scholarly journals Can evolutionary thinking shed light on gender diversity?

2019 ◽  
Vol 25 (6) ◽  
pp. 351-362 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bernadette Wren ◽  
John Launer ◽  
Michael J. Reiss ◽  
Annie Swanepoel ◽  
Graham Music
Keyword(s):  
Gender Identity ◽  
Gender Diversity ◽  
Medical Intervention ◽  
List Type ◽  
Sex And Gender ◽  
Medical Interventions ◽  
The Core ◽  
Causal Pathways ◽  
And Gender ◽  
Shed Light

SUMMARYIssues of sexual reproduction lie at the core of evolutionary thinking, which often places an emphasis on how individuals attempt to maximise the number of successful offspring that they can produce. At first sight, it may therefore appear that individuals who opt for gender-affirming medical interventions are acting in ways that are evolutionarily disadvantageous. However, there are persuasive hypotheses that might make sense of such choices in evolutionary terms and we explore these here. It is premature to claim knowledge of the extent to which evolutionary arguments can usefully be applied to issues of gender identity, although worth reflecting on the extent to which nature tends towards diversity in matters of sex and gender. The importance of acknowledging and respecting different views in this domain, as well as recognising both the uncertainty and likely multiplicity of causal pathways, has implications for clinicians. We make some suggestions about how clinicians might best respond when faced with requests from patients in this area.LEARNING OBJECTIVESAfter reading this article you will be able to:•understand evolutionary arguments about diversity in human gender identity•identify strengths and weaknesses in evolutionary arguments applied to transgender issues•appreciate the range and diversity of gender experience and gender expression among people who present to specialist gender services, as well as the likely complexities of their reasons for requesting medical intervention.

scholarly journals Abandoning Gender “Identity”

AJIL Unbound ◽  
2022 ◽  
Vol 116 ◽  
pp. 27-31
Author(s):  
Giovanna Gilleri
Keyword(s):  
Human Rights ◽  
Gender Identity ◽  
Medical Intervention ◽  
Sex And Gender ◽  
Human Rights Law ◽  
Lacanian Psychoanalysis ◽  
Clear Explanation ◽  
The Social ◽  
And Gender ◽  
International Instruments

International instruments fail to specify the meaning of gender identity. Yet gender identity has been invoked as a prohibited ground of discrimination, particularly in cases concerning trans persons. Trans existences fall outside the expectation of a correspondence between sex and gender. “Trans” is an umbrella term referring to people who do not identify with the sex attributed to them at birth. This broad definition encompasses pre-operative and post-operative transsexuals, as well as persons who have not undergone any medical intervention and do not conform to the social norms of expression and self-identification imposing the binary. Regional conventions do not define the concept of gender identity either. Documents issued by the United Nations (UN) and regional human rights bodies frequently rely on the category, without any clear explanation of the notion, or of what makes gender identity different from gender as such. Relying on Lacanian psychoanalysis, this essay argues that gender is an identity per se and challenges international law's treatment of gender and gender identity as distinct categories. Underlying this essay is the view that questioning the shape that the law gives to “gender identity” is the preliminary step to evaluating what protections human rights law can or cannot offer to individuals.

scholarly journals THE PROBLEMATIC JUDICIAL VIEW OF GENDER DIVERSITY

2015 ◽  
Vol 1 ◽  
Author(s):  
Olivia Rundle
Keyword(s):  
Gender Identity ◽  
Gender Diversity ◽  
Case Law ◽  
Decision Makers ◽  
Gender Recognition ◽  
Sex And Gender ◽  
Gender Identification ◽  
Transgender People ◽  
And Gender

This response to Ashleigh Bagshaw’s article in this volume entitled ‘Exploring the Implications of Gender Identification for Transgender People under Australian Law’ seeks to humanise the experiences that sit behind the judicial determination of gender recognition in case law. It argues that there is room for considerable improvement in the understanding that legal decision makers have about the lived experiences of gender independent people. The article begins in Part I by clarifying the distinction between sex and gender and points out that neither concept is binary. Part II explains some persistent problems with the judicial approach to the question of gender identity and tells the stories of the humans behind the cases. It concludes that the pathologised approach to gender independence places unnecessary obstacles in the way of people who could benefit from legal recognition of their gender identity.

