Is there any such thing as gender identity?

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Here is an article by Alex Byrne, Professor of Philosophy at MIT:
What is gender identity?

Byrne concludes, in part, as follows:
' If there is some kind of “gender identity” that is universal in humans, and which causes dysphoria when mismatched with sex, it remains elusive. No one has yet found a way of detecting its presence, and verifying that it is causally responsible for dysphoria .'

In fact, it seems, there just is no such thing as gender identity in the way trans ideologues intend. Some, noticing lack of anything like it in themselves, nevertheless allow that others may nevertheless suffer from its presence. I think this mistaken, factually and strategically.

The existence of gender identity is foundational for much trans ideology. Its importance can be deduced from its inclusion in Humpty Dumpty’s Stonewall's glossary entry on transphobia, 'including denying ... gender identity ', as part of orthodox trans dogma.

The foundations of trans ideology are built on the quicksand of gender identity. Pointing out the shaky nature of these foundations cannot but assist in demolishing the whole edifice of this ideology before it does any more harm to women, children, and wider society in general.

Of course those who believe in gender identity should not be discriminated against or disadvantaged in any way because of such belief, any more than should believers in guardian angels or invisible human auras. It does not follow that such beliefs themselves should be given any credence. Nor, a fortiori , does it follow that social policy or law should be based on any such beliefs.

There is no such thing as gender identity.

Or, perhaps science progresses is there now some way of detecting its presence, contrary to Alex Byrne's assertion?

"Has anyone with dementia forgotten their gender identity? Yes. Although more studies are needed, there is evidence that trans people with dementia do seem to forget their 'innate' gender identity."

The paper says it's completely anecdotal. So funny how you will take apart hundreds of papers that rely on actual scientifically analysed observations, and then champion a paper that speculates what might happen if some anecdotes were true.

Confirmation bias much?

@newstart1337

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) Community Access to Child Health is funded by Pfizer. Given America has a very expensive private health care system, I wonder could their be any link between the world's largest pharmaceutical company and the creation of a life long drug dependency in children?

After the AAP issued a policy endorsing "gender affirmation" as the only acceptable response to a child expressing transgender feelings their studies were fact checked 1 & 2 ...

"Although almost all clinics and professional associations in the world use what’s called the watchful waiting approach to helping gender diverse (GD) children, the AAP statement instead rejected that consensus, endorsing gender affirmation as the only acceptable approach. Remarkably, not only did the AAP statement fail to include any of the actual outcomes literature on such cases, but it also misrepresented the contents of its citations, which repeatedly said the very opposite of what AAP attributed to them." Dec 2019

"When asked for comment about those inaccuracies by The Economist, AAP responded only by restating the policy." Feb 2021

Yay - I like the conspiracy theories best of all.

@Ereshkigalangcleg

Well, intersex people have asked for people to stop claiming sex is a simple binary, so if you want to defer to them on these matters...

Not all intersex people. There are plenty of people who are pretty insulted by the idea that they aren't simply male or female with a disorder of sex development and somehow don't have a sex or are a third sex.

So it's difficult to know which set of intersex people we should defer to, and probably better not to appropriate their reality to make unrelated arguments in any context.

"Not all intersex people."

Right, and not all intersex people have a problem in drawing comparisons with trans people.

If sex and gender are separate then what is the relevance of DSDs to trans?

@30PercentRecycled

If sex and gender are separate then what is the relevance of DSDs to trans?

Stop asking questions 30%

@merrymouse

Are people in the middle of the spectrum neither sex, or both sexes?

The concept of a spectrum is just plain irrelevant.

It implies that you could grade all DSDs on a scale with male at one end and female at the other. That is not a helpful way to think of any individual condition.

The concept of a binary is just plain irrelevant.

It implies that you could resolve all DSDs to either male or female, when the very definition of many DSDs that they involve having sexual characteristics of both male and female.

But what has that got to do with trans people?

@30PercentRecycled

If sex and gender are separate then what is the relevance of DSDs to trans?

