You’re Wrong About Why People Change Gender - Dr Az Hakeem interview

There's been Multiple teams over multiple years, I'm sure Butters will be back with the links in a jiffy.

Butter point me to these multiple studies identifying brain differences of trans identifying people, the information I have is there exists zippo proof, Az states most studies involved trans people already on hormones of the opposite sex so data was totally unreliable.

Multiple teams over multiple years have reported finding statistically significant evidence that, for at least some early-presenting trans people of both male and female chromosomal sex, there are particular neurological phenotypes (brain structure patterns) that are characteristic of people who experience gender incongruence. These are studies exclusively focused on observing the morphology of individuals presenting before any form of external hormonal intervention (which we know has a definite and quite profound effect on brain size and structure)

In short, the brains of at least some trans people seem to vary quite significantly from those of others of their chromosomal birth sex, especially in the right hemisphere, and sometimes in ways which, when adjusted for size and other influences, seem aligned with those of individuals of the opposite birth sex.

That isn't to say that there are exclusively 'male brains' and 'female brains' so much as brains are extremely complicated and sensitive systems that are vulnerable to environmental conditions during early development, and continue to develop over a person's lifespan.

I think it's extremely disingenuous to dismiss the very real experiences of trans people who spend lifetimes struggling with crushing gender dysphoria (sex dysphoria?) as just a fetish or unaddressed diagnostic overshadowing.

I'm sure I recall reading that Jan Morris had homosexual relationships or perhaps hookups would be a better description. I don't know if they continued after his marriage (wouldn't surprise me) or surgeries. He was also a privately educated boarder, who stereotypically were up to all sorts of same sex shenanigans.

Memory being what it is I don't recall if AG or Dr Az talked much or at all about gay or bisexual men who get genital surgery to try to fake being the opposite sex. There's one gay man (been in the news recently) who, if his retelling can be trusted, was an out and unashamed homosexual but who still put himself under the knife. That puzzles me. I cannot see the motivation. I don't want to speculate about any particular individual, I don't think MN would like it. Just using this as an example of the phenomenon.

I think he really outlines the toxic effects of "affirmation" - and horrifying that he sees girl's schools as the worst offenders in this....

Yes, that was startling and valuable.

I wasn’t criticising the male-centric tone - merely found it interesting - because I think it illuminates much of the popular discourse around this issue. How many times have we noticed that discussions about trans issues, especially to do with the privacy of women, are conducted entirely by men, for example, a male interviewer, a male medic, and a transwoman.

Fabulous interview - doesn't matter (IMO) if we agree with him about Jan Morris or not tbh because what he is advocating is simply thinking and talking about outcomes and causes before making any kind of medical intervention.

I think he really outlines the toxic effects of "affirmation" - and horrifying that he sees girl's schools as the worst offenders in this....

I thought that was the value of the interview, tbh. They were talking quite often about male sexuality, male fears, male socialisation etc.

I agree that the difference between female and male experiences on this topic seem hugely divergent.

I agree that that the book and interview are more focused on men and I think that reflects the fact that most of Dr Az's patients were male. He does acknowledge that the motivation of females are rather different, often associated with trauma and SA. Actual clinical gender dysmorphia seems to be rare.

It was very interesting, and a good watch, though I also was struck that the discussion was very male centred. He - both of them, actually - seemed to have little interest in or understanding of the situation regarding girls and young women, and an unusual focus on parallels between their own adolescent and young adult experience and that of ‘trans’ culture. That’s OK - professionals have their own interests and priorities - but I thought it emphasised the huge gulf between male and female ‘trans’ issues. Perhaps they need to be considered as entirely separate, societally and clinically.

He always is.

Are you talking about children?

It is being a boy or girl or man or woman who hasn't been given cross sex hormones.

Just being a child or adult, if that isn't too 'generalising'.

OK, I think we were at cross purposes. I was just making the observation that Az Hakeem seemed to think that Jan Morris wasn't sexually driven at all, that he was an asexual transsexual. I think this categorisation is wrong.

Blanchard has recognised that some men who have genital surgery are as sexually motivated as those who get off on cross-dressing. I haven't watched the whole interview yet, so I don't know if Az Hakeem acknowledges this at all. But he must know that some men who have genital surgery are sexually motivated and it was just his mischaracterisation of Jan Morris that I was commenting on.

CSH probably cross sex hormones? pre-CSH meaning either before a given child takes them or maybe before they were widely available?

There's a whole bit in the discussion about trans/non-binary as a subculture, where he reminisces about being a teenage goth, and Andrew talks about his teen makeup wearing.

I don't understand what you mean by the term "pre-CSH morphology". Can you explain what that is?

Haven't read the book(s) or watched the clip, so apologies if this is totally off the mark. Nothing wrong with a psychiatrist concentrating on endogenous personal reasons for gender dysphoria.But in some ways doesn't that miss the elephant in the room? [............... newlines not working ............... ].It's hard for me to imagine that in one generation human brains became different and the causes lie there. ...................................The single biggest change I see is that it's suddenly cool to be anything but plain vanilla hetero. So, surprise, surprise, suddenly every teen (and bunches of adults) is anything but plain vanilla hetero. Desperation for status doesn't seem terribly new. .............................And the other big change is the availability of porn. I don't know how big a factor that is for crossgender men. But given what happens to women in porn which is about as much fun as a root canal without meds, the only surprise would be women NOT trying to avoid heterosexuality. ...............................Are any of these "environmental" factors brought up?

Good grief, there is an overpowering aroma of 4chan in here.

Please, please stop promoting the (frankly deeply creepy) pet pseudoscientific theories of this deeply problematic hack as if it's a serious covering explanation for an extremely well studied and well understood developmental phenomenon with clearly identifiable pre-CSH morphology.

Can you explain what you mean by this? He was making a distinction between two groups of transsexuals: those who were often autistic and asexual, and those who were driven by a sexual motive (AGP). He seemed to be saying that Morris was an example of the former group, not the latter. All the available evidence suggests otherwise.

If anyone has kindle unlimited, his book is on there.

But this is because their sexual desires are based off of the physical (why both had surgery) and not from the cross-dressing.

I agree about the mention of Jan Morris, although lots of people seem to have a blind spot where he's concerned. Also, Dr Az does seem more knowledgeable about men with trans identities. If he's as knowledgeable about women and girls who've been caught up in gender madness, it doesn't come across in this interview.

If you Google "Detrans Dr Az" you'll find it straight away.

It's got a cover that's half blue, half pink.