One Scientist's Opinion Is NOT Science

"Jerry Coyne, author of the book and blog Why Evolution is True, was also at CSICON and gave a talk essentially taking the opposing position to my own. His position is that biological sex in humans is binary, that this is the only scientific position, and anything else is simply ideology trumping science. His talk was after mine so I was very interested in how he would respond to my position. He essentially didn’t – he just gave the talk he was going to give and then included a single slide with his “responses” to my talk. Except, they weren’t responses at all, just a list of standard talking points that really had nothing to do with my talk."

Jerry Coyne is a noted biologist and skeptic specializing in evolution. Thus, he is truly an authority in his areas of expertise. Click on the link below for an expose of his ignorance of sex/gender:

A Discussion about Biological Sex

Trans Athletes: The Current Knowledge

"A groundbreaking study that was sponsored by the International Olympic Committee and released late last week sought to compare a range of athletic abilities between trans athletes and their cisgender counterparts. The finding that trans women athletes are at a relative disadvantage in many key physical areas relating to athletic ability and perform worse on cardiovascular tests than their cisgender counterparts could be the first step in fighting back against the conventional wisdom conservatives have spread that trans women’s participation is inherently unfair."

Click on the link below for the details that fly in the face of ignorance, dogma, and bigotry:

This study on trans women's athletic disadvantages ought to change the debate

Gender-Affirming Care: More Heat Than Light

"Dr Hilary Cass has submitted her final report and recommendations to NHS England in her role as Chair of the Independent Review of gender identity services for children and young people.

"The Review was commissioned by NHS England to make recommendations on how to improve NHS gender identity services, and ensure that children and young people who are questioning their gender identity or experiencing gender dysphoria receive a high standard of care, that meets their needs, is safe, holistic and effective.

"The report describes what is known about the young people who are seeking NHS support around their gender identity and sets out the recommended clinical approach to care and support they should expect, the interventions that should be available, and how services should be organised across the country.

"It also makes recommendations on the quality improvement and research infrastructure required to ensure that the evidence base underpinning care is strengthened.

"In making her recommendations, Dr Cass has had to rely on the currently available evidence and think about how the NHS can respond safely, effectively, and compassionately, leaving some issues for wider societal debate."

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Click here for the Final Report of a detailed independent review of gender identity services for children and young people for the British NHS

Transphobia: An Evil From Conservatives

"We break down some of the pseudoscience the trans panic is built on, look at the political drive to erase trans people, understand how the language of panic shifts over time, and present an alternate view of societal healing for a healthier humanity."

Click on the link below for a podcast exposing the willful cruelty of today's Republicans/conservatives:

Debunking Rapid Onset Gender Dysphoria, Groomers, and Detransitioning Misconceptions

Puberty Blockers: Beware Of The Media

Right-wing media is awash with bogus "evidence" of the harm from puberty blockers. This link is a prime offender in promoting the bullsh!t, but don't let its name let you think it is valid. Here is the truth about this website (link)(link). 

Below you will find several links to VALID SUPPORT for puberty blockers:

What to know about puberty blockers

Puberty blockers for transgender and gender-diverse youth

Are Puberty Blockers Reversible?

Sex & Christian History: What You Don't Know

"Was Adam androgynous? What did the apostle Paul say about sex? What does Christianity say about gender roles? Was sex allowed in early Christianity? Here I discuss all of these issues, citing the writings of Paul, the Gospel of Thomas, the Gospel of Philip, Polemon the Stoic, Acts of Thecla, and more."

Click on the link below for the bizarre history of sexual attitudes in the history of Christianity:

Ancient Christian Beliefs About Sex Were Wild

Evangelical Christians Have A Lot To Answer For

"On May 29, Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni signed a new anti-gay law that puts the country’s already persecuted LGBTQ+ community at risk of life imprisonment for same-sex relations and calls for the death penalty for “aggravated homosexuality.” This draconian legislation is the latest blow to fundamental human rights in Uganda, and it has deep links to American evangelicals who have for years sought to export US culture wars over gender and sexuality to African countries and Uganda in particular."