The Co-Occurrence of Autism and Gender Diversity

2020 ◽  
pp. 197-211
Author(s):  
Jill C. Fodstad ◽  
Rebecca Elias ◽  
Shivali Sarawgi
Keyword(s):  
Gender Dysphoria ◽  
Gender Diversity ◽  
Gender Nonconforming ◽  
Medical Interventions ◽  
Gender Diverse ◽  
Nonbinary Gender ◽  
Psychiatric Conditions ◽  
The Common ◽  
And Gender

Gender diversity refers to gender expressions and/or gender identity experiences that vary from the common experiences of gender. Gender-diverse people may be gender nonconforming, gender nonbinary, gender fluid, gender exploring, transgender, and so forth. Some gender-diverse individuals experience gender dysphoria and/or gender incongruence and may require gender-affirming supports, including gender-affirming medical interventions. The co-occurrence of autism and gender diversity has been highlighted in a series of studies internationally as well as through rich community expressions. Studies in gender-referred individuals reveal high rates of autism traits as well as high rates of existing autism diagnoses. Studies in autistic populations reveal greater gender diversity characteristics. The long-term course of gender diversity in autistic individuals is poorly understood. Clinical guidelines have been developed for adolescents with the co-occurrence, but much work remains: No gender-related measures have been developed and tested for use in neurodiverse populations, no programs exist to support gender-diverse neurodiverse adults, and little is known about co-occurring mental health profiles, risks, or protective factors for people with the co-occurrence. The inclusion of this chapter on co-occurring autism and gender diversity within a book on “co-occurring psychiatric conditions” is problematic, because gender diversity is not a “psychiatric condition,” but instead a form of human diversity. The diagnosis of Gender Dysphoria is useful only insomuch as it allows individuals to obtain necessary gender-related supports. The authors’ choice to include this chapter in this book reflects a compromise, motivated by the need for educating both autism and gender specialists in this common co-occurrence.

Disability and quality of life in patients with low back pain: Focus on sex and gender: A cross-sectional study

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-8
Author(s):  
Yen-Mou Lu ◽  
Chung-Hwan Chen ◽  
Yi-Jing Lue
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Low Back Pain ◽  
Back Pain ◽  
Gender Identity ◽  
Gender Role ◽  
Low Back ◽  
Sex And Gender ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
And Gender

BACKGROUND: Sex and gender affect responses to pain, but little is known about disability and quality of life. OBJECTIVES: To investigate the effects of sex and gender on disability and health-related quality of life (HRQOL) in patients with low back pain. METHODS: Ninety-three patients with low back pain were included in this cross-sectional survey study. Disability, HRQOL and gender identity were respectively assessed with the Oswestry Disability Index, Short Form-36 and Bem Sex Role Inventory. The participants were classified into four gender role orientations (masculinity, femininity, androgyny and undifferentiated). One-way analysis of variance was used to analyze both the sex and the gender role orientation. RESULTS: Females had higher disability than males (p< 0.05), but in gender identity, no significant difference was found. Seven domains of HRQOL were lower than the healthy norms. Males experienced greater impacts than females on vitality and mental health (p< 0.05). For gender identity, five domains of HRQOL had significant differences (p< 0.05). Masculinity orientation had the least impact on four domains (p< 0.05), while undifferentiated orientation had the largest impact on all domains. CONCLUSION: Sex and gender effects can be used to analyze disability and HRQOL in patients with low back pain. Females have higher disability, while HRQOL is greatly influenced by different gender role orientations.

Thinking about ethnicity and gender diversity in children and young people

2018 ◽  
Vol 24 (2) ◽  
pp. 291-303 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nastasja M de Graaf ◽  
Ilham I Manjra ◽  
Anna Hames ◽  
Claudia Zitz
Keyword(s):  
Young People ◽  
Identity Development ◽  
Gender Identity ◽  
Gender Diversity ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Chi Square ◽  
Children And Young People ◽  
And Gender ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Ethnicity Data

