No, that was decided at conception. Her DNA will never change.
She will never be a he.
JMO
I'm just as flummoxed as you. Everyone refers to Chaz as a he, and he went and had his gender legally changed, but he still has a vajayjay. So is he a girl or a man or a half man half girl.
IMHO unless you can find a way to get rid of that extra female chromosome, I would always consider Chaz to be a female IMHO. Does he have a Y chromosome floating around in there somewhere? If so, then he would have a peni.
It's a political debate for the most part, and I DON'T want to go there. But I've yet to figure out this whole thing.
JHMO.
Mel
Females have two X chromosomes, whereas males have one X and one Y chromosome.
There's a lot of confusion about what makes a person male or female. I think EmmaPeel really explained very well. But let me add. For those who feel it is simple science and that you are what your DNA states you are, what about this?:
http://abcnews.go.com/Health/MedicalMysteries/story?id=5465752&page=1
This is a woman who was born with completely male DNA. Yet, she is a woman, with female parts. What is she?
And what about Leslie Feinberg? He is a man, born genetically as a woman. No sex change of his genitalia. But can we truly say this is a woman? I mean, really?:
I could identify myself as a tree, but I would not be a tree.
Identifying yourself as something you are not does not change your genetic makeup.
She was born a female and will die a female. No amount of surgery or hormones can change that.
How about this? Science states that what defines us a male or female is a combination of genetics, hormones and brain structure: [ame="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biology_and_sexual_orientation"]Biology and sexual orientation - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia@@AMEPARAM@@/wiki/File:Rainbow_flag_and_blue_skies.jpg" class="image" title="LGBT pride flag"><img alt="LGBT pride flag" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/6d/Rainbow_flag_and_blue_skies.jpg/150px-Rainbow_flag_and_blue_skies.jpg"@@AMEPARAM@@commons/thumb/6/6d/Rainbow_flag_and_blue_skies.jpg/150px-Rainbow_flag_and_blue_skies.jpg[/ame]
In fact, many scientists studying twins, who investigated cases where one twin turned out Queer (transgender or gay) and one did not, believe that flushes of hormones in utero often play a major role in sexual identity or gender identity. In other words, one fetus may receive a flush of testosterone, even though that fetus is programmed to be female. The result? Anywhere on the spectrum from straight to gay to transgender (and, I'm guessing, perhaps even intersex, formerly known as hermaphrodite):
Nancy Segal, a professor of developmental psychology and director of the Twins Study Center at California State, Fullerton, says Juan's experience is helping researchers understand twins better. "From what Juan and Liana tell us, genes do not predict identical behaviors," she said.
Doctors think that something happened in the womb that made the twins different.
"We expect that Juan was exposed to higher levels of testosterone and male hormone, which might have redirected her brain somewhat, making her feel like a man. This did not happen to her sister, who grew up as a full female," Segal said.
Segal, author of "Entwined Lives: Twins and What They Tell Us About Human Behavior," says scientists are beginning to look at what happens to identical twins within the womb to explain similarities and differences that surface later in life.
"The womb is a very different experience for identical twins, and in some ways it's surprising that identical twins are as alike as they are," Segal said. "Gender is a complicated behavior affected by many things. Even with identical twins, who are so alike in many ways, as Juan and Liana are, there still can be profound differences between them."
http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/Health/story?id=174855&page=1
So, it seems that gender identity is really not so simple and science does not tend to show that the gender as classified by your DNA is the gender you will die as.
I like to think in terms of black and white. It's safer. I don't have to worry about things. I don't have to be confused. Black and white thinking gives me the parameters for life and the answers to almost every question. However, as I have aged, I have learned that there are a lot of shades of gray - in everything. That's not always a comfortable place to be, which is why I think so many people have problems with things like "homosexuality" or transgender people, etc. I get that. But the gray exists, in science and in life, whether we like it or not and whether it's comfortable or not.
And if it is uncomfortable for those who do not have to confront the shades of gray, how does it feel for those who are forced to confront it because it is their life?:
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Utpam0IGYac&feature=related"]20/20 "My Secret Self" Part 1 of 5 - YouTube[/ame]
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j8F9CaPyQz8&feature=related"]20/20 "My Secret Self" Part 2 of 5 - YouTube[/ame]
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1W17z6KeiNY&feature=related"]20/20 "My Secret Self" Part 3 of 5 - YouTube[/ame]
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hSkQlWUX_eI&feature=related"]20/20 "My Secret Self" Part 4 of 5 - YouTube[/ame]
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ib_yE5WILJc&feature=related"]20/20 "My Secret Self" Part 5 of 5 - YouTube[/ame]
And what do you do if that's your child, living in that gray?
I urge anyone who feels they know the answers to the dilemma of transgender identity, to watch the above documentary and others, all easily found on youtube. And also, please read Stone Butch Blues by Leslie Feinberg. I thought I knew so much and was so open-minded but that book really opened my eyes to the pain society and family can cause a person with such an identification, how hard the road is they have to travel.
I think there is a lot to be learned about these issues and to me, opinions are much more valuable, whether I agree with them or not, when in the context of educated dialogue. :twocents:
