These stories come in the aftermath of allegations that a small but mighty cabal of “LGBT reporters” had somehow seized control of the BBC and “censored” right-wing views.
Yes, I'm surprised that the BBC has capitulated. It's not a Murdoch rag. It's a harbinger, however, of how far the UK has gone into the realm of the radical right. The Reform UK party leading the others in latest polls.
The takeover of these major news organizations by far right ideologues who have no desire to report the news accurately or without bias is truly horrifying to see. Mainstream media is just about finished as far as having any degree of trustworthiness goes.
I heartily agree that "biological male" and "biological female" are fabricated terms used by TERFs and other transphobic types to disparage transgender people. On the other hand, I would contend that transgender women are biological women, transgender men are biological men, and non-binary people are biologically non-binary. There is mounting evidence that gender identity is a property of the brain that develops during gestation, and what is the brain if not biological?
Absolutely, Emily. My thoughts exactly. There was a website by a trans woman called cakeworld [dot] info that went away a couple of years ago after having been moribund since 2017. She had collected and categorized over 800 peer-reviewed articles on the subject, showing the abstracts with links to the underlying research. That evidence has been around for a long time. As the haters like to say, "Trust the science!" Add that we have existed in all cultures throughout all of history, and far more often than not we've been respected and even honored. Our recent troubles are sadly due to another human trait: hatred, prejudice, and willful ignorance toward those who are simply different than them.
Wow! Over 800 peer-reviewed articles, what a treasure trove. It would be a shame for all that to have been lost. I wonder if it can be recovered. Wayback Machine, perhaps?
To me, one of the most compelling evidence of the biological basis of gender identity is from the children who realize at a very young age that their gender does not align with the one they were assumed to be. This typically comes as a surprise to their parents, so it can hardly be argued that these children were somehow influenced, or "groomed", as the right likes to claim. It shows every indication that gender identity is innate.
I looked but couldn't find an archive when I first discovered Cake had closed her blog. (The name she used, Cake Kidd, is an anagram for her real name.) She was a non-native English speaker who used British spelling conventions. Based on the distribution of those viewing her blog I suspect she's German. One of her categories was What helps? It contained three sub-categories: Being out helps, Hormone therapy helps, and Surgery helps.
If you're unaware of Lynn Conway, she died last year at 86 and was an icon of our community, her blog is still up. While it's not like cakeworld it still is a trove of information from back in the day when there was little public awareness of us. Don't miss the quote from Mary Oliver's poem The Summer Day on the home page. https://ai.eecs.umich.edu//people/conway/conway.html
Without disparaging those of us who didn't understand who they were until much later in life, I knew from my earliest memories or, given that humans have an imitative gene, was drawn to my mom, was fascinated by her belongings and wanted to learn about how she did things. (Lynn cites a book about cis women who did the same thing. It's how we learn.) By the time I was five or six I realized that I was different from the other kids and found out from the angry words my dad directed at my mom that who I was as a person was "wrong." The social media contagion in the mid 1950s was something to behold. As Anne Vitale, another icon who's now 88 and herself a PhD, wrote in a paper published in the late 90s I think, how we are is "profound, life long, and non-delusional." And through it all it's a gift, despite the hardship and fear and sorrow and damage.
If you find it there please share. I’d love this too. I’ve been saying exactly what you said in your OP but finding time to compile something like that has proven impossible for me to manage
Personally I'm cautious about this because this sort of argument risks falling into bioessentialism. I don't distrust that developmental biochemistry does affect gender identity, but to claim that gender identity IS biological in nature seems... reductive, and bordering on transmedicalism, pathologizing ("oh you have a brain defect that's why you're trans"), etc.
Not saying that's your intention ofc, but I'm just wary of this kind of language for the reasons listed above.
I disagree. Trans women aren't "biological women". We have some male biological traits and some female biological traits. There's a word for that, and that word is intersex. All trans people are "biologically intersex", and I'll die on this hill /hj
It’s hard for me to accept the reality that we are unfortunately living in a new era of repression. We’re going to have to revisit many battles that we thought we settled in the past.
They’ve described trans women as “biological males who identify as women” in so many articles now. Not just this one. It’s like official policy for the bbc now.
It's really unfortunate that the outlet responsible for good content like BBC Science Focus and BBC History is so selectively regressive when it comes to trans people. They should fucking know better.
Can I describe the BBC as a "propaganda outlet that identifies as a newsroom"?
Are we surprised? This is TERF Island News. The only thing that surprises me is that it’s taken them this long to do it.
Yes, I'm surprised that the BBC has capitulated. It's not a Murdoch rag. It's a harbinger, however, of how far the UK has gone into the realm of the radical right. The Reform UK party leading the others in latest polls.
