T-News on Genetic research

Hi all,

Okay, I’m posting a link to this article, and a short discussion too on "validation". 

News Article and my reaction:

Transsexual gene link identified

Basically, researchers think they’ve identified a possible common gene in 118 male-to-female transsexuals.

Now, a lot of T folk have been screaming for years that this has to be biologically based.  The reasons are various:

a) if it’s not biologically based, then either it’s purely psychological (ie., we’re nuts), or it’s environmental/nurturing (again, we’re nuts, but it’s our parents/relatives/schoolmates fault)

b) if it’s biologically based, then it’s a medical condition, and should be viewed as such.  As you can imagine, this has all sorts of implications for legal and medical insurance issues.

c) I think there are some T folks that still feel some sort of guilt or take on some sort of negative stigmas about being trans.  (Note:  taking on a stigma is different than being proud and cautious at the same time.  I may be proud to be trans, but I won’t walk into a redneck bar in the deep south and announce it without a lot of heavily armed friends backing me up.  I may be proud, but I’m not stupid.)

Basically tho, regardless of cause, the questions remain:  what do you want to do about it, how do you handle it, and how should society react to us?  There are folks that believe, quite strongly, that this is as "evil" as homosexuality, and although God may have done this to us, we should resist the temptation and live good morale lives.  So, regardless of medical proof of cause, those folks’ opinions aren’t likely to change, in my opinion. 

There’s a part of me that thinks this search for trans genes is somewhat a diversion — if they find it, it won’t solve any social problems of how some parts of society choose to deal, or choose to not deal, or choose to deal uncompassionately, with us. 

Am I happy that they may have found a gene? I guess so.  It will still be unknown whether I have the gene, or my friends.  So, will it affect my life? I doubt it.  I doubt strongly that they can prove that EVERY transsexual has this gene.  So I’m not sure it stops any arguments, or changes anyone’s mind to make them more compassionate to us.

Would be interested in hearing comments and discussion.

love to you all

-Jude