Gender Dysphoria Management: The Truth

Dogmatic folks who claim that there are only 2 sexes and genders point to the clinical reality of gender dysphoria as the root of the "problem" of those who don't fit clearly into these categories. Unfortunately, an unbiased look at how such individuals are clinically managed reveals many cases of incomplete diagnostic processes prior to medical and/or surgical management. The link below focuses on the clinical mismanagement of many of these individuals that give unwarranted ammunition to the deniers:

Gender Dysphoria in Adolescents

Religion: A Harmful Result Of Such

 "What is gender-affirming health care? Around the country, there’s a Republican campaign to legislate and regulate the lives of trans youth. The most destructive of these efforts would bar trans youth in certain states from accessing gender-affirming treatment. Dr. Izzy Lowell runs Queer Med, a private clinic that specializes in providing accessible health care to trans patients ranging from kids to adults. Her practice covers 10 states across the South – and half of those have anti-trans health care bills on the docket. If they pass, it would become criminal for her to provide this care to many of her patients. Dr. Lowell joins this week to break down what exactly we mean when we talk about gender-affirming care, how the decision is made for kids and teens ready to transition, and the potentially devastating impact this legislation would have on their lives."

Click on the link below to understand how unsupported dogma causes harm.

Gender-Affirming Health Care: The Obstacles 

Biological Sex: The Science

Below is a "Slide Presentation" by a biologist designed to educate the layperson on the reality of the sex/gender spectrum embedded within human biology. This is true, whether you accept it or not. It is NOT cultural.

If you think that sex/gender is binary because of religious doctrine, please slowly and carefully, with an open mind, read this. Thanks.

Transgender And Sports: More Heat Than Light

The dogmatic and ignorant Republicans are pushing through state legislatures bills banning not only medical treatment for transgendered people but also their participation in sports. Click on the link for an excellent response to a caller to an atheist YouTube program on the latter subject.

Caller Believes It Would Be Unfair To Allow Trans Women In Sports

The harm to sex/gender non-binary folks and to society is from putting unsupported religious dogma over the consensus of science.

Transgenderism: A Target For The Political Right

In recent months, political conservatives have increased their attack against acceptance of the science supporting sex/gender as a spectrum, and are focusing on transgenderism. Two examples are these recent books:

• The End of Gender: Debunking the Myths about Sex and Identity in Our Society

• Irreversible Damage: The Transgender Craze Seducing Our Daughters

Following are links debunking these two books:

• SIO284: Debunking "The End of Gender" Part 1

• SIO285: Debunking "The End of Gender" Part 2

• A Review of "Irreversible Damage" by Abigail Shrier

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This podcast also adds to the understanding of the issue.

Recipe For Chick-Fil-A Sandwich

I avoid Chick-Fil-A for fast food mainly because of their religious bigotry against LGBTQ folks. A Facebook friend of mine, Jim Craig, gave me a home recipe for the sandwich and says they taste so much better without the side order of bigotry:

• "Chick-Fil-A’s secret is to marinate their filets in dill pickle brine before dredging them in flour seasoned with salt and pepper. Then they’re fried in vegetable oil and served on a white bread bun with mayonnaise and dill pickle slices."

Bias And The Antidote

Any science-based thinker understands that our brains are not reliable for understanding objective reality, which leads us to many cognitive biases. For example, the term confirmation bias is defined as the tendency to search for, interpret, favor, and recall information that confirms or supports one's prior personal beliefs or values. 

A more recently-recognized cognitive bias is unconscious bias against those of another race. This latter bias is being strongly challenged by some. These links (here), (here), (here) present the issue and are used by me to attempt to clarify opinions over it. In my opinion, in spite of some justified issues with testing, the bias is real and causes harm. This Facebook post of mine contains some heated interaction between me and others that is illustrative of the issue.

Unfortunately, in spite of the present protests against racism affecting Blacks, I am afraid that the core message is being lost: humans have deep-seated biases, many of which are not at the conscious level. I choose to group all of these biases under the umbrella of "The Other", whether it is religion, race, sex/gender, or political philosophy. The antidote to all of this is humility, an open mind, and science-based thinking. Magical Thinking (Credulity) has to be marginalized significantly to have significant improvement, full-stop.

Beware Of The Unholy Alliance

Imagine the difference in the USA's political scene if Evangelical Protestants and Conservative Catholics had not allied around abortion and the LGBTQ/Same-Sex Marriage issues. While the road to this strategic alliance has not always been smooth (link)(link)(link), there has been a "marriage-of-convenience" (link). These two radical religious blocks are essentially double the votes demographically of the "Nones."

Because of the above, progressives must get active and vocal about educating the rest of the US regarding the danger of these far-right religious dogmatists, especially the potential of legally overturning Roe v. Wade and Same-Sex Marriage laws. Talking points should include the long tradition of "Bodily Autonomy" (link)(link) and how science reveals the non-binary nature of sex/gender (link).

