Transgender Youth and Resilience April 9, 2010
Posted by Geekgirl in Gender Identity, psychology, Teens, transgender, transsexual.Tags: healthcare, transgender, transsexual
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For the entire article, click here Transgender Youth
Development, Risk, and Resilience of Transgender Youth
Kimberly A. Stieglitz, PhD, RN, PNP-BC
(Journal of the Association of Nurses in AIDS Care,
-, 1-15) Copyright 2010 Association of Nurses in AIDS Care
Transgender youth are a group of people who are interesting, curious, passionate, and self-motivated. Like their peers, transgender youth strive for independence and take risks. However, they experience some unique challenges in figuring out who they are and who they are attracted to in a society that does not understand them.
The stigma they face because of different gender identity expression places them at high risk for becoming victims of discrimination,verbal harassment, and physical violence.The purpose of this article is to explore and describe the literature on the childhood developmentof gender identity and social reactions to nonconforming gender behavior, which in part explain behaviors that place transgender youth at high risk for HIV infection. Related topics include a discussion of common terms used in this article, typical gender identity and sexual development, challenges to development experienced by transgender youth, and HIV risks in transgender youth. The concept of resilience is introduced as a counterbalance for assessment and intervention in practice and future research with transgender youth.
Sexual Hormones and the Brain – Part 1 December 21, 2009
Posted by Geekgirl in brain, Developmental, Gender Identity, genetics, heredity, in the womb, transgender, transsexual.Tags: brain activation, chromosomes, fraternal birth order, genes, in the womb, sexual orientation, transgender, transsexual
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Over the next few days, I’ll be summarizing this article. I can’t print it in it’s entirety due to copyright restrictions. So I’ll summarize the information in bits and pieces.
Stay tuned. This will get interesting.
Sexual Hormones and the Brain: An Essential Alliance for Sexual Identity and Sexual Orientation
Alicia Garcia-Falgueras Dick F. Swaab Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience, an Institute of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Endocrine Development, 2010, vol 17, pp.22-35
Abstract
The fetal brain develops during the intrauterine period in the male direction through a direct actionof testosterone on the developing nerve cells, or in the female direction through the absence of this hormone surge. In this way, our gender identity (the conviction of belonging to the male or female gender) and sexual orientation are programmed or organized into our brain structures when we are still in the womb.
However, since sexual differentiation of the genitals takes place in the first two months of pregnancy and sexual differentiation of the brain starts in the second half of pregnancy, these two processes can be influenced independently, which may result in extreme cases in transsexuality.
This also means that in the event of ambiguous sex at birth, the degree of masculinization of the genitals may not reflect the degree of masculinization of the brain. There is no indication that social environment after birth has an effect on gender identity or sexual orientation.
Copyright © 2010 S. Karger AG, Basel
Transgender Basics Video and Vocabulary December 20, 2009
Posted by Geekgirl in Gender Identity, LGBT, Resources, transgender.Tags: education, transgender
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Transgender Basics – an amazing video from The Center in New York City.
I have also included their glossary of terms, as an educational tool. As always, comments are welcome.
TRANS BASICS: GLOSSARY OF TERMS (more…)
Gender Identity Disorder to be discussed for DSM V December 19, 2009
Posted by Geekgirl in Gender Identity, psychology, transgender.Tags: mental health, transgender, transsexual
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American Psychiatric Association appoints a working group on Sexual and Gender Identity disorders. Activists want this term removed, since transgender and transsexual individuals are not mentally ill. But without it, how will transgender individuals get access to necessary health care?
I do not have access to the publication. But if you are interested, I suggest that you email the author of the paper, who advocates change.
jadres@psychoanalysis.net.
Arch Sex Behav. 2009 Sep 25. [Epub ahead of print]
Queer Diagnoses: Parallels and Contrasts in the History of Homosexuality, Gender Variance, and the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual.
Transgender Health Care – A Real Problem for Real People December 13, 2009
Posted by Geekgirl in Gender Identity, Health, Intersex, Legal and Policies, LGBT, medical, transgender.Tags: Erasure, healthcare, Research, transgender, transsexual
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Do you know about The Trans PULSE Project? The Trans PULSE Project is a survey whose purpose is to learn more about how discrimination and erasure affect health care services of transgender individuals living in Ontario, Canada. The Project continues to need volunteers for the survey. Unfortunately, you have to live in Ontario to participate.
Part of what I find exciting about this project is (more…)
LGBT Latest Science 
Dr. Milton Diamond and Transgender Research December 23, 2009
Posted by Geekgirl in A Biologist Speaks, Commentary, Gender Identity, LGBT, medical, Resources, transgender, transsexual.Tags: Research Opportunity, transgender, transsexual
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If you have not heard of Professor Milton Diamond at the University of Hawaii, you really should check out his research. He is one of the leading researchers in the field of transgender and intersex science. His website also has links to a large number of resources for LGBT folks.
“Nature loves variety. Society hates it”