locker rooms and similar facilities to members of the sex to whom the facility is designated.

 Zey are chust followink orders.

Let's look at the first WHEREAS...

A person’s sex is defined as the physical condition of being male or female,

Intersex people don't exist. Except they do.

which is determined at conception,

Monozygotic twins of opposite sexes don't exist. Except they do.

identified at birth by a person’s anatomy,

Often wrongly, and not always possible.

recorded on their official birth certificate

Often wrongly

, and can be confirmed by DNA testing;

Laughably inaccurate, when 1 in 300 men don't have 46,XY "male" chromosomes, and some women do.  Whoever wrote this was a biological ignoramus, with knowledge at the grade-school level at best.

 This is not a statement of fact, it's a statement of Religious Belief. One that is just plain factually wrong in every area. Like saying "WHEREAS Pi = 3 as the Bible says" or "WHEREAS The Earth is flat".

The aim of these people is spelt out by the Hate Group, the Family Research Council in their manifesto on the subject. Trans and Intersex people must be erased, just as Homosexuality must be criminalised, and Gays subject to capital punishment.

Their 5-point plan to achieve this:

1. States and the federal government should not allow legal gender marker changes.

2. Transgender people should not have any legal protections against discrimination, nor should anyone be forced to respect their identity.

3. Transgender people should not be legally allowed to use facilities in accordance with their gender identity.

4. Medical coverage related to transition should not be provided by the government, or any other entity.

5. Transgender people should not be allowed to serve in the military.

So what harm is HB2 doing by this superstitious balderdash enshrined in law?

Dear Governor McCrory:

As North Carolinians and Pediatricians with specialty training in Endocrinology, we respectfully request that you reconsider Public Facilities Privacy and Security Act (HB2).

A law that defines biological sex as “the physical condition of being male or female, which is stated on a person's birth certificate” is inherently flawed and potentially harmful to a group of children that we care for in our pediatric practices.

As professional experts in the field of chromosomes and genital anatomy, we provide professional consultation to our colleagues on babies in whom assigning sex may not be possible at the time of birth. For example, there are babies born in whom chromosomes suggesting one sex do not match the appearance of the genitalia. This can be due to multiple biological causes such as chromosome abnormalities, abnormalities in anatomic development, environmental exposures during pregnancy, genetic mutations in the syn thesis and actions of adrenal and gonadal hormones, and tumors that make sex hormones.

For these children, gender assignment at birth is challenging and takes substantial time - sometimes requiring re - evaluation over months to years. Severe hormonal imbalances at birth may also result in gender assignments at the time of the birth that may require reassignment later in life.

Our patients already face major medical and social challenges and HB2 creates unnecessary hardship for these vulnerable youth. We respectfully ask you to repeal this hurtful bill.

Respectfully, Deanna W.Adkins, MD Assistant Professor of Pediatrics, Division of Pediatric Endocrinology and Diabetes Duke University Medical Center

Evelyn Artz, MD Pediatric Endocrinology Mission Children’s Specialties Mission Children’s Hospital

Robert Benjamin, MD Assistant Professor of Pediatrics, Division of Pediatric Endocrinology and Diabetes Duke University Medical Center

Ali S. Calikoglu, MD Professor of Pediatrics Division of Pediatric Endocrinology University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Cathrine Constantacos, MD Assistant Professor of Pediatrics Section of Pediatric Endocrinology Wake Forest Baptist Health Brenner Children's Hospital

A. Joseph D’Ercole, MD Professor Emeritus of Pediatrics Division of Pediatric Endocrinology University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Elizabeth Estrada, MD Clinical Professor of Pediatrics Chief, Division of Pediatric Endocrinology University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Michael Freemark, MD Robert C. and Veronica Atkins Professor of Pediatrics Chief, Division of Pediatric Endocrinology and Diabetes Duke University Medical Center

Nancy E. Friedman MD Associate Clinical Professor of Pediatrics Division of Pediatric Endocrinology and Diabetes Duke University Medical Center