Fundamentalistic Religions On Sex and Gender

One does not have to go far to come in contact with fundamentalist religions' refusal to accept modern science's evidence that sex and gender are NOT binary but on spectrums that are complex.

This is a clear statement from the AMA, the premier medical doctor organization in the USA, refuting the ignorant dogma of such groups

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The Bible And Usury

"The Bible says nothing about two loving homosexuals wanting to get married—see my recent post here—but it says plenty about usury. (Usury can be either charging excessive interest or charging any interest on a loan.) Why get in a lather about vague statements about homosexuality in the Bible when it’s quite explicit about usury? Shouldn’t the Christian anti-gay crowd focus their attention here instead?"

Who Cares What the Bible Says About Gays? Look What It Says About Banks!

The Bible As Objective Truth?

"Social improvement comes from society. We used to chop off hands for stealing, we used to burn witches, and we used to enslave people. It’s not thanks to the Bible (which doesn’t change) but to society (which does) that we’ve put that behind us. 'Public pressure' isn’t necessarily a bad thing, and we must weigh the consensus of our community to test our own moral opinions."

 Does the Bible Reveal Objective Truth About Homosexuality?

HB2 Protests: What Should Be The Real Point

"If you listen to state leaders who oppose HB2, you would never know that the legislation was crafted as an assault on the civil rights of LGBTQ people. The discussion today is all about the economic losses inflicted by sports leagues and corporations that have boycotted the state. Like the campaign against Amendment One in 2012, opponents of HB2 have de-gayed the discussion. Why? Because North Carolina politicians and consultants are scared of the words lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer. They are scared that social conservatives might be uncomfortable hearing too much about a third rail issue such as the basic civil rights of gay and transgender people. So they pander. The opposition to HB2 from leaders in the state is as disingenuous as it gets."

HB2 hurts economically, but that’s not the point

Read more here: http://www.charlotteobserver.com/opinion/op-ed/article104863941.html#storylink=cpy

Another Chemical Factor In Some Homosexuals

"One of the most consistent environmental explanations for homosexuality is called the fraternal birth order effect. Essentially, the more older brothers a man has, the more likely he is to be gay. The effect doesn't hold for older or younger sisters or younger brothers, or even for adoptive or step-brothers. - - - According to Ray Blanchard, a professor of psychiatry at the University of Toronto, the reason could be that the mother’s body mounts an immune attack on the fetus of her unborn son."

How Older Brothers Influence Homosexuality

More On The Issue Of Sex/Gender In Sports

"As expected giving the current controversies and confusions about gender, reactions to female-identifying hyperandrogenic athletes being allowed to compete as women has been mixed and acrimonious."

The difficult problem of intersexuality and athletics

This Olympics Controversy Highlights The Reality Of The Sex-Gender Continuum

"But if the people in charge of sports (who are mostly men) want to use a single biological marker to decide who counts as a woman, they are going to have a very difficult time justifying that — particularly when that marker is something like testosterone, which all women naturally produce"

Should Olympic Athletes Get Sex-Tested At All?

Youth Suicide Spike In Utah

While it is not conclusive, air quality, access to firearms and a Mormon anti-LGBT culture may be playing a role.

Youth Suicides in Utah Are on the Rise:  State officials aren’t sure exactly why, but there are several likely culprits — and targets for intervention.

Is Shedding Of So-Called "Family Values" Harmful?

The Religious Right laments the changing social landscape in the USA, which includes accepting of divorce, contraception, abortion and LGBT rights.  They see it as an attack on "Family Values" and "Religious Freedom."  What is the truth regarding the effects of these changes?   While it is true that the percentage of people married in the USA has been decreasing over the last several decades, what negative effects can the Religious Right point to?  Following are data showing societal trends in important categories:

Religion Is At Its Base

What is the basic motivating factor for LGBT violence and discriminatory laws?  Note the links below regarding the teachings, not individual beliefs about such, of Christianity and Islam on the subject.  Now, picture a society where science-based thinking and actions were overwhelming the basic harmful teachings* of Christianity and Islam.  While the vast majority of religious PEOPLE are honest and peaceful, these religions contain teachings that inspire and inflame those who, for whatever reason, are deluded and/or mentally unstable:

"Religious Liberty" Is Now Bigotry

"This flood of anti-LGBT and 'religious liberty' legislation is not the result of isolated local efforts. It is part of a larger campaign by Religious Right groups to resist and reverse advances toward equality for LGBT Americans by portraying equality as inherently incompatible with religious freedom. That effort began well before the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2015 marriage equality ruling, but it has kicked into overdrive since."

The Republican Party needs more Barry Goldwaters.

It Takes a Right-Wing Village to Turn a Cherished American Principle Into a Destructive Culture-War Weapon

Sex And Gender: Evidence Over Dogma

What it means to be transgender: Answers to 5 key questions