Video Notes

Are transgendered people a "freak of nature" or evolutionary outcasts? Biologist Joan Roughgarden at Stanford University argues transgendered people are not aberrant but natural.

1. As evidence she points to the animal and plant kingdoms. 2. Hermaphroditic animals and plants are common - everywhere. 3. How common is gender variation on our planet? 4.In Joan Roughgarden's book Evolution's Rainbow, she describes that approximately half of all species on Earth exist outside the traditional binary concept of male/female. 5. Gender variance is actually natural. 6. She believes we must rethink this binary concept of male/female and be more inclusive and accepting. 7. Dr. Roughgarden is a transsexual individual.

Dr. Tiger Howard Devore went as a young intern to work in Dr. John Money's laboratory to help change the attitude that gender assignment can be done. His attempts were unsuccessful.

1. Dr. Tiger Howard Devore's mission is deeply personal 2.He was born intersexed. 3. He was born with hypospadias. It is a birth defect of the urethra in the male that involves an abnormally placed urinary meatus (opening). The opening can be at the tip of the sensitive bulbous structure at the end of the penis or at the base of the penis. 4. Dr. Tiger Howard Devore has undergone 20 surgeries which began to help normalize his physical appearance as a boy but were later needed to fix previous "botched" surgeries. 5. Dr. Tiger Howard Devore would like elective surgeries on infants stopped.

The gender variant faces discrimination everywhere. Even in cultures that are more open to differences such as India. In India there are three recognizable genders, male, female and transgender.

1. In India transgendered people are known as Hijra. 2. Hijra may be transgender, some are born males but have been castrated and had their penises removed, some Hijra may maintain their male identity, and some Hijra are anatomically female. 3. All Hijra are a distinct third gender in Indian culture. They are neither male nor female. 4. Hijra in India are often discriminated against and often become beggars. 5. A blessing from a Hijra is considered good luck. 6. Hijra often partake in the sex trade to make a living. 7. One Hijra called Rose is trying to change perceptions about being a transgender/transsexual individual.

In India the Hijras travel to Koovagan to marry the Hindu deity the lord Aravan, whose story legitimizes Hijra in Indian culture.

1. In Indian culture, lord Aravan is a hero, who wanted to sacrifice his life to insure victory in an epic battle, if only he would be granted one wish: Aravan wanted to spend his last day here on earth with a beautiful bride. To fulfill his wish, the lord Krishna turned himself into a woman, married Aravan and bedded him through the night. 2. For many, lord Krishna's transformation is an endorsement for a special kind of love, the one shared between Hijra and men. 3. After the wedding, the following day, with the death of Aravan, all Hijras have become "widows" and mourn his passing. 4. In India, on official personal identification documents, there are 3 gender descriptions: M, F, and T (transgender).

This idea that sex can be assigned and that gender can be learned can be traced back to John Money at John Hopkins University

1. John Money believed that a child is born gender neutral. 2. A child can be taught "gender" - but parents must reinforce the child's assigned gender. 3. An accident of twin brothers: One brother's penis was destroyed during circumcision. 4. John Money's solution was to surgically make the boy into a girl: the John/Joan case. 5. Later it was learned that Joan never identified with being a girl. 6. Joan decided to change his assigned gender into the gender he was born with. 7. He suffered from having been lied to, betrayal by the medical community, and decided to once again surgically reconstruct his genitals. This time he wanted his genitals to represent his male gender identity. 8. John Money's theory that gender can be learned is still practiced among children born intersexed.

Gender identity goes beyond our physical bodies. For some individuals it is "the mind" that determines their gender identity.

1. Josie introduces herself as a girl "with a penis." 2. She was born Joseph. 3. Joseph communicated very early in life that something was "wrong." 4. He copied his mother's behavior. 5. He thought of himself as a girl. 6. He was a transgendered person. She felt she was born in the wrong body. 7. She was bullied. 8. It is estimated that 1% of the population is transgendered in the U.S. (about 3 million people, but this estimate is probably low). 9. The parents of Josie decided to accept her as she is but are concerned about her development as she enters puberty. 10. Why does transgendered development happen?

