DISQUS

This isn't a hypothetical for me, though my son's Intersex condition was comparatively mild. It did require genital reconstruction to avoid pain though, and give good urinary function.

We opted for the minimal surgery needed. Now I didn't know anything about the subject, we were guided by medical advice, which was conservative to say the least.

My advice to all - let the child tell you what gender they are before consenting to any surgery that could damage sensation or fertility, or that would make a genital reconstruction to the opposite sex more difficult.

I'm Intersexed too, but a really rare type where the problems are different.

I think the Canadian "Human Rights" (scare quotes intended) commission has done as much to harm the Gay Rights lobby by this stupid, insane and hateful action as Fred Phelps has done to the anti-Gay lobby.
Apart from that though, it's just plain wrong, no matter what the issues under consideration are.

I think the Canadian "Human Rights" (scare quotes intended) commission has done as much to harm the Gay Rights lobby by this stupid, insane and hateful action as Fred Phelps has done to the anti-Gay lobby.
Apart from that though, it's just plain wrong, no matter what the issues under consideration are.

There are two papers on the subject:
Zhou J.-N, Hofman M.A, Gooren L.J, Swaab D.F (1997)
A Sex Difference in the Human Brain and its Relation to Transsexuality.
Kruijver F.P.M, Zhou J.-N, Pool C.W., Swaab D.F. (2000)
Male-to-Female Transsexuals Have Female Neuron Numbers in a Limbic Nucleus
Male and Female brains differ, both on the coarse scale (BSTc layer of the hypothalamus) and fine scale (number of neurons - brain cells - in each structure). Autopsies on transsexual women, that is, women with mostly male bodies, have shown they have female pattern brains.
Note that gay men have male pattern brains though.
From ArzteZeitung this year, detailing studies using fMRT - "brain scans" of living people:
"Radiologists can now confirm what transsexuals report - that they feel “trapped in the wrong body” - on the basis of the activation of the brain when presented with erotic stimuli. There is obviously a biological correlation with the subjective feelings."
Note that "Transgendered" does not equal "Transsexual". Transsexual is a subset of Intersexed, and both are subsets of "Transgendered". Most TG people have no medical issues, ie. do not have Gender Identity Disorder. Gender Identity Disorder is a consequence of severe Gender Dysphoria. Most IS people don't have GID, but some 10% do, far higher than in the general population (about 0.3%).
There exist Intersex conditions such as 17BHDD and 5ARD where the patient changes apparent sex naturally - and about a third of those have GID afterwards, a third have GID before, and the other third just take the change in their stride; they're not strongly gendered either way.
As the result of transition (Sex Change), about a third of TS people are gay (and used to appear straight), a third are straight (and used to appear gay), and a third change their orientation from straight to straight (no, not a misprint - when they look like women, they are attracted to men, and when the look like men they are attracted to women).
All of this is fairly well documented on the Internet, and has been for some time.

There are two papers on the subject:

Zhou J.-N, Hofman M.A, Gooren L.J, Swaab D.F (1997)
A Sex Difference in the Human Brain and its Relation to Transsexuality.

Kruijver F.P.M, Zhou J.-N, Pool C.W., Swaab D.F. (2000)
Male-to-Female Transsexuals Have Female Neuron Numbers in a Limbic Nucleus

Male and Female brains differ, both on the coarse scale (BSTc layer of the hypothalamus) and fine scale (number of neurons - brain cells - in each structure). Autopsies on transsexual women, that is, women with mostly male bodies, have shown they have female pattern brains.

Note that gay men have male pattern brains though.

From ArzteZeitung this year, detailing studies using fMRT - "brain scans" of living people:
"Radiologists can now confirm what transsexuals report - that they feel “trapped in the wrong body” - on the basis of the activation of the brain when presented with erotic stimuli. There is obviously a biological correlation with the subjective feelings."

Note that "Transgendered" does not equal "Transsexual". Transsexual is a subset of Intersexed, and both are subsets of "Transgendered". Most TG people have no medical issues, ie. do not have Gender Identity Disorder. Gender Identity Disorder is a consequence of severe Gender Dysphoria. Most IS people don't have GID, but some 10% do, far higher than in the general population (about 0.3%).

There exist Intersex conditions such as 17BHDD and 5ARD where the patient changes apparent sex naturally - and about a third of those have GID afterwards, a third have GID before, and the other third just take the change in their stride; they're not strongly gendered either way.

As the result of transition (Sex Change), about a third of TS people are gay (and used to appear straight), a third are straight (and used to appear gay), and a third change their orientation from straight to straight (no, not a misprint - when they look like women, they are attracted to men, and when the look like men they are attracted to women).

All of this is fairly well documented on the Internet, and has been for some time.