Sex Is Complicated

[Danielle Ni Dhighe]

Sex Is Complicated (http://www.slate.com/articles/health_and_science/medical_examiner/2014/06/national_review_laverne_cox_story_the_science_of_s ex_and_transgenderism.html)


Even those of us who distinguish between sex and gender, who understand that gender is a cultural construct, too often reduce sex to a binary. But when we dig into the science of sex, it turns out that the fundamental categorizations we take for granted—male and female—are not fundamental at all. The assumption that there are only two sexes is wrong. Sex, like gender, is a construct—and it varies.

[Sinister Intents]

I agree: sex and gender are very complex things that don't fit a binary. They're difficult to properly define. A cock is a terrible indicator of gender.

[Tenka]

The science goes on and on. The most important sex organ, as they say, is the brain, and studies have found measurable differences in transgender brains. One study of the stria terminalis, a region of the brain that influences sex responses and sexual behavior, found that male-to-female transgender people had a female-sized stria terminalis. A follow-up study found that in male-to-female people, even ones who had never gone through a course of hormone therapy, the number of neurons in the stria terminalis was equivalent to the number in women. The neuron counts in female-to-male individuals were consistent with those in men.

I take issue with this though. It seems to promote the concept of sexed brains, which is ridiculous. I'm sure you'd find plenty of ciswomen with "neuron counts consistent with those in men" and vice versa--but you don't look for it if they're cis.

[Danielle Ni Dhighe]

I take issue with this though. It seems to promote the concept of sexed brains, which is ridiculous. I'm sure you'd find plenty of ciswomen with "neuron counts consistent with those in men" and vice versa--but you don't look for it if they're cis.
How do you know they don't? I mean, they've clearly tested the brains of people who are cis and people who are trans in order to make the comparison, and they clearly see some general trends.