CAUSES?

The consensus so far is that no one really knows what causes transgenderism and that there is not just one singular cause.

Before looking into causes for transgenderism though, it’s important to distinguish it from intersex conditions. Intersex conditions include chromosomal and anatomical abnormalities. According to a March 2000 article in the American Journal of Human Biology entitled, “How Sexually Dimorphic Are We? Review and Synthesis”, only 1.7 percent of human births are intersex, including variations that may not become apparent until, for example, puberty, or until attempting to conceive. For more information on intersex conditions, frequency of occurrence, and the differences between people with intersex conditions and those who are transgender or transexual, visit the Intersex Society of North America website at www.isna.org.

Transgenderism refers to a condition where the chromosomes, anatomy, and primary and secondary sex characteristics are in alignment, but where there is a disconnect between the person’s experience and their anatomical sex. Traditionally this was thought to be a psychiatric issue which could be addressed through therapy. More recently, however, people have been dismissing the idea that the condition is solely psychological but instead is also potentially rooted in genetic, hormonal, and biological causes.

To determine whether a trait is genetic, scientists often use identical twin studies. If identical twins tend to share a trait more frequently than fraternal twins, scientists consider that trait likely to be influenced by genetics. Several studies have shown that identical twins are more often both transgender as compared to fraternal twins, indicating a likely genetic influence. That there is not 100% concordance between identical twins would also indicate that, though genetics does play a role, it does not stand alone as the cause but indicates a predisposition that then combines with other triggers or environmental causes.

Neuroscientists have done studies comparing brain scans of transgender individuals and cisgender people. Female-to-Male (FTM) transgender brains were compared to male and female cisgender brains. The results showed more similarities between the FTM scans and the cisgender male scans than those of the cisgender female scans. Similar results occurred in comparing Male-to-Female (MTF) scans with their cisgender counterparts. It is important to note that the studies referenced here compared only a small sample size (around 20 scans of each type), so only initial conclusions can be drawn. Additionally, it is important to note that through neuroplasticity, our brains regularly reorganize themselves by forming new neural connections throughout life. This likely affects the momentary snapshot a brain scan provides depending on at what point in one’s life it is recorded. What is clear is that something different is happening in the brains of transgender people in comparison to a typical male or female who does not experience a disconnect with gender.

Hormonal influences in utero are also a possible precursor to transgender experience. Some scientists believe that FTM transgender persons may have been exposed to insufficient levels of estrogen during gestation, either through the mother not producing enough estrogen or by the fetus being unable to receive the estrogen in order to be impacted by it due to faulty receptors.

CORRELATIONS;

There are also correlations between transgenderism and both Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). In a 2014 study by John Stang of the Children’s National Medical Center in Washington, D.C., results indicated that gender variance was 7.59 times more likely in children with ASD and 6.64 times more common in children with ADHD as compared to the control group. Only recently have researchers begun exploring the overlap between these conditions. The first study of its kind ran from 2004-2007 in Amsterdam and the results showed the incidence of autism among gender dysphoric children and teens was 10-12 times higher than in the general population. Conversely, the incidence of gender dysphoria in autistic children and youth is more than 7.5 times higher than the general population.

CONCLUSIONS…

Many have concluded that if there are genetic, hormonal, and biological influences on the occurrence of transgenderism, then encouraging gender transition as the optimal treatment makes sense and is most compassionate, even when there is a co-occurrence with ASD and ADHD.

Personally, I find the science fascinating. Studying transgenderism has sparked my interest in genetics and heredity. I think there is much truth to be uncovered when digging deeply into the science of how and why things work. What I find challenging is that we don’t really know much about the causes of the condition or the long-term effects of treating it through transitioning. Medical transitioning is costly for the individual – in effort, finances, and physical pain as well as being a rather permanent alteration. Non-medical approaches seem largely unexplored but could prove less drastic, less permanent, and potentially better for society as well as for the individual. Maybe it would be wise to recommend a slower approach to allow time for better understanding the condition and the effects of various interventions. Society benefits from diversity, and recommending medical transitioning rather than cultivating a broader acceptance of atypical gender experience and expression, individually and culturally, seems to fall far short.

I’ll end with some thoughts from a biological female who transitioned to male surgically as a teenager (following social transition as a child) from an article titled, “S/He” by Jesse Green published 5/27/12 on www.nymag.com.

“But Isaac, who now thinks of himself as “trans” rather than simply male, has lately been mulling the subject more critically. In a recent video called The Hypocrisy of Transition, he seems to be searching, from a “social-justice stance”—and as a way of avoiding his biology homework—for a clear space beyond questions of freedom and comfort. If, as he argues, there’s no inherent correlation between sex and gender, between body and self, why did he go through all this trouble to make the two “match”? What does “match” even mean? If he knows he’s a boy, why does it matter what his body says?”