In United States it is estimated that 5 intersexed surgeries are performed every day. This is done particularly in circumstances if the health of a child is at risk, but this is not always the case.

1. Most critics state that most surgeries are elective and cosmetic in order to assign a sex and "normalize" the child's genitals. 2. Proponents of these surgeries believe they can alleviate stress on the parents. They believe they can spare the intersexed child from growing up different and that the child will adjust to the assigned gender if properly reinforced. 3. Dr. Tiger Howard Devore strongly disagrees with elective surgeries - they come with a high cost. 4. The surgeries can greatly reduce sensations in the genitals which can interfere with a healthy sex life and chances for intimacy. 5. The surgeries, according to Dr. Tiger Howard Devore, have nothing to do with health issues but are done only for the sake of appearances; to make the child appear either male or female.

Recently sciences have offered a controversial solution.

1. Puberty blocking hormones. 2. This may give the transgendered child time to mature and decide on the course of her life. 3. If Josie decides to be female she can take hormones to give her a feminine appearance.

Scientists are searching for an answer by studying the brain.

1. Scientists studied deceased transgender males. 2. Transgender males and heterosexual females had similar structures in the region of the brain related to sex, called the hypothalamus. 3. Other studies investigated the DNA of transgendered males and found a gene associated with insufficient testosterone. 4. The reduction of this hormone may affect gender development in the womb leading to a less masculine brain.

Gariant Variant People

Among gender variant people are some who believe they were born into the "wrong" body. Their brains overpower their anatomy.

Chapter 2. Lesbian Lizards

Asexual reproduction and questioning the importance of males. A female-only lizard species gives birth without having had sex; each egg has a complete set of her mother's genes. If a female-only species can thrive, are males necessary? The biological imperative is to pass on genes. Since sexual reproduction is so common, there has to be some fundamental biological evolutionary reason for sexual reproduction.

Chapter 3. The Advantage of Sex

Exploring the evolutionary advantages to sexual reproduction. Dr. Vrijenhoek conducts research on asexual and sexual reproduction in Sonoran minnows to demonstrate the value of males. The Red Queen theory: when a species stops evolving, it is doomed (extinction). Sexual reproduction provides the evolutionary advantages of genetic variability among offspring. Descriptions of sperm and eggs: quantity versus quality. At a deep biological level, males and females want different things. The difference between sperm and eggs is then extrapolated into an account of the differences between male and female sexual attitudes. "Males produce sperm by the millions, with so many potential offspring it doesn't pay to be fussy about eggs. A better strategy is to try to fertilize every egg you can. Eggs are more complex than sperm and take a larger investment of energy. Females make only a limited number of them. Fewer eggs mean fewer chances to pass on genes, and that means females--unlike males--do better if they're choosy. At a deep biological level, males and females want different things, regardless of how things appear on the surface."

What is gender? Dr Tiger Howard Devore:

Gender is not a binary construct (males/females). There are millions of people who don't fit neatly into the two binary categories of males and females. They are called gender variant.

Hijra (India)

In India, the Hijra are considered a distinct third gender, one that is neither male nor female.

Chapter 1. Prologue

Introduction to the show's theme: sex and genes, driving behavior and driving evolution. All living beings are programmed to transmit their genes to the next generation. From an evolutionary perspective, sex is more important than life.

Transgender

Is an umbrella term to refer to all people who deviate from their assigned gender or the binary gender system, including intersex people, transsexuals, cross-dressers, transvestites, gender queers, etc.

Male nor female

Let's consider those whose who are born with an anatomy that is neither typically male nor female. They are called intersexed. They are far more common than previously believed. Estimates suggest there are one intersex births in every 250 births (as common as people with red hair).

