scholarly journals Structural, Functional, and Metabolic Brain Differences as a Function of Gender Identity or Sexual Orientation: A Systematic Review of the Human Neuroimaging Literature

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alberto Frigerio ◽  
Lucia Ballerini ◽  
Maria Del C. Valdés Hernández
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Orientation ◽  
Gender Identity ◽  
Human Sexuality ◽  
Hormonal Treatment ◽  
Same Sex ◽  
Non Invasive ◽  
Moderate Sample Size ◽  
Opposite Sex ◽  
Neurological Substrates ◽  
Human Neuroimaging

This review systematically explored structural, functional, and metabolic features of the cisgender brain compared with the transgender brain before hormonal treatment and the heterosexual brain compared to the homosexual brain from the analysis of the neuroimaging literature up to 2018, and identified and discussed subsequent studies published up to March 2021. Our main aim was to help identifying neuroradiological brain features that have been related to human sexuality to contribute to the understanding of the biological elements involved in gender identity and sexual orientation. We analyze 39 studies on gender identity and 24 on sexual orientation. Our results suggest that some neuroanatomical, neurophysiological, and neurometabolic features in transgender individuals resemble those of their experienced gender despite the majority resembling those from their natal sex. In homosexual individuals the majority resemble those of their same sex heterosexual population rather than their opposite sex heterosexual population. However, it is always difficult to interpret findings with non-invasive neuroimaging. Given the gross nature of these measures, it is possible that more differences too subtle to measure with available tools yet contributing to gender identity and sexual orientation could be found. Conflicting results contributed to the difficulty of identifying specific brain features which consistently differ between cisgender and transgender or between heterosexual and homosexual groups. The small number of studies, the small-to-moderate sample size of each study, and the heterogeneity of the investigations made it impossible to meta-analyze all the data extracted. Further studies are necessary to increase the understanding of the neurological substrates of human sexuality.

scholarly journals Structural, Functional, and Metabolic Brain Differences as a Function of Gender Identity or Sexual Orientation: A Systematic Review of the Human Neuroimaging Literature

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alberto Frigerio ◽  
Lucia Ballerini ◽  
Maria Del C. Valdés Hernández
Keyword(s):  
Systematic Review ◽  
Sexual Orientation ◽  
Gender Identity ◽  
Small Sample Size ◽  
Human Sexuality ◽  
Hormonal Treatment ◽  
Small Sample ◽  
Non Invasive ◽  
Opposite Sex ◽  
Neurological Substrates

This systematic review explored structural, functional, and metabolic features of the cisgender brain compared with the transgender brain before hormonal treatment and the heterosexual brain compared to the homosexual brain from the analysis of the neuroimaging literature up to 2018. Our main aim was to help identifying neuroradiological brain features that have been related to human sexuality to contribute to the understanding of the biological elements involved in gender identity and sexual orientation. We analyze 30 studies on gender identity and 21 on sexual orientation. Our results suggest that some neuroanatomical, neurophysiological, and neurometabolic features in transgender individuals resemble those of their experienced gender despite the majority resembling those from their natal sex. In homosexual individuals the majority resemble those of their same sex heterosexual population rather than their opposite sex heterosexual population. However, it is always difficult to interpret findings with non-invasive neuroimaging. Given the gross nature of these measures, it is possible that more differences too subtle to measure with available tools yet contributing to gender identity and sexual orientation could be found. Conflicting results contributed to the difficulty of identifying specific brain features which consistently differ between cisgender and transgender or between heterosexual and homosexual groups. The small number of studies, the small sample size of each study, and the heterogeneity of the investigations made it impossible to meta-analyze all the data extracted. Further studies are necessary to increase the understanding of the neurological substrates of human sexuality.

scholarly journals Structural, Functional, and Metabolic Brain Differences as a Function of Gender Identity or Sexual Orientation: A Systematic Review of the Human Neuroimaging Literature