Pinar Gumus Balikcioglu, M.D . Assistant Professor of Pediatrics Division of Pediatric Endocrinology and Diabetes Duke University Medical Center

Nina Jain, MD Assistant Professor of Pediatrics Division of Pediatric Endocrinology University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Kateryna Kotlyarevska, MD Pediatric Endocrinology New Hanover Regional Medical Center

Jennifer Law, MD, MSCR Assistant Professor of Pediatrics Division of Pediatric Endocrinology University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Nancie MacIver, MD, PhD Assistant Professor of Pediatrics, Division of Pediatric Endocrinology and Diabetes Duke University Medical Center

Shipra Patel, MD Adjunct Faculty of Pediatrics Division of Pediatric Endocrinology University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Elizabeth Sandberg, MD Incoming Fellow Division of Pediatric Endocrinology University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Robert Schwartz,MD Professor Emeritus of Pediatrics Section of Pediatric Endocrinology Wake Forest Baptist Health Brenner Children's Hospital

Maureen A. Su, MD Associate Professor of Pediatrics Division of Pediatric Endocrinology University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

 Trans students are also affected of course.

From Transgender Adults’ Access to College Bathrooms and Housing and the Relationship to Suicidality  by Seelman, Journal of Homosexuality

However, few scholars have examined whether college institutional climate factors—such as being denied access to bathrooms or gender-appropriate campus housing—are significantly associated with detrimental psychological outcomes for transgender people. Using the National Transgender Discrimination Survey, this study analyzes whether being denied access to these spaces is associated with lifetime suicide attempts, after controlling for interpersonal victimization by students or teachers. Findings from sequential logistic regression (N = 2,316) indicate that denial of access to either space had a significant relationship to suicidality, even after controlling for interpersonal victimization. This article discusses implications for higher education professionals and researchers.

The US Department of Justice sent a set of guidelines to schools on various methods of implementing existing law in this area. With so many schools already implementing various methods, it is now possible to come up with a set of "best practices" - policies that work under various circumstances. As the press release of May 13 said:

The U.S. Departments of Education and Justice released joint guidance today to help provide educators the information they need to ensure that all students, including transgender students, can attend school in an environment free from discrimination based on sex.

Recently, questions have arisen from school districts, colleges and universities, and others about transgender students and how to best ensure these students, and non-transgender students, can all enjoy a safe and discrimination-free environment.

Under Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 schools receiving federal money may not discriminate based on a student’s sex, including a student’s transgender status. The guidance makes clear that both federal agencies treat a student’s gender identity as the student’s sex for purposes of enforcing Title IX.
“No student should ever have to go through the experience of feeling unwelcome at school or on a college campus,” said U.S. Secretary of Education John B. King Jr. “This guidance further clarifies what we’ve said repeatedly – that gender identity is protected under Title IX. Educators want to do the right thing for students, and many have reached out to us for guidance on how to follow the law. We must ensure that our young people know that whoever they are or wherever they come from, they have the opportunity to get a great education in an environment free from discrimination, harassment and violence.”

“There is no room in our schools for discrimination of any kind, including discrimination against transgender students on the basis of their sex,” said Attorney General Loretta E. Lynch. “This guidance gives administrators, teachers, and parents the tools they need to protect transgender students from peer harassment and to identify and address unjust school policies. I look forward to continuing our work with the Department of Education – and with schools across the country – to create classroom environments that are safe, nurturing, and inclusive for all of our young people.”

“Our federal civil rights law guarantees all students, including transgender students, the opportunity to participate equally in school programs and activities without sex discrimination as a core civil right,” said Department of Education Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights Catherine E. Lhamon. “This guidance answers questions schools have been asking, with a goal to ensure that all students are treated equally consistent with their gender identity. We look forward to continuing to work with schools and school communities to satisfy Congress’ promise of equality for all.”