Chapter 4. The Peacock's Tail

Male ornamentation and the theory of sexual selection. Darwin's theory of natural selection explained traits that improved species' survival, but not extravagances like the peacock's tail. Why are ornaments typically seen on males? "It is hard to see a peacock's tail as something other than an impediment to his survival," the narrator says. "Theologians of [Darwin's] day argued that God created ornate flowers and feathers to inspire man's wondering devotion. Darwin was convinced there had to be an evolutionary explanation--just as there had to be an evolutionary explanation for why so many of nature's ornaments are seen only on males." To solve the problem, Darwin formulated his theory of sexual selection, which psychologist Geoffrey F. Miller calls "Darwin's most ingenious idea." According to Miller, "these ornaments are not for our good. They're to advertise each individual's fitness, its goodness as a mate, to the opposite sex." We watch scenes of male animals fighting, and a movie scene of John Travolta putting on seductive clothing, as the narrator tells us that females engage in choice, while males engage in competition. Male competition may take the form of fighting or it may take "the path of the peacock--seduction through sexual display. This is where female choice comes in."

Genitals and Gender

Perhaps the most striking, are those with genitals that make gender hard to define.Some even possess both male and female sex organs.

Rudy Alaniz

Rudy Alaniz, a soldier in Iraq, suffered an injury and had an MRI. Results showed that he had ovaries. He also had a small underdeveloped womb. He was informed that he was intersexed but didn't know what to do with this information. He didn't feel like a "human" but a freak of nature.

Chapter 5. Songbirds and Monogamy

Shared parenting and its evolutionary implications. Monogamy as a social solution to a biological dilemma. Female songbirds cheating on mates to give offspring better genes. Jacana birds and the reversal of male-female roles. Gender roles determined by who competes for mates and who cares for young.

Chapter 6. Chimpanzees and Bonobos

Social differences between two closely related species. Chimpanzee society is patriarchal and violent Bonobo society is peaceful, due to female solidarity. Exploring how a change in feeding ecology influenced chimpanzee and bonobo differences. Implications for early humans, and humans today.

What causes a person to be born intersexed?

Up until 6 or 7 weeks after conception, male and female male reproductive organs are identical. Females have XX chromosomes, and males have XY. Chromosomes trigger hormones that determine sex. Sometimes this development goes wrong. A male can be born with an XXY combination of chromosomes. Sometimes a female can develop male reproductive organs and a male can develop female reproductive organs.

Dr. Tiger Howard Devore:

When a child is born with ambiguous genitalia, doctors measure the erectile tissue that is the part that is going to be either a phallic structure or a clitoral structure. If the phallic structure is an inch or smaller then doctors can reduce it and make it into a clitoral structure → girl. If the clitoral structure is larger than half an inch, it too has to be reduced because otherwise it would be "offensive" to future male partners. 1. Alaniz believed he had a long clitoris. Rather than cutting it back, doctors fashioned his clitoris into a penis and assigned him: male. 2. According to the theory at the time (1970's) if Alaniz never learned about his condition at birth, he could learn to become "male" and consequently have a healthy gender identity. 3. He is considering sexual reassignment surgery.

Transexual

is a person who has altered or intends to alter their anatomy, either through surgery, hormones, or other means, to better match their chosen gender identity.

Intersex

is an anatomical variation from the "typical" understandings of male and female genetics; the physical manifestation, at birth, of genetic or endocrinological differences from the cultural norm. Intersexual is used today in favor of the term hermaphrodite.

People born intersexed _______ _______ ________ ____

might not know it.

Rudy Alaniz....

thought he was surgically altered when he was born. His parents refused to talk to him about his birth and he had trouble locating his medical records. 1. Psychiatric evaluation portrayed him as "delusional." 2. This is a common diagnosis for intersexed individuals. 3. Rudy Alanez believed the appearance of his genitals and results of his chromosome testing were ambiguous.4. A choice had to be made: boy or girl.