Transsexual Brains

[differenceblog]

Several studies have attempted to determine what the structural differences are in transsexual brains. Gooren's 1990 review discussed differences in brain development on fetuses exposed to unusual hormonal environments. Zhou et al (1995) found that the central subdivision of the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BSTc) was smaller in men than

Comments

[astrogeek01]

Still seems like a small sample, although 22 is better than 6!

[poeticalpanther]

Besides: the way I look at it, if I'm not going to let a piece of flesh several inches long determine how I'm going to live my life, why would I let a piece of brain a couple of millimeters across do it?

Hear hear, brother. I don't give a damn whether they know why I am the way I am or not. I don't feel broken, so I don't need fixing (well, anymore!). :D

[mycrust]

I'm not going to let a piece of flesh several inches long determine how I'm going to live my life

For some reason, my first thought was that you were talking about some sort of mind-controlling parasitic worm.

[differenceblog]

*blink* I wasn't??

[beowabbit]

For some reason, my first thought was that you were talking about some sort of mind-controlling parasitic worm.
Of course it was! That’s what your mind-controlling parasitic worm wanted you to think.

[differenceblog]

no way to determine the causality
In honesty, this is my main issue with Zhou's study.

Bingo!

[chrys_a_lise]

I believe that the 'disorder' part is not intrinsic to the experience of identifying with the gender opposite to one's biological sex, but rather comes into play with external pressures

Thank you ! You're the first person I've seen on a non-trans blog to actually make that observation - and you are absolutely correct.

The various attempts to explain/rationalize the transsexual experience suffer badly from small sample sizes, researcher biases and abusive interpretation by people who have a political axe to grind. (as you allude to)

When asked in therapy one time 'if a pill could "cure my condition", would I take it?', I had to answer "no", because that would mean throwing away a part of my spirit, and for all that transition is neither easy or fun, I don't hate that part of myself that is cross-gender identified enough to want to excise it.