The banality of evil is rivaled only by the pettiness of evil.
All these dimwit alternate names for trans people are just ways for us to be called the f word by people who are too gutless to actually say it
The takeover of these major news organizations by far right ideologues who have no desire to report the news accurately or without bias is truly horrifying to see. Mainstream media is just about finished as far as having any degree of trustworthiness goes.
Omfg- you’d think people would have some professional standards and conscience.
Linehan is a disgusting POS. Shame on the BBC too for giving in to the bullshit
Sickening. Fuck the UK. Fuck the BBC. Fuck blue labour.
I heartily agree that "biological male" and "biological female" are fabricated terms used by TERFs and other transphobic types to disparage transgender people. On the other hand, I would contend that transgender women are biological women, transgender men are biological men, and non-binary people are biologically non-binary. There is mounting evidence that gender identity is a property of the brain that develops during gestation, and what is the brain if not biological?
Absolutely, Emily. My thoughts exactly. There was a website by a trans woman called cakeworld [dot] info that went away a couple of years ago after having been moribund since 2017. She had collected and categorized over 800 peer-reviewed articles on the subject, showing the abstracts with links to the underlying research. That evidence has been around for a long time. As the haters like to say, "Trust the science!" Add that we have existed in all cultures throughout all of history, and far more often than not we've been respected and even honored. Our recent troubles are sadly due to another human trait: hatred, prejudice, and willful ignorance toward those who are simply different than them.
Wow! Over 800 peer-reviewed articles, what a treasure trove. It would be a shame for all that to have been lost. I wonder if it can be recovered. Wayback Machine, perhaps?
To me, one of the most compelling evidence of the biological basis of gender identity is from the children who realize at a very young age that their gender does not align with the one they were assumed to be. This typically comes as a surprise to their parents, so it can hardly be argued that these children were somehow influenced, or "groomed", as the right likes to claim. It shows every indication that gender identity is innate.
I looked but couldn't find an archive when I first discovered Cake had closed her blog. (The name she used, Cake Kidd, is an anagram for her real name.) She was a non-native English speaker who used British spelling conventions. Based on the distribution of those viewing her blog I suspect she's German. One of her categories was What helps? It contained three sub-categories: Being out helps, Hormone therapy helps, and Surgery helps.
If you're unaware of Lynn Conway, she died last year at 86 and was an icon of our community, her blog is still up. While it's not like cakeworld it still is a trove of information from back in the day when there was little public awareness of us. Don't miss the quote from Mary Oliver's poem The Summer Day on the home page. https://ai.eecs.umich.edu//people/conway/conway.html
Without disparaging those of us who didn't understand who they were until much later in life, I knew from my earliest memories or, given that humans have an imitative gene, was drawn to my mom, was fascinated by her belongings and wanted to learn about how she did things. (Lynn cites a book about cis women who did the same thing. It's how we learn.) By the time I was five or six I realized that I was different from the other kids and found out from the angry words my dad directed at my mom that who I was as a person was "wrong." The social media contagion in the mid 1950s was something to behold. As Anne Vitale, another icon who's now 88 and herself a PhD, wrote in a paper published in the late 90s I think, how we are is "profound, life long, and non-delusional." And through it all it's a gift, despite the hardship and fear and sorrow and damage.
If you find it there please share. I’d love this too. I’ve been saying exactly what you said in your OP but finding time to compile something like that has proven impossible for me to manage
Personally I'm cautious about this because this sort of argument risks falling into bioessentialism. I don't distrust that developmental biochemistry does affect gender identity, but to claim that gender identity IS biological in nature seems... reductive, and bordering on transmedicalism, pathologizing ("oh you have a brain defect that's why you're trans"), etc.
Not saying that's your intention ofc, but I'm just wary of this kind of language for the reasons listed above.
I disagree. Trans women aren't "biological women". We have some male biological traits and some female biological traits. There's a word for that, and that word is intersex. All trans people are "biologically intersex", and I'll die on this hill /hj
"There is mounting evidence that gender identity is a property of the brain that develops during gestation"
Mounting? It is all but dispositive.
Time to delete all BBC subscriptions and apps.
Great time to stop paying that tv license
It’s hard for me to accept the reality that we are unfortunately living in a new era of repression. We’re going to have to revisit many battles that we thought we settled in the past.
They’ve described trans women as “biological males who identify as women” in so many articles now. Not just this one. It’s like official policy for the bbc now.
It's really unfortunate that the outlet responsible for good content like BBC Science Focus and BBC History is so selectively regressive when it comes to trans people. They should fucking know better.
I’ll be writing NPR. It carries BBC World News programming daily.
Guess I will be deleting my BBC app. I am so,sick of really stupid people trying to define me.