“Every child deserves to attend school in a safe, supportive environment that allows them to thrive and grow. And we know that teachers and administrators care deeply about all of their students and want them to succeed in school and life,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Vanita Gupta, head of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “Our guidance sends a clear message to transgender students across the country: here in America, you are safe, you are protected and you belong – just as you are. We look forward to working with school officials to make the promise of equal opportunity a reality for all of our children.”

The guidance explains that when students or their parents, as appropriate, notify a school that a student is transgender, the school must treat the student consistent with the student’s gender identity. A school may not require transgender students to have a medical diagnosis, undergo any medical treatment, or produce a birth certificate or other identification document before treating them consistent with their gender identity.

The guidance also explains schools’ obligations to:

* Respond promptly and effectively to sex-based harassment of all students, including harassment based on a student’s actual or perceived gender identity, transgender status, or gender transition;

* Treat students consistent with their gender identity even if their school records or identification documents indicate a different sex;

* Allow students to participate in sex-segregated activities and access sex-segregated facilities consistent with their gender identity; and

* Protect students’ privacy related to their transgender status under Title IX and the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act.

At the same time, the guidance makes clear that schools can provide additional privacy options to any student for any reason. The guidance does not require any student to use shared bathrooms or changing spaces, when, for example, there are other appropriate options available; and schools can also take steps to increase privacy within shared facilities.

In addition to the Departments’ joint Title IX guidance, the Department of Education’s Office of Elementary and Secondary Education also released Examples of Policies and Emerging Practices for Supporting Transgender Students, a compilation of policies and practices that schools across the country are already using to support transgender students. The document shares some common questions on topics such as school records, privacy, and terminology, and then explains how some state and school district policies have answered these questions, which may be useful for other states and school districts that are considering these issues. In this document, the Education Department does not endorse any particular policy, but offers examples from actual policies to help educators develop policies and practices for their own schools.

Many parents, schools, and districts have raised questions about this area of civil rights law. Together, these documents will help navigate what may be a new terrain for some.

The DOJ also sent a strongly worded letter to the Governor of North Carolina, pointing out that HB2 was in violation of Federal Law in several areas, and requesting a reply within a week stating what was going to be done about putting implementation "on hold" till the matter could be sorted out.

H.B. 2 … is facially discriminatory against transgender employees on the basis of sex because it treats transgender employees, whose gender identity does not match their “biological sex,” as defined by H.B. 2, differently from similarly situated non-transgender employees …
H.B. 2 places similar restrictions on access to restrooms and changing facilities for all public agencies in North Carolina. By requiring compliance with H.B. 2, you and the State are therefore resisting the full enjoyment of Title VII rights and discriminating against transgender employees of public agencies by requiring those public agencies to comply with H.B. 2.

The NC Government prompty sued, stating, amongst other things, that HB2 had nothing to do with Gender Identity,

“North Carolina does not treat transgender employees differently from non-transgender employees. All state employees are required to use the bathroom and changing facilities assigned to persons of their same biological sex, regardless of gender identity, or transgendered [sic] status.” 

You know, the way both Blacks and Whites were forbidden from marrying anyone of a different race.... or that everyone with black skin and curly black hair was treated the same way, not just African Americans.

HB2 had nothing whatsoever to do with Charlotte's ordinance, just ignore everything that was said by the legislature and Governor as to why an emergency session was needed.

Playing nice and providing a face-saving excuse not having worked, the DOJ unloaded both barrels with lawsuits of its own.

An extract from the DOJ's lawsuit against NC.

 [30. Individuals are typically assigned a sex on their birth certificate solely on the basis of the appearance of the external genitalia at birth. Additional aspects of sex (for example, chromosomal makeup) typically are not assessed and considered at the time of birth, except in cases of infants born with ambiguous genitalia.]

[31. An individual’s “sex” consists of multiple factors, which may not always be in alignment. Among those factors are hormones, external genitalia, internal reproductive organs, chromosomes, and gender identity, which is an individual’s internal sense of being male or female.]