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alberto Frigerio ◽  
Lucia Ballerini ◽  
Maria Del C. Valdés Hernández
Keyword(s):  
Systematic Review ◽  
Sexual Orientation ◽  
Gender Identity ◽  
Small Sample Size ◽  
Human Sexuality ◽  
Hormonal Treatment ◽  
Small Sample ◽  
Small Samples ◽  
Opposite Sex ◽  
The Impact

Human sexuality is a complex reality, including gender identity and sexual orientation. A widespread approach to study human sexuality is to compare groups with opposite sexual approaches such as cisgenders vs transgenders and heterosexuals vs homosexuals. Neuroimaging studies have found brain differences between these groups of individuals. Nevertheless, they reported conflicting results and limitations such as small samples’ sizes and the considerable overlap between such groups makes it difficult to draw accurate conclusions. This systematic review explored structural, functional and metabolic features of the ‘cisgender brain’ compared with the ‘transgender brain’ before hormonal treatment and the ‘heterosexual brain’ compared to the ‘homosexual brain’ from the analysis of the neuroimaging literature up to 2018. Our main aim is to help identifying biological brain features that have been related to human sexuality to contribute to the understanding of the biological elements involved in gender identity and sexual orientation. Our results suggest that the majority of neuroanatomical, neurophysiological, and neurometabolic features in transgender individuals resemble those of their natal sex rather than those of their experienced gender and in homosexual individuals these resemble those of their same sex heterosexual population rather than their opposite sex heterosexual population. However, it is always difficult to interpret null findings with non-invasive neuroimaging. Given the gross nature of these measures, it is still possible that there are differences that are too subtle to measure with available tools yet have the impact of contributing to gender identity and sexual orientation. Moreover, conflicting results, also contributed to the impossibility of identifying specific brain features which consistently differ between cis- and transgender nor between hetero- and homosexual groups. The small number of studies, the small sample size of each study, and the heterogeneity of the investigations made impossible to meta-analyse all the data extracted. Further studies are necessary to increase the understanding of the neurological substrate of human sexuality.

Inclusivity the Brazilian Way: The Road to Same-sex Marriage in the Episcopal Anglican Church of Brazil

2020 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
pp. 9-28
Author(s):  
Luiz Carlos Teixeira Coelho Filho
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Orientation ◽  
Gender Identity ◽  
Same Sex ◽  
Anglican Church ◽  
Same Sex Marriage ◽  
The Road ◽  
Brazilian Society ◽  
Local Sources ◽  
English Speaking ◽  
English Speaking World

AbstractIn June 2018, the Igreja Episcopal Anglicana do Brasil’s (IEAB) General Synod voted, by an overwhelming majority, to amend its canons by redefining marriage as a ‘lifelong union between two people, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity’.2 In this essay, I intend to describe the process that led to such decision both as the result of major changes that happened in Brazilian society and as a response to IEAB’s inner process of discernment and theology-making in parallel with other Anglican provinces. Rather than merely copying theological developments and discussions produced in the English-speaking world, IEAB creatively engaged foreign and local sources (Anglican and non-Anglican), thus producing a contextually based theology that led to its embracing of same-gender couples as full members, worthy of all sacraments and rites.

scholarly journals Mathematical toy model inspired by the problem of the adaptive origins of the sexual orientation continuum

2016 ◽  
Vol 3 (9) ◽  
pp. 160403
Author(s):  
Brian Skinner
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Orientation ◽  
Sexual Behaviour ◽  
Mathematical Form ◽  
Same Sex ◽  
Animal Kingdom ◽  
Trade Off ◽  
Sex Attraction ◽  
Opposite Sex

Same-sex sexual behaviour is ubiquitous in the animal kingdom, but its adaptive origins remain a prominent puzzle. Here, I suggest the possibility that same-sex sexual behaviour arises as a consequence of the competition between an evolutionary drive for a wide diversity in traits, which improves the adaptability of a population, and a drive for sexual dichotomization of traits, which promotes opposite-sex attraction and increases the rate of reproduction. This trade-off is explored via a simple mathematical ‘toy model’. The model exhibits a number of interesting features and suggests a simple mathematical form for describing the sexual orientation continuum.