Gonads are a sex characteristic. Gender identity is a sex characteristic. They are different sex characteristics. DSDs often involve a combination of sex characteristics that aren't usually found together like XY chromosomes with a vagina. Similarly, a trans woman typically has reproductive organs typically seen in men, but a gender identity typically seen in women.

Please show evidence that ‘many’ DSDs have the reproductive organs of BOTH male and female. Not secondary characteristics. Gamete producing organs that are both male and female in the one body.

As far as I have discovered they are actually very rare. Not ‘many’.

@Wondermule

I always thought saying a transwoman is a woman because there is some vague ‘evidence’ about brain patterns, despite their entire physical form being programmed as a male down to their chromosomes, is a bit like saying humans can be bananas because we share 44% of our DNA with them.

The evidence is that being trans is right there in the DNA:

www.abstractsonline.com/pp8/#!/4592/presentation/578abstract

"Conclusion: We identified genetic variants in 20 genes that may play a role in transgender identity. The most promising of these include variants of genes involved in neurologic development and sex hormone pathways."

Take me through this slowly

In what way do intersex prove that sex is a spectrum ? I guess that means that intersex people can do both growing and fertilising a baby ... are there intersex people who could 80% of the time grow and 20% of the time fertilise baby. I have never heard of this ? Wow

And what is the relationship between intersex and trans people?

Gender identity is a sex characteristic.

Sex characteristics physically exist. Gender does not.

So transgender people have brain things like other transgender people? So nothing to do with sex?

What is gender identity?

@Helleofabore

Please show evidence that ‘many’ DSDs have the reproductive organs of BOTH male and female. Not secondary characteristics. Gamete producing organs that are both male and female in the one body.

As far as I have discovered they are actually very rare. Not ‘many’.

You've tried to narrow "a combination of sex characteristics that aren't usually found together" to "gamete producing organs that are both male and female in the one body."

There is a condition called ovotestis which involves having both testicular and ovarian tissue in the same gonad, but there are very many more DSDs than that.

@notwatchingrugby

Take me through this slowly

In what way do intersex prove that sex is a spectrum ? I guess that means that intersex people can do both growing and fertilising a baby ... are there intersex people who could 80% of the time grow and 20% of the time fertilise baby. I have never heard of this ? Wow

And what is the relationship between intersex and trans people?

Intersex people have asked you not to claim that sex is a simple binary:

oiieurope.org/statement-of-the-european-intersex-meeting-in-riga-2014/

Some people want me to lie?

Or does sex mean something other than reproductive class ?

Does this only affect humans or other animals too?

There are construct issues with the Riga document, and I have asked questions. I'd be interested to hear your answers. The questions are on the previous page.

If gender identity is innate, why is gender expressed differently in different cultures or through history?

Intersex people have asked you not to claim that sex is a simple binary:

Let me fix that for you.

Some Intersex people have asked you not to claim that sex is a simple binary:

Some people with DSDs have asked to not have their bodies politicized to make a case for gender identity. I take it you choose to ignore those people. Because why? They are the wrong sort of people with DSDs.

The fact is, you cannot define sex as a spectrum without using people’s medical conditions. So you choose to ignore those who don’t wish to have their bodies politicized for your explanation.

but there are very many more DSDs than that.

And we keep telling you that with modern techniques, people with medical conditions can be identified as either male or female.

But it doesn’t suit your agenda.

Yay - I like the conspiracy theories best of all.

Pharmaceutical companies in America are entirely philanthropic and would never fund research which 'came to a conclusion' that made them massive amounts of profit at the expense of peoples health. 😆

Tobacco companies have never funded research that concluded smoking was entirely healthy for you and made them massive profits. Nothing to see here, move along please, its a conspiracy theory. This is for the good of humanity, completely irrelevant that we will make massive profits from this at the expense of peoples lives.

I thought anyway that trans people had no identifiable characteristics so intersex /DSD is irrelevant?

But tobacco companies did lie and I think oil companies are also doing so ?