[32. For individuals who have aspects of their sex that are not in alignment, the person’s gender identity is the primary factor in terms of establishing that person’s sex. External genitalia are, therefore, but one component of sex and not always determinative of a person’s sex.]

[33. Although there is not yet one definitive explanation for what determines gender identity, biological factors, most notably sexual differentiation in the brain, have a role in gender identity development.]

[34. Transgender individuals are individuals who have a gender identity that does not match the sex they were assigned at birth. A transgender man’s sex is male and a transgender woman’s sex is female.]

This post is already long enough. Those interested in the legal arguments should consult original sources - especially GG vs Gloucester School Board

It is not clear to us how the regulation would apply in a number of situations—even under the Board’s own “biological gender” formulation. For example, which restroom would a transgender individual who had undergone sex-reassignment surgery use? What about an intersex individual? What about an individual born with X-X-Y sex chromosomes? What about an individual who lost external genitalia in an accident?

The Department’s interpretation resolves ambiguity by providing that in the case of a transgender individual using a sex-segregated facility, the individual’s sex as male or female is to be generally determined by reference to the student’s gender identity.

Because we conclude that the regulation is ambiguous as applied to transgender individuals, the Department’s interpretation is entitled to Auer deference unless the Board demonstrates that the interpretation is plainly erroneous or inconsistent with the regulation or statute.Auer, 519 U.S. at 461.

Title VII and Title IX forbid discrimination on the basis of "sex". The NC legislature cannot change that to "biological sex", especially when their definition of "biological sex" has nothing to do with biology, and nothing to do with sex for that matter.

Meanwhile, in Oklahoma, having suddenly been made aware that Trans and Intersex people have been using the appropriate restrooms for something over a century without issues, they have to rely on .. RELIGION. And declared a State of Emergency to exist.

As used in this section, "sex" means the physical condition of being male or female, as identified at birth by that individual's anatomy.

A student enrolled at a public school district in the state or the parent or legal guardian of a student enrolled at a public school district in the state may submit to the board of education of the school district a request for a religious accommodation based on the student's sincerely held religious beliefs.  The accommodation shall be for the use of restrooms, athletic changing facilities or showers designated for the exclusive use of that student's sex...< br />
Providing access to a single-occupancy restroom, athletic changing facility or showers to a student who has submitted a request for a religious accommodation or to a student whose parent or legal guardian has submitted a request for a religious accommodation pursuant to subsection C of this section shall not be an allowable accommodation.

It being immediately necessary for the preservation of the public peace, health and safety, an emergency is hereby declared to exist, by reason whereof this act shall take effect and be in full force from and after its passage and approval.

Compelling an Intersex or Trans student to use a single-stall facility - that's good enough as an "accomodation". But allowing, not compelling, a good Christian student to do the same if they want to - that's obviously unacceptable, and violates their Religious Freedom.

So the next time you see an argument that "this has nothing to do with Religion", you'll know that they're lying for Jesus.

As for "Safety Issues"...

Reports are already coming in of non-Trans women being assaulted by men as they attempt to use restrooms, because they are "suspected of being trans".

Scott Turner Schofield, a transgender actor and activist who starred on The Bold and the Beautiful, warned that this might happen. Shortly after North Carolina’s law was passed, he told The Daily Beast, “Anybody who has been politicized by these bully politicians now has a license to commit the very kinds of assault that these bills try to prevent.” 

Two short months later, some of those politicians are not just emboldening their anti-transgender supporters, they’re openly encouraging them to break the law.

On Tuesday, as BuzzFeed reported, Republican Rep. Steve King of Iowa called for “civil disobedience” in response to the Obama administration’s guidance to public schools on transgender students’ restroom access.

On the far right, the anti-transgender rhetoric has become baldly violent in the past few months. After Target reiterated its support for trans employees and customers, Anita Staver, president of the evangelical legal organization Liberty Counsel, tweeted that she would be taking a gun with her into the women’s room at the retail chain.

