Between the Gender Lines the Science of Transgender Identityby Katherine J. Wu figures by Brad Wierbowski. Think of your most noticeable feature. Maybe its your radiant smile, or your long, piano playing fingers. Maybe its your stellar jump shot, or the way you recite Shakespearean sonnets at the drop of a hat. Or maybe its your penchant for scientific knowledge. But whatever it is, for better or worse, it is probably not your most salient feature to the world around you. To others, our most salient feature is one that doesnt make any of us very salient at all a feature in which none of us had any say in, which was assigned at, or prior to, birth are you male or female Gender identity haunts every aspect of our lives, dictating the outcomes of our conversations, our workplaces, our relationships even our bath products. Before most infants are named, they are assigned a sex based on the appearance of their external genitalia by a third party. These decisions are dolled out in a typically binary fashion, with no expectations for ambiguity. This is the norm but has this simplicity led us astray In March of this year, Governor Pat Mc. XXy-2007.jpg' alt='Watch XXY Online Mic' title='Watch XXY Online Mic' />Crory of North Carolina signed into law the Public Facilities Privacy and Security Act, banning individuals from public restrooms that do not correspond to their assigned biological sex. This controversial legislation was the first of its kind though certainly not for lack of trying. So called bathroom bills have been within political radar since the introduction of public restrooms in the 1. U. S, primarily in the Midwest and South, have attempted, but failed, to bring such bills into law in the past year. Watch Cold Fusion Online Gorillavid. The charged political climate of the summer has yielded many tense conversations about gender and LGBT rights and its clear that these discussions are long overdue. But if we are to regulate gender, we must first assess the extent of our knowledge on the topic. What do we know of the causes the phenomenon of transgender identity and what does this mean for the future of transgender politics The ABCs and LGBTQQIAAP2. Ss of Gender and Sexuality. Watch Dead Man Down Online Iflix. First, some controversial definitions. It would be remiss to claim to be able to define or categorize all variations in human sexuality and gender hence the continually lengthening acronyms used, sometimes tongue in cheek, by the community one of the larger acronyms, LGBTQQIAAP, still humbly accepts that it is not all inclusive. These lists, while not exhaustive, are exhausting. The labels are useful in some respects, much like any other label denoting origin or role they help us navigate social situations and can often be signs of respect. It is a natural human inclination to categorize, but broad assumptions can also lead to stereotyping. To limit the scope of this article, we will focus on transgender identity. Figure 1 An incomplete and incomprehensive representation of gender identity and sexual orientation. Transgender individuals are those who identify with a gender that differs from their assigned sex. This is a facet of identity that is completely distinct from sexual orientation. These graphs do not represent the full spectrum of either facet, as they are multidimensional. For instance, there may be genders that some identify with that are neither male nor female. Furthermore, there are no lines that divide these identities, and they may be considered malleable and overlapping. Those persons who identify as transgender the T in many queer community acronyms are those who identify with a gender that differs from their assigned sex Figure 1. This juxtaposes cisgender, or those who identify with their assigned gender. Watch The Blue Max Hindi Full Movie. Though the typical assigned sexes are male and female, often designated at birth, being transgender does not limit gender identity to these two categories, as many who identify as transgender do not feel they are exclusively masculine or feminine. Importantly, transgender identity is independent of sexual orientation. The subset of transgender individuals who choose to undergo sexual reassignment surgery are often denoted as transsexual. The transgender identity has long been associated with poor mental health, particularly the diagnoses of gender identity disorder and gender dysphoria. However, the World Health Organization is actively working towards declassifying transgender identity as a mental disorder, a change partially prompted by a recent study uncoupling the mental and physical health problems experienced by transgender people from their gender identity. Rather, those who had suffered ailments could vastly attribute their afflictions to societal stigma, discrimination, and violence. Its All in Your Head Except When Its Not. Sex determination the way we are coded into a biological sex is complicated in and of itself. There are far more options than just male or female, and countless instances of species that can actually transition from one sex to another within a single lifetime. With most mammals, however, the majority of individuals are cisgender male or female transgender individuals are estimated to comprise about 0. U. S. population. Little is known about the causes of transsexuality, and many of the studies that have been conducted particularly psychological studies have since been widely discredited more on that later. However, scientists do seem to have some information on the biological basis of several factors. First and foremost, is gender identity geneticIt seems the answer is yes though, as with most traits involving identity, there is some environmental influence. One classic way for scientists to test whether a trait which can be any characteristic from red hair to cancer susceptibility to love of horror movies is influenced by genetics is twin studies. Identical twins have the exact same genetic background, and are usually raised in the same environment. Fraternal nonidentical twins, however, share only half their genes, but tend to also be raised in the same environment. Thus, if identical twins tend to share a trait more than fraternal twins, that trait is probably influenced by genetics. Several studies have shown that identical twins are more often both transgender than fraternal twins, indicating that there is indeed a genetic influence for this identity. So, what genes might be responsible Figure 2 Transgender women tend to have brain structures that resemble cisgender women, rather than cisgender men. X8OVxoNcQSeakdI3xxY83bYM.jpg' alt='Watch XXY Online Mic' title='Watch XXY Online Mic' />Issuu is a digital publishing platform that makes it simple to publish magazines, catalogs, newspapers, books, and more online. Easily share your publications and get. Lists of hospitals in each United States, state and district A Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, arkansas C California, Colorado, Connecticut. To celebrate an awesomely impressive first decade of Latin American filmmaking in the 21st century Cinema Tropical, that clever hub of all things cine Latino.