Background: Little is known about how social and cultural variants interact with gender identity development. This article aims to identify the ethnicities of children and young people referred to the United Kingdom’s national Gender Identity Development Service (GIDS), and compare the ethnicity data with the UK child population and referrals to Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS). Methods: GIDS referrals made between April 2012 and April 2015 for children and young people were retrieved. Ethnicity data were obtained by the ‘16 + 1’ ethnicity list. Chi-square and t-tests were performed on the demographics. Results: Less than 10% of the 995 referrals at GIDS were from Black and minority ethnic (BME) groups – an underrepresentation as compared with both the national population and CAMHS figures. No significant differences in ethnic representation were found between the demographic birth-assigned sexes, across age groups, or year of referral. Conclusions: Hypotheses proposed for this underrepresentation take into account both the potential barriers to accessing services and the possibility of cross-cultural variations in the conceptualisations of gender, gender roles and gender diversity. Ethnicity, culture and religion, and their overlapping relationship with gender need further exploration.

scholarly journals Community attitudes on genetic research of gender identity, sexual orientation, and mental health

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Taylor R. Thomas ◽  
Dabney Hofammann ◽  
Brooke G. McKenna ◽  
Anna I.R. van der Miesen ◽  
Mark A. Stokes ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Sexual Orientation ◽  
Gender Identity ◽  
Genetic Research ◽  
Mental Health Research ◽  
Sex And Gender ◽  
Willingness To Participate ◽  
Biological Basis ◽  
And Gender ◽  
New Research

ABSTRACTBiological sex is an important factor in mental health, and a non-binary view of how variation in sex and gender influence mental health represents a new research frontier that may yield new insights. The recent acceleration of research into sexual orientation, gender identity, and mental health has generally been conducted without sufficient understanding of the opinions of sexual and gender minorities (SGM) toward this research. We surveyed 768 individuals, with an enrichment of LGBTQ+ stakeholders, for their opinions regarding genetic research of SGM and mental health. We found that the key predictors of attitudes toward genetic research specifically on SGM are 1) general attitudes toward genetic and mental health research 2) tolerance of SGM and associated behaviors 3) non-cisgender stakeholder status and 4) age of the respondent. Non-heterosexual stakeholder status was significantly associated with increased willingness to participate in genetic research if a biological basis for gender identity were discovered. We also found that non-stakeholders with a low tolerance for SGM indicated their SGM views would be positively updated if science showed a biological basis for their behaviors and identities. These findings represent an important first step in understanding and engaging the LGBTQ+ stakeholder community in the context of genetic research.

scholarly journals Mutual conditioning of gender and love: Towards a non-gendered idea of humanity

2019 ◽  
Vol 43 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jennifer Slater
Keyword(s):  
Gender Diversity ◽  
Human Condition ◽  
Cultural Norms ◽  
Sex And Gender ◽  
Philosophical Debate ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Gender Divisions ◽  
And Gender ◽  
Cultural Freedom ◽  
Cultural Constructions

It is a presumed opinion that gender and love mutually condition each other and that this presumption ought to be embraced by cultural norms, religion, human rights and the ethic of freedom. The notion of mutual conditioning presupposes a healthy and principled environment that facilitates the free dynamic interaction between gender and love. It is the purpose of this article to explore the outcomes of the gender revolution and the additional strands of complexities that it contributed to the human condition. Although feminism has created terminologies such as sex and gender, it is believed that these words have outlived their usefulness to make way for the present-day evolution towards a non-gendered idea of humanity. Gender diversity seeks mutuality, and true love accommodates multiplicity; hence, the interacting and intra-acting of gender and love inevitably come face-to-face with cultural, legal, social, religious and moral milieus that hamper or even contradict the concept of mutual conditioning. This article seeks to trace the evolution of gender within diverse cultural constructions created by new liberal living conditions, but which have not yet infiltrated the diverse cultural domains where gender remains an entity without cultural freedom and therefore undermines the process of mutual conditioning of gender and love. The idea of gender as transcending bodily sex forms part of an old theological and philosophical debate; it, however, resurfaces here while revisiting Aristotle’s idea of a non-gendered society or humanity. A degendered society implies a society that is free from dependence on gender, whereas a non-gendered humanity transcends gender divisions and associations, with its aspirations linked to the transcendence or consciousness of human nature. Love, in this sense, transcends all human dissections, and this article ascertains its capacity to mutually condition the diversity of gender and love.

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