Safe Schools

Just remember what those who oppose the Safe Schools program have said in public - then hastily scrubbed it, as it revealed too much about them. You'll find they quote one Dr Joseph Berger a lot. But not these revealing words of his.

I suggest, indeed, letting children who wish go to school in clothes of the opposite sex -- but not counseling other children to not tease them or hurt their feelings.

On the contrary, don't interfere, and let the other children ridicule the child who has lost that clear boundary between play-acting at home and the reality needs of the outside world. Maybe, in this way, the child will re-establish that necessary boundary.

It is a mistake for various interfering, ignorant, and biased busybodies to try to "counsel" the other children into accepting the abnormal. It is very healthy to be able to draw the line between what is healthy and what is sick.

Try this quick quiz...

“Allowing students to use restrooms, locker rooms and showers that are reserved for students of a different sex will create potential embarrassment, shame, and psychological injury to students,” - Kansas Bills SB 513 and HB 2737

So... which of these two causes "psychological injury"?

Like bills proposed in other states, these measures attempt to define “sex” in a narrow way — in this case, “the physical condition of being male or female, which is determined by a person’s chromosomes, and is identified at birth by a person’s anatomy.

Because Intersex people not only don't exist, they can't exist. The 1 in 300 men who are not 46,XY, and the 1 in 600 women who aren't 46,XX, they are causes of "shame and embarassment" because... well, just because. And that's worth Big Bucks.

The “Student Physical Privacy Act” would apply not only to public schools, but all public universities in the state as well, guaranteeing that anyone who saw someone transgender in the bathroom could sue their school for $2,500 for every time that it happened.

At a minimum, plus court costs and actual damages for "psychological injury".

See http://thinkprogress.org/lgbt/2016/03/22/3762490/kansas-transgender-ransom-bathrooms/

Correcting a falsehood

The state’s Human Rights Commission wants to be clear: A new rule allowing transgender people to use restrooms that match their gender identity does not permit men to undress in women’s locker rooms. The agency sent out a news release Friday responding to a recent incident in which a man undressed in a women’s locker room in Seattle. According to the news release, the man refused to leave, citing the state’s new rule about transgender restroom access, but he never identified himself as transgender. State officials said the man’s behavior isn’t permitted under the recent regulation approved by the Human Rights Commission. The new rule, which took effect Dec. 26, says transgender people in Washington can’t be forced to use a restroom or locker room that is inconsistent with their gender identity. Opponents of the rule have said the policy threatens the privacy of women and children, while providing cover for sex offenders who might want to enter locker rooms to prey on members of the opposite sex. On Friday, the Human Rights Commission characterized the man’s actions in the Seattle locker room as an attempt “to make some kind of misguided point” about the new state rule and “to make the women and girls in the restroom upset and uncomfortable.” “His behavior is inexcusable and reprehensible. And it is absolutely not protected under the law,” said the news release from the commission’s executive director Sharon Ortiz. “Men cannot go into the women’s locker room, as this man claimed he had the right to do,” the news release said. “Only women – including transgender women – can go into the women’s locker room.”

News Tribune

They believe their own propaganda, you see.

A Seattle, Wash. community is in uproar after a man undressed in the women’s locker room at a local pool, seemingly to test a new rule that allows transgender people to use the bathroom of their gender identity, according to King 5 News.
An unidentified man wearing board shorts walked into the women’s bathroom of Evans Pool, in the heart of Seattle, on Monday evening.
The women inside the locker room at the time attempted to kick him out, but the guy refused and said “the law has changed and I have the right to be here.”

Expect to see this example used and re-used on Right Wing sites. They couldn't find any actual example of any of the horribles they claim giving Trans people equal rights would cause, so they have to manufacture them.

It's not the first time this has been done.

Ethical Guidelines Related to Mental Health Care

For the record...

