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In the October/November 2013 issue of Frock Magazine, transgender psychologist, Amanda Bruce wrote a thought provoking article called, 'Why We Are What We Are'. We'd like to hear your thoughts on the subject. In case you didn't see it in Frock Magazine, here it is again...
Why We Are What We Are
by Amanda Bruce ADHP(NC), Dip. EH (NC), EHP, UHCP Reg.
Is it nature? Is it nurture? Is it neither, or a bit of both? Does it even matter?
Those are the perennial questions that transgendered people on all points of the transgender spectrum keep asking themselves – and each other.
The fact is that most of us see ourselves as a separate subset of humanity, separated from normal society by our special needs and concerns, and we want to validate to ourselves that these needs and concerns are acceptable and natural. Again for most of us, if we cannot do that, then guilt and negative self image are the next steps on the road!
So yes – it is important, to each in varying degree.
Nature, then… There is much physical, genetic and neurological evidence to suggest that it is to a great extent, all down to our make-up – no pun intended. In the 1940s, Dr Harry Benjamin’s “treatment” of transsexuals with hormones opened up a real debate about hormonal influences on later behaviors. However, it was not really until 2003 that UCLA researchers published a study that provided definitive evidence that not only did hormones play a part in gender dysphoria, but that genetic changes prior to the existence of hormonal presence in the brains of mice, significantly changed the structure of the brain itself.
"We didn't expect to find genetic differences between the sexes' brains", admitted Vilain, "but we discovered that the male and female brains differed in many measurable ways, including anatomy and function." So not only do we have hormones at work, but also genetic influences as well.
Dr Vilain went on to say, "We believe that one's genes, hormones and environment exert a combined influence on sexual brain development." By extension, I suggest, this leads on to psycho-social and behavioral patterns in later life.
It’s fair to say that all of us who are somewhere on the transgender spectrum are to at least some extent, hard wired to be what we become, even from before birth.
What of nurture, then, in which I’d like to include social pressure? There are so many variables, of course. I, for example, lost my Dad when I was nine years old, and as a result, was brought up in an environment that lacked direct and clearcut male influence. How did that affect me, I wonder?
The old theme of Pink for a Girl, Blue for a Boy, may have a lot to answer for.
Sexual stereotypning, I am sure is still prevalent, partly, I suggest, because young people are not taught parenting skills. They get together, they have kids and are supposed to understand intuitively how to raise them. As a result, many young parents turn to their parents for aqdvice and information, which their parents in turn received from their parents. And so, to a great extent, the wheel continues to turn, and the constricting taboos of the past are inherited by future generations.
"Richard, you must not play with Annie‘s Barbie, and no you must NOT wear Mommie´s shoes“. "Annie, put that baseball bat away – you know that´s only for boys“.
So the prejudices begin and, as infancy progresses, they are often further reinforced by short sighted educational policies designed to ensure that children conform. After all, it´s so much easier to handle a conformist rather than a rebel.
All through early, and indeed later life, the pressures to conform are tremendous.
Next time, we´ll have a good look at that! Meantime, what are your thoughts?
Briefly, while I think that trying to analyse the role in which the causes, or reasons, for anti-stereotypical sex roles is arbitrary and pointless, I have a strong conviction that social factors create obstacles that inflict much pain and suffering. In other words, I think there is less need to describe gender variation and more scope for expanding it as a solution to a debilitating malaise. IMO. ~*!*~
Growing up in the 60’s and 70’s as many of us older generation Trans people can testify to, wasn’t a time of great social enlightenment and we were in no doubt that any identifying with our true gender would result in severe measures to “realign our thinking” so for me, nurture clearly had absolutely no effect at all. It isn’t really nature either because when I was conceived my mother had a Stillbestrol implant to prevent her from having a miscarriage, which is well documented now as not doing what it said in the blurb, but it did cause gender disphoria in male foetuses and much much worse in female foetuses.
Does it matter? Well to the individual concerned yes, but should it matter to anyone else? No! Its about time everyone started to accept everyone else’s definition of themselves, because we all know ourselves much better than anyone else.
The more we know about ourselves, the better to understand others and help others understand themselves. Some of us have a need to know, hopefully during my time here I have helped others to understand and take an interest in their own circumstances. Ignorance is not bliss.
Do we really need to know the cause in order to treat the condition?
Why is there so much fixation on "causes"? The answer is simple: Transsexualism has been such a socially unpopular condition in the past that the issue of "what causes it" is always raised in discussions about what to do about it. In the past many behaviorist psychologists and psychiatrists have inherently blamed transsexuals for causing their own "sexually deviant mental illness", giving those psychiatrists a claim to responsibility for the "treatment and cure of transsexuals" and giving society a rationale for discrimination, marginalization and ghettoization of transsexuals. However, as we've seen, transsexualism is most likely a neurological condition of as yet unknown origin and not a "mental illness". There are many other intense neurological conditions such as pain, depression and bipolar disorders for which we do not know the underlying causes but suspect biological causes. We know that these other conditions are real because we see people in distress, and we treat those people medically and with compassion to relieve their suffering. Why should it be any different with transsexualism? We now know how to relieve the suffering of transsexual people, having many options for practical counseling, social transition and hormonal/surgical gender reassignment. Why not accept those treatments as valid, since they truly relieve suffering and enhance the quality of life, even if we aren't sure what causes the underlying condition?And why stigmatize people just because they have sought medical treatment for this condition?
Our cultures' tendency to divide people neatly into male and female suddenly looks inadequate and over simplistic.
http://gendersociety.com/forums/topic/7790/synopsis-of-the-etiology-of-gend
I'd like to offer a few of my own uneducated musings..
We are what we are or we become what we were meant to be.
At birth our neurological fault lines are already present. Life provides us with the opportunity to traverse the landscape of our self, whilst external circumstances may influence the route we ultimately take.
So I think we emerge from a bit of both (nature & nurture) and yes, I think a caring and knowledgable enquiry into our topography must enable a successful journey to be plotted and attempted. The absence of an accurate definition of the 'cause'* shouldn't prevent progress, but obviously you can get to places quicker if you know the best route.
*There's a need to be careful with the word 'cause' though, as used inappropriately it can sound defensive and emphasise someone's commitment to a pursuit, implying that they have a choice whether to be committed or not. Cause here is only the origin, the reason for, as there is obviously no opt out or opt in alternatives to gender dysphoria, you have it or you don't.
Yes, the gender divides are real, divisive, and very very slowly being eroded.
Rachel x
Ladies - it is great to see such well reasoned responses to my article. Let's be clear - I certainly don't have the answers, and I doubt if there is a one size fits all answer to the multitude of questions and social issues inherent in transgenderism.
It is important - to ourselves and to those who will come afterwards - that we continue to explore ourselves and "our world".
Well done ladies, and agin, thank you.
Amanda
