Category Archives: Philosophy and language

Learning to love and accept your body: Testosterone helps adolescent trans boys do that

Discussions of transgender issues among the general public often take an unproductive turn when the distress of gender dysphoria is cast as something that can be remedied by simply “accepting your body as it is”. Most forgivably, this may be … Continue reading

Posted in Faith and religion, Gender dysphoria, Outcomes of transition, Philosophy and language, Transphobia and prejudice | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

“Biological sex”, empirical backfire: How transphobes gambled on COVID-19 – and lost

As the pandemic coronavirus has spread around the globe, the growing numbers of infections have revealed a surprising pattern: from China to Italy to the United States, men are more likely than women to contract the virus. And among those … Continue reading

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Revisiting “being trans is a mental disorder”: Map and territory in ICD-11

The last time I addressed the faulty argument of “being trans is a mental disorder – it’s in the DSM” – a belief still held by more than 20% of Americans – I noted that such a labeling does not actually … Continue reading

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What is natural? An indictment of the vitalist resurgence

by Heather McNamara Our globe is warming. Polar ice caps steadily drip into the ocean and wash up on the shores of Miami. Beijing’s air quality is so poor that its non-smoking citizens develop lung cancer at nearly the same … Continue reading

Posted in Philosophy and language, Transphobia and prejudice | 1 Comment

Medical professionals increasingly agree: Trans women are female, trans men are male

Previously: Trans women aren’t “male” Sex chromosomes: Cis expectations, trans reality “Trans women are male” is one of the most well-worn attacks leveled against trans women – a straightforward assertion that gender-variant identity itself is not possible, and by extension … Continue reading

Posted in Philosophy and language, Transgender medicine, Transphobia and prejudice | Tagged , , | 6 Comments