Mental health professionals need to be certified or licensed to practice in a given country according to that country’s professional regulations (Fraser, 2009b; Pope & Vasquez, 2011). Professionals must adhere to the ethical codes of their professional licensing or certifying organizations in all of their work with trans- sexual, transgender, and gender-nonconforming clients.

Treatment aimed at trying to change a person’s gender identity and lived gender expression to become more congruent with sex assigned at birth has been attempted in the past (Gelder & Marks, 1969; Greenson, 1964), yet without success, particularly in the long-term (Cohen-Kettenis & Kuiper, 1984; Pauly, 1965).

Such treatment is no longer considered ethical.

If mental health professionals are uncomfortable with, or inexperienced in, working with transsexual, transgender, and gender- nonconforming individuals and their families, they should refer clients to a competent provider or, at minimum, consult with an expert peer. If no local practitioners are available, consultation may be done via telehealth methods, assuming local requirements for distance consultation are met.

 From the WPATH Standards of Care v7(PDF)

Mental Health of Transgender Children Who Are Supported in Their Identities

Mental Health of Transgender Children Who Are Supported in Their Identities Olsen et al Pediatrics March 2016

CONCLUSIONS: Socially transitioned transgender children who are supported in their gender identity have developmentally normative levels of depression and only minimal elevations in anxiety, suggesting that psychopathology is not inevitable within this group. Especially striking is the comparison with reports of children with GID; socially transitioned transgender children have notably lower rates of internalizing psychopathology than previously reported among children with GID living as their natal sex.

 It's not GID per se that causes the horrific suicide rates in Trans kids. It's the combination of lack of supportive treatment and persecution - and even kids with a supportive environment havce elevated anxiety about that.

"Bathroom Bills" and other transphobic legislation kills kids. We have the proof of that.

Limits on Neuroplasticity - and the infamous BSTc layer

I found a wonderfully informative site I wasn't aware of, by an author whose talents at conveying complex concepts to a lay audience exceed my own. Even though I'm the one who's supposed to have a Grad Cert in Science Communication from the ANU.

It's Liz - Day by Day, a blog that apparently started as a record of Transition, but has since become an excellent resource on the science of Sex and Gender.

A bit like this blog, though I started it many years before my own atypical and non-volitional transition. (Zoe kicks herself again for not doing it earlier, not having the courage to).

Anyway, from this site, a graphic illustration of one area of the brain where women tend to have one structural pattern (OK, we've not found any exceptions, just degrees) and men another.

As they say, sometimes a picture is worth a thousand words.

Now onto Neuroplasticity - the quality of the brain to change its structure due to environment.

A good article on the limits to it is Equal ≠ The Same: Sex Differences in the Human Brain

"But wait," argue the anti-sex difference authors, "the brain is plastic"-that is, molded by experience. One group of authors uses the word plasticity in the title of their paper three times to make sure we understand its importance.²⁹ (As someone who has studied brain plasticity for more than 35 years, I find the implication that it never occurred to me amusing.) By the plasticity argument-also made explicitly by neuroscientist Lise Eliot in her book Pink Brain Blue Brain-small sex differences in human brains at birth are increased by culture's influence on the brain's plasticity.³⁰ Eliot further argues that we can avoid "troublesome gaps" between the behaviors of adult men and women (a curious contradiction, by the way, of the view that there are no behavioral differences between the sexes) by encouraging boys and girls to learn against their inborn tendencies.

It is critical to understand where the fallacies in this argument lie. First, it is false to conclude that because a particular behavior starts small in children and grows, that behavior has little or no biological basis. One has only to think of handedness, walking, and language to see the point. Second, this argument presupposes that human "cultural" influences are somehow formed independent of the existing biological predispositions of the human brain. But third, and most important, is the key fallacy in the plasticity argument: the implication that the brain is perfectly plastic. It is not. The brain is plastic only within the limits set by biology.

