There are a number of claims flying around about transgender rights, incidence and even, in some dark corners, the very existence of the phenomenon. The underlying claim being that, tragically, some male brains or people are trapped in women’s bodies and vice versa, female people in male. Reactions to this range from let’s get that surgery organised stat through to life is unfair anyway then you die so get on with the hand dealt. Whatever your, or my, view here the interesting point is that we should be able to test this soon enough.
The percentage of the population claimed to be trans always seems a bit high when people say 1 or 3% of all people. Compared to the number who actually have gender reassignment surgery at least. Sure, some will point out the difficulty of gaining access to that treatment, others will say that only that is the true determinant. But in the interests of verity – not something that most people shouting at each other are interested to be frank – we’d like a method of testing the basic claim. Something which requires that we’ve a symptom of being female – on average of course – but is not dependent upon gonadal arrangement. For that’s the claim initially being made too, the clash between gonads and gender. So, if we can find something which is about gender not gonads, something we can measure impartially, then we can examine the underlying claim:
An Alzheimer’s test specifically for women should be developed after a new study found superior female verbal skills disguise the onset of the disease, scientists have said.
Research in the US revealed doctors are less likely to diagnose Alzheimer’s in women than in men.
The imbalance means that female patients appear to deteriorate more quickly following diagnosis, when in fact they have already been suffering for some time.
Women are disproportionately affected by Alzheimer’s, making up 65 per cent of patients in the UK.
And there we have our test. Alzheimer’s is obviously associated with the brain, even brain type. It is equally not associated with gonadal arrangements, style of dress nor influence of the patriarchy etc. Unfortunately, our testing will take some time as we need to see that recently increased portion of the population which have changed gender come through the ageing pipeline – the number of trans people in the old age homes isn’t large enough to create a study of anything as yet – but it can still be done.
So, do we find that those who transition their gender/gonads to their insisted upon brain type show the same pattern of susceptibility to Alzheimer’s as those in the general population?
Of course, this is supremely unimportant for we’re liberals around here. How consenting adults wish to live their lives is up to the consenting adults and that’s the end of that. But it would still be nice to know, wouldn’t it?
Ohhh Tim trying to confuse us with facts and logic again.
Ohhh Tim trying to confuse us with facts and logic again.