Click on the links below for the evil details. Christian morality is an oxymoron 😡:

The Unholy Relationship Between Uganda's Anti-LGBTQ+ Law and US Evangelicalism

How US 'Christian Values' Helped Uganda Become An Evil African Presence

How U.S. Evangelicals Helped Homophobia Flourish in Africa

Sex/Gender: The Science, Not The Pseudoscience

 "As with most things in science, the concept of boy versus girl is more complicated than it appears at first glance. It’s not a simple dichotomy. We, humans, like to classify everything into neat pigeonholes, but Nature’s inventiveness outsmarts us at every step.":

Many factors combine to determine sex and gender, and not one of them is simply black and white.

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"Antiscientific sentiment bombards our politics, or so says the Intellectual Dark Web (IDW). Chief among these antiscientific sentiments, the IDW cites the rising visibility of transgender civil rights demands. To the IDW, trans people and their advocates are destroying the pillars of our society with such free-speech–suppressing, postmodern concepts as: “trans women are women,” “gender-neutral pronouns,” or “there are more than two genders.” Asserting “basic biology” will not be ignored, the IDW proclaims. “Facts don’t care about your feelings.”

"The irony in all this is that these “protectors of enlightenment” are guilty of the very behavior this phrase derides. Though often dismissed as just a fringe internet movement, they espouse unscientific claims that have infected our politics and culture. Especially alarming is that these “intellectual” assertions are used by nonscientists to claim a scientific basis for the dehumanization of trans people. The real-world consequences are stacking up: the trans military ban, bathroom bills, removal of workplace and medical discrimination protections, a 41-51 percent suicide attempt rate, and targeted fatal violence. It’s not just internet trolling anymore.

"Contrary to popular belief, scientific research helps us better understand the unique and real transgender experience. Specifically, through three subjects: (1) genetics, (2) neurobiology, and (3) endocrinology. So, hold onto your parts, whatever they may be. It’s time for 'the talk'":

Stop Using Phony Science to Justify Transphobia

Sex/Gender 101

"Antiscientific sentiment bombards our politics, or so says the Intellectual Dark Web (IDW). Chief among these antiscientific sentiments, the IDW cites the rising visibility of transgender civil rights demands. To the IDW, trans people and their advocates are destroying the pillars of our society with such free-speech–suppressing, postmodern concepts as: “trans women are women,” “gender-neutral pronouns,” or 'there are more than two genders.' Asserting 'basic biology' will not be ignored, the IDW proclaims. 'Facts don’t care about your feelings.'

"The irony in all this is that these 'protectors of enlightenment' are guilty of the very behavior this phrase derides. Though often dismissed as just a fringe internet movement, they espouse unscientific claims that have infected our politics and culture. Especially alarming is that these 'intellectual” assertions are used by nonscientists to claim a scientific basis for the dehumanization of trans people. The real-world consequences are stacking up: the trans military ban, bathroom bills, and removal of workplace and medical discrimination protections, a 41-51 percent suicide attempt rate and targeted fatal violence. It’s not just internet trolling anymore."

Click on the link below for more. You magical/anti-science thinkers, there is no longer an excuse for your willfull ignorance: 

Actual research shows that sex is anything but binary

Elon Musk also needs to get the message. What is it with him and Trump, fellow graduates of UPenn such as I am (guess money talks)? Neither have an excuse also:

Elon Musk’s promise to treat ‘cis’ as a slur will provoke more extremism

Conservative Violence

Since the Republican Party united with conservative Christians in recent decades, elected Trump, and took over local politics in several US states, they have organized efforts to deprive people of their fundamental reproductive, sex, and gender rights. Ironically, these conservatives have claimed, erroneously, that they have been more victimized by progressives than vice-versa. For example, this Fox News piece cites statistics by the discredited organization Crime Prevention Research Center.

Click on the links below for the truth:

House GOP Is Passing Bills Based on Outright Lies About “Pro-Choice Violence”

Violence against abortion providers continues to rise

How political rhetoric factors into the violence against the LGBTQ community

Beware Of Sex/Gender Studies Supported By Conservatives

"It’s a science thingy breakdown! This one can barely be called a science thingy. It’s not great. Dr. Alan Smerbeck is here to debunk one of the go-to citations for conservatives’ homophobia. Does it hold up? No. Look I’m not going to pretend like it’s a close call. Listen to find out why this is a shit study."

Click on the link below for a podcast exposing the usual bad studies on this subject:

How Different Are The Adult Children of Parents Who Have Same-Sex Relationships?