To understand this critical point, consider handedness. It is indeed possible, thanks to the brain's plasticity, to force a child with a slight tendency to use her left hand to become a right-handed adult. But that does not mean that this practice is a good idea, or that the child is capable of becoming as facile with her right hand as she might have become with her left had she been allowed to develop her natural tendencies unimpeded. The idea that we should use the brain's plasticity to work against inborn masculine or feminine predispositions in the brains of children is as ill conceived as the idea that we should encourage left-handed children to use their right hand.

29 Fine, C. et al. Plasticity, plasticity, plasticity. . . and the rigid problem of sex, Trends in Cognitive Sciences November 2013, Vol. 17, No. 11.
30 Eliot, L., Pink Brain, Blue Brain: How Small Differences Grow Into Troublesome Gaps -- And What We Can Do About It, 2009; HMH Publishing.

Serious Stuff

Some quotes from a person of questionable sanity:

" I don’t want to reach the evil fuckers and give them more information, to teach them how to con more Lesbians. I want them gone permanently. "

Pseudo, you’re right — they’re the ones who kept taking about violence and murder. But really, they should be careful about giving some angry women those ideas. I can’t imagine that every one of them hasn’t raped or molested a female at some point. They’re male and that’s what males do!

I knew those fuckers were disgusting, but really, they’re worse than I thought in how they don’t even pretend to care about females. To blame us for them being killed by other men? Their arrogance and oppressiveness is amazing. It is funny though that they are so used to Feminists immediately bowing before them that they don’t know how to deal with that we don’t care what happens to them. They expect we’ll be shocked to see statistics about them being killed, and don’t realize, some of us wish they would ALL be dead.

oh my god, Margaret and Fab — I can just imagine their gloating if they can get female body parts and reproduce (not to mention how reproduction is destroying the earth and the likelihood of birth defects and bad health from babies coming from such a place.) There are no words to describe them. There are tiny parasitic wasps who paralyse small animals (spiders, caterpillars, etc.) and lay their eggs on them, so the animal is alive while being slowing eaten by the growing baby. But the wasps aren’t deliberately cruel. These men remind me of a deliberately female-hating version of that. They’ve prove what I’ve been saying for decades — they are more female-hating than even many het men. The character in Silence of the Lambs who skinned women to wear really seems more accurate all the time.

Those quotes are all from just one person, Bev Jo Van Dohre, on just one website (since made private) http://wewillnot.wordpress.com/2010/11/30/wtf-is-with-the-intersex-comments in 2010. There are many others by her elsewhere just like those.

That wouldn't matter too much, except in light of her influence on the organisers of the Seven Sisters Festival, who don't seem to be aware of her true agenda.

And her influence on certain Australian academics.

Thanks, Sharon. I agree it’s good to get and share support from all potential allies, but it’s loaded for me when you name someone who I feel oppressed by and censored (Dirt) — or plagiarized by (as in the case of Sheila Jeffries, who got some of her politics from us and our book.) Because of her academic privilege, she’s in a position to reach more, and I’m glad about that, but quoting her to me as if I hadn’t been writing about the trans cult for years earlier is annoying to me.

https://bevjoradicallesbian.wordpress.com/2011/07/07/transmen-are-still-women-part-2-of-the-pretenders-defining-lesbians-out-of-existence/#comment-394

Certified Christian Counselors and Post Modernism - Toads included

From The Association of Certified Biblical Counselors Membership Covenant

God’s goodness allows that secular psychology may provide accurate research and make observations that are helpful in understanding counseling issues. Because unbelievers suppress the truth of God in unrighteousness the efforts of secular psychology at interpreting these observations lead to misunderstanding.

Because their observations are distorted by a secular apprehension of life their efforts at counseling ministry will be in competition with biblical counseling. They cannot be integrated with the faith once for all delivered to the saints.

From The Christian Worldview of Psychology and Counseling, Journal of Biblical Medical Ethics, Vol 10, No 1

We affirm that the scientific method is useful in carrying out the creation mandate of Genesis 1:28 to subdue and have dominion over creation when the investigators have Biblical presuppositions and when the Bible does not directly give us the answers we seek; that the use of the scientific method is entirely controlled by the presuppositions of the investigators, and therefore, the results are a pronouncement of faith rather than of scientific fact; and that the faith nature of the results of scientific investigation is evidenced by the investigators' proselytizing intent, that is, their attempt to transform man into their idea of what man should be.

