The Other Michael

Hi babelfish,

That's the kind of thing I had in mind.

Jaz, I guess I just don't see what kind of harm you feel this non-slavering-monster of a grandparent is suddenly going to be perpetrating upon their presumably beloved grandchildren.

cheers,
Michael

brighid

<a href="http://www.hhmi.org/lectures/1994/" target="_blank">http://www.hhmi.org/lectures/1994/</a>

I have not had a chance to thoroughly investigate this site, but it has a # of lectures discussing genetic gender disorders that may be of interest to some. I hope it is informative and I apologize for not being able to thoroughly investigate the site at this time and therefore be able to offer more feedback or critique. The only drawback I see at this time is these lectures are in a video format and I don't see transcripts.

One lecture of particluar interest:
Lecture 2—Male or Female? When the Decision Goes Awry

If sex is decided by only a single gene, what happens when that gene is inherited in a mutated form? There are clues in the genetic disorders that result in males with two X chromosomes (instead of XY) and females with an X and a Y chromosome (instead of XX). By studying such individuals, scientists are learning that the mechanism of sex determination is highly complex.



Brighid

babelfish

Hi Michael,

Hope you'll forgive me for jumping in like that.

I think we humans (and not just fundies), have a different sort of gut reaction to any perceived "defects" of a sexual nature, as compared to say, defects of the hand or foot.

Why is this, I wonder?

The Other Michael

No problem on the first as you saved me a post, and socialization that imprints people with the ideas about sexual nature being "dirty" would be my guess on the second.

cheers,
Michael

lisarea

Sex cuts to the very core of our perceptions about ourselves. Linguistically, it's almost impossible to refer to another human being without revealing their sex. (Barring the singular 'they,' which I fully endorse, BTW.)

We spend a great deal of time categorizing things by sex preference, not just sexually, but in terms of how we think, eat, dress, and entertain ourselves. Women are nurturing and emotional. Men are logical and brave. Women decorate things and appreciate aesthetics. Men fix things and appreciate utility.

The fact that none of this is really true doesn't keep people from identifying very strongly with these categories. Even those of us who don't always rigidly define ourselves according to traditional sex roles and perceptions get a little bugged thinking about actually changing sex. Men and women are treated very differently in society, and the idea of actually changing those public perceptions about yourself so profoundly is just plain mind-boggling.

That, aside from the fact that our fancy bits have a lot more nerve endings than our feet or hands.

It's a heady combination of both intellectual and visceral "YOW!" reactions.

Glory

It occurrs to me that medical profeesionals are ultimately in control of the decision regarding sex change surgery. One cannot simply walk into an office and tell the doctor, "I want to be woman" and have the doctor say,"lets schedule the procedure next week." There is complex application process just to get started. If at any time a memeber of the medical or psychiatric teams thinks that the individual is not an appropriate candidate for the procedure, the person will be turned down. These people know a hell of alot more about gender reassignment than any of us. If they have decided that the best thing they can do for their patient is make the change, who am I to say that I don't like the idea? It seems arrogant to be second guessing these doctors.

Glory

[ October 01, 2002: Message edited by: Glory ]</p>

Glory

Lisarea,

I agree with your eloquent post. I think it illustrates why we must take time to consider before deciding how we feel about this. That initial knee jerk reaction is blissfully free of logic or thoughts of the consequences of our actions(eg: not ever seeing a loved one again). Given time, it is amazing what we adaptable humans can come to accept.

Glory

brighid

Some more resources:
<a href="http://www.omniseek.com/srch/{8609}" target="_blank">http://www.omniseek.com/srch/{8609}</a>

Brighid

lisarea

Satan reposted something here.

I don't know why he's picking on me. Really.

[ October 01, 2002: Message edited by: lisarea ]</p>

Amen-Moses

I'm sorry but I still can't see the difference between a natural "mistake" (read genetic) that results in a blonde being born brunette and a male being born female. What exactly is this difference?

Amen-Moses