Research Update: Transgender Teen Transitioning

I have posted many times on the subject of non-binary sex and gender. Sabine Hossenfeder is a well-known physicist and educator in such. She is also famous for her YouTube series called, "Science, without the gobbledygook." Click on the link below for her heavily-researched opinion on gender-affirming healthcare, which I think clarifies what we now know in this important area of healthcare:

Is being trans a social fad among teenagers? 

Why Are People Antiscience?

"From vaccination refusal to climate change denial, antiscience views are threatening humanity. When different individuals are provided with the same piece of scientific evidence, why do some accept whereas others dismiss it? Building on various emerging data and models that have explored the psychology of being antiscience, we specify four core bases of key principles driving antiscience attitudes. These principles are grounded in decades of research on attitudes, persuasion, social influence, social identity, and information processing. They apply across diverse domains of antiscience phenomena. Specifically, antiscience attitudes are more likely to emerge when a scientific message comes from sources perceived as lacking credibility; when the recipients embrace the social membership or identity of groups with antiscience attitudes; when the scientific message itself contradicts what recipients consider true, favorable, valuable, or moral; or when there is a mismatch between the delivery of the scientific message and the epistemic style of the recipient. Politics triggers or amplifies many principles across all four bases, making it a particularly potent force in antiscience attitudes. Guided by the key principles, we describe evidence-based counteractive strategies for increasing public acceptance of science."

Click on the link below for a scholarly, in-depth look at the danger and harm of anti-science, as well as its causation and recommended remedies:

Why are people antiscience, and what can we do about it?

Ben Shapiro: Full Of Rage Over Fear Of "The Other"

There is no more significant example of the emotions and fear-mongering of conservatives than Ben Shapiro. His expressions, tone of voice, and blatant hate for anything progressive are enough to turn me off. As is typical of conservatives, he never can cite the harm to others from those not consistent with the discredited view that sex and gender are binary. Click on the link below for a video displaying all that is wrong with conservative views of sex and gender:

Ben Shapiro Is Still Wrong About: Gay Marriage

Queer History 101

"What separates womanhood from manhood? This question has transfixed the medical community in America since its founding. But the need to enforce a binary gender––male or female––tells a darker history of the struggle for acceptance of people born with intersex traits. Elizabeth Reis, a professor at the Macaulay Honors College at the City University of New York and author of Bodies in Doubt: An American History of Intersex, has dedicated her research to bringing awareness to intersex history, specifically the medical management of people born with atypical sex development."

Click on the link below for the history of non-binary sex attitudes since the founding of the USA:

Intersex in Early America

Transgendered Athletes: The Nuances

"1. There are many existential threats to the trans community in the United States right now. The question of whether trans women should be able to participate in elite women’s sports is not one of them.

"2. It is possible to be in favor of trans rights and against trans participation in sports.

"3. The central question has been: 'Should transgender women be allowed to compete alongside cisgender women?' That’s the wrong question."

Click on the link below for a well-informed, thoughtful opinion regarding transgendered athletes:

Lia Thomas, Trans Rights, and the Future of Elite Sports: 3 Takeaways From My MIT Panel

Sex Transitioning And Conservative Science Distortion

Sexual transitioning is one prominent area in which conservatives misrepresent scientific findings to promote their unfounded ideology. Click on the link below for a video example of how to handle honest inquiry regarding the subject that can be extrapolated into other areas of conservative science deception (educate yourself, Ben Shapiro):

"At What Age Should Kids Be Allowed Hormones?"

What Is Gender?

The terms sex and gender are often used as one phrase in a sentence. However, they are different and both are not binary. Click on the link below for a clear and concise presentation on the definition of gender in the form of a rebuttal to a PragerU video:

Fear Mongering About Trans People

Is THIS At The Root Of The Evil?

It is no secret that the Republican party has gone full bore into nationalism, unsupported Christian dogma, attacking non-binary sexuality, misogyny, racism, libertarianism, autocracy, anti-education, anti-US Constitution, and general magical thinking over science-based thinking. Is there one ideology at the base of it all? Click on the link below for a short podcast presenting a provocative point of view on the matter:

It's Always the Season For Male Supremacy

Shedding More Light Than Heat On Trans Women In Sports

The link below is to a 20-minute trialogue on the YouTube channel The Line that was a respective, concise, and thorough interaction on this emotionally-charged topic:

How Are Trans Women in Sports Fair?