We deny that the scientific method can ever be applied in psychology without its being thoroughly determined by the presuppositions of the investigators.

From Table Talk (words of Martin Luther)

"Reason is the greatest enemy that faith has; it never comes to the aid of spiritual things, but -- more frequently than not -- struggles against the divine Word, treating with contempt all that emanates from God."

"Reason must be deluded, blinded, and destroyed. Faith must trample underfoot all reason, sense, and understanding, and whatever it sees must be put out of sight and ... know nothing but the word of God."

So if you come across a "Certified Christian Counselor", you know they've had 30 hours of training in denying the existence of objective reality, in ignoring "so called facts" and to whom any scientific knowledge is anathema. Snake-oil merchants.

Experience has proved the toad to be endowed with valuable qualities. If you run a stick through three toads, and, after having dried them in the sun, apply them to any pestilent tumor, they draw out all the poison, and the malady will disappear.

Ibid

They're big on "unclean spirits" and magic spells of course.

We affirm that creatures who have only a spiritual dimension exist, that some serve God faithfully (angels) and others are in active rebellion against God (demons), and that the latter may possess unregenerate persons and oppress or influence regenerate persons.

We deny that the Christian counselor may neglect the reality of demons, and that personal problems, organic or non-organic, are never the result of the influence of or possession by demons.

The Christian Worldview of Psychology and Counseling

So why the "politics" tag? From The Friendly Atheist:

In a few weeks, members of the Association of Certified Biblical Counselors will gather in Louisville, Kentucky for their first-ever conference. While the overall focus is on homosexuality, a pre-conference will deal with transgender issues specifically. But no trans people will actually be present — and the speakers will be required to state from the beginning that trans identities aren’t real.

It's a war council, to plan political action - and get the money coming in. Some who don't know the meaning of "Certified Christian Counselor" might give it credence as something scientifically valid.
If you come across such a person, it might be worthwhile giving them a link to this post. It has URLs in so they can check the nature of these people themselves, they don't have to take my word for it. Trust - but verify.

The Six Genders in Classical Judaism

More Than Just Male and Female: The Six Genders in Classical Judaism — SOJOURN

This description from Trans Torah/Rabbi Elliot Kukla:

Zachar/זָכָר: This term is derived from the word for a pointy sword and refers to a phallus. It is usually translated as “male” in English.

Nekeivah/נְקֵבָה: This term is derived from the word for a crevice and probably refers to a vaginal opening. It is usually translated as “female” in English.

Androgynos/אַנְדְּרוֹגִינוֹס: A person who has both “male” and “female” sexual characteristics. 149 references in Mishna and Talmud (1st-8th Centuries CE); 350 in classical midrash and Jewish law codes (2nd -16th Centuries CE).

Tumtum/ טֻומְטוּם A person whose sexual characteristics are indeterminate or obscured. 181 references in Mishna and Talmud; 335 in classical midrash and Jewish law codes.

Ay’lonit/איילונית: A person who is identified as “female” at birth but develops “male” characteristics at puberty and is infertile. 80 references in Mishna and Talmud; 40 in classical midrash and Jewish law codes.

Saris/סריס: A person who is identified as “male” at birth but develops “female” characteristics as puberty and/or is lacking a penis. A saris can be “naturally” a saris (saris hamah), or become one through human intervention (saris adam). 156 references in mishna and Talmud; 379 in classical midrash and Jewish law codes.

Caitlyn Jenner's Debut in Vanity Fair Spotlights Transgender Issues

Caitlyn Jenner's Debut in Vanity Fair Spotlights Transgender Issues



If you want to read just one article that explains all the major issues, medical, social, and legal - this is it.