Very happy to see members of the scientific community come out to oppose the misrepresentation of biology by politicians and others with transphobic aims. If you are a scientist, healthcare professional, or anyone with relevant experience, please consider reading & signing. - ThreadSky

ciannwn.bsky.social • 3 days ago

Very happy to see members of the scientific community come out to oppose the misrepresentation of biology by politicians and others with transphobic aims. If you are a scientist, healthcare professional, or anyone with relevant experience, please consider reading & signing.

Comments

james.claims•2 days ago

Excellent 📌

katymontgomerie.com•2 days ago

@hleehurley.com @gemma.transwrites.world def news worthy!!

katymontgomerie.com•2 days ago

@whatthetrans.com ++

katymontgomerie.com•2 days ago

This is amazing! I'm glad to see biologists standing up against the anti science attacks on trans and intersex people's rights

ciannwn.bsky.social•2 days ago

Yeah! Signatures still coming in at a fairly constant rate. I am hopeful we can get to a few hundred & then we will take it onwards to relevant parties.

drjanicekirsch.bsky.social•2 days ago

Done

becky.posts.games•2 days ago

📌