Sex-Role Identity, Gender Identity, and Self-Schemata

1987 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-10 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joan K. Hungerford ◽  
Alexandria P. Sobolew-Shubin
Keyword(s):  
Gender Identity ◽  
Social Desirability ◽  
Sex Role ◽  
Role Identity ◽  
Same Sex ◽  
Slide Presentation ◽  
Schematic Processing ◽  
Sex Role Identity ◽  
Opposite Sex ◽  
And Gender

Forty females and 40 males were shown slides of masculine and feminine phrases controlled for social desirability, sex-linked content, syllable length, and negative semantic construction to evaluate schematic processing on the dimensions of masculinity and femininity. Their responses to the phrases were timed. The BSRI, PAQ, and SSRIQ administered subsequent to the slide presentation were used to categorize subjects into groups of masculine, feminine, androgynous, and undifferentiated. Comparisons between the groups evaluated by the different scales indicated that the PAQ was the best predictor of schematic processing and that the SSRIQ and gender were not predictors of schematic processing. Correlations between the SSRIQ and the masculine and feminine scales of the BSRI and PAQ provided evidence partially supportive of Storms's (1979) theory that sex-role identity influences the development of same-sex-typed attributes but does not influence opposite-sex-typed attributes.

scholarly journals Understanding, Communication, Concerns and Repercussions of Sexual Development Differences by Mothers’ Perspectives

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. A801-A802
Author(s):  
Lia Mesquita Lousada ◽  
Sorahia Domenice ◽  
Costa L Elaine Maria Frade ◽  
Tania A Bachega ◽  
Rafael Loch Batista ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Orientation ◽  
Gender Identity ◽  
Sexual Development ◽  
Cultural Context ◽  
Hormonal Treatment ◽  
Congenital Diseases ◽  
Only Children ◽  
Negative Comments ◽  
The Difference ◽  
Atypical Development

Abstract Introduction: Differences of sexual development (DSD) define congenital diseases in which an atypical development of chromosomal, gonadal or anatomical sex occurs. The approach involves complex themes: gender designation, genitoplasty, hormonal treatment and fertility. Mothers’ understanding optimizes their children’s assistance. Objective/methods: To analyze the mothers’ understanding about the DSD condition, doubts, concerns, barriers to communication and repercussion in gender, sexual orientation and relationships in a cohort followed in reference centers in São Paulo (SP) and Ceará (CE), through an interview. Results: 112 mothers (72 from SP and 50 from CE) were interviewed. Mothers’ mean age was 35 y. The satisfaction related to the understanding about their children’s condition (on a scale from 1 to 5) was higher in the SP: medians of 4 (SP) and 3 (CE). Significant differences were evidenced between the numbers of mothers who knew the condition’s name, 56.3% (SP) and 38.6% (CE); who knew why the children had been affected by it, 38.5% (SP) and 16.7% (CE); and who knew the drugs’ function, 89.3% (SP) and 70.4% (CE). 70% to 83% of the mothers referred doubts, mainly related to the diagnosis and their feeling of guilt. Considering only children with atypical genitalia at birth (n:115), the difference was not diagnosed at hospital in 15% (4 from SP and 14 from CE). Pediatricians and obstetricians first communicated to mothers about the atypical genitalia in 73% of the reports. 70% (SP) and 41% (CE) of the mothers considered the first approach inappropriate. 89% of all mothers feel uncomfortable in talking to other people about the DSD condition and 68% experienced negative comments. Around 70% of mothers reported discomfort in exposing their children’s genitalia and 64% considered genitoplasty as an urgency. 47% referred that the DSD may influence the gender identity, 65.4% referred it may prejudice relationships and 33.3% believed it may influence on sexual orientation. The concern related to stigma was higher than related to fertility, genitalia appearance, relationships, treatments, gender identity and sexuality. Conclusion: Most of the mothers of DSD children, even in reference centers, showed unsatisfaction and lack of knowledge. The health team should be trained and the approach should consider the mothers’ perspectives and be appropriate to the cultural context. Educational actions may improve understanding and reduce the DSD stigma.

scholarly journals PERAN PARENT CHILD RELATIONSHIP PADA ORIENTASI SEKSUAL GAY

2017 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 33
Author(s):  
Amalia Novita Retaminingrum
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Orientation ◽  
Social Learning ◽  
Same Sex ◽  
Parent Child Relationship ◽  
Child Relationship ◽  
Depth Interview ◽  
Opposite Sex ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Parent Child

This research is conducted to see the role of parent child relationship in gay. Parent child relationship is an interaction between parent and a child which is included three main aspects namely, parenting, attachment, and social learning. Every individual has sexual orientation or has interested to other, it could be the same sex or to the other opposite sex. The person who is interested to the same sex, called Homosexual. Homosexual could be divided by two, which is lesbian and gay. This research is conducted on gay or individual male who is interested to the same sex. This research uses qualitative approach with in-depth interview to six persons who is 20 up to 40 years old who has gay sexual orientation. The result of this research shown that three aspects in parent child relationship has a role to six gay. On the first aspect, it is found that abusive in parenting has a big influence in sexual orientation, as well as the second aspect, attachment, which has a role to sexual preference in gay. On the third aspect namely social learning has a role in a learning process with environment that has the same sexual orientation; in this case, it is strengthen the individual sexual orientation.

Challenging Heteronormativity: An Analysis of the Effect of Sexual Orientation on Earnings in Spain

2021 ◽  
pp. 0192513X2199318
Author(s):  
M. José González ◽  
İbrahim Sönmez
Keyword(s):  
Human Capital ◽  
Sexual Orientation ◽  
Gay Men ◽  
Social Acceptance ◽  
Same Sex ◽  
Wage Differences ◽  
Same Sex Couples ◽  
Opposite Sex ◽  
Using Data ◽  
High Degree

Using data from the Spanish Labor Force Survey between 2006 and 2018, we explore whether sexual orientation causes wage differences for partnered women and men in Spain. The study confirms that men in same-sex couples significantly earn less than men in opposite-sex couples, confirming our hypothesis for the “hegemonic masculinity premium.” Women in same-sex couples also outearn women in opposite-sex couples, but this effect disappears after controlling for differences in human capital characteristics. Despite the high degree of social acceptance of homosexuality in Spain, partnered gay men are not able to avoid the negative earnings effects of discrimination in the labor market.

Constitutional Challenges to Sexual Orientation Discrimination

2000 ◽  
Vol 49 (4) ◽  
pp. 755-778
Author(s):  
Kenneth Mck. Norrie
Keyword(s):  
Human Rights ◽  
Sexual Orientation ◽  
European Convention ◽  
Orientation Discrimination ◽  
Same Sex ◽  
Same Sex Couples ◽  
Sexual Orientation Discrimination ◽  
European Court ◽  
House Of Lords ◽  
Opposite Sex

1999 may well go down in history as a watershed in the legal struggle for gay and lesbian equality. While in the late 1990s many legislatures across the world extended various statutory benefits to same-sex relationships,1 most legal systems continue to make a clear statutory distinction between same-sex and opposite-sex couples (usually by ignoring the former completely), as well as the more obvious (and deliberate) distinction between married and unmarried couples. Both distinctions have come under increasing challenge and in 1999 decisions from each of the highest courts in Canada, South Africa and Vermont, U.S.A. held legislation to be unconstitutional which treated same-sex couples differently from opposite-sex couples. In that year too, the British House of Lords held that a same-sex couple could be a “family” for certain statutory purposes,2 and the European Court of Human Rights for the first time accepted that the prohibition of discrimination contained in Article 14 of the European Convention on Human Rights covered sexual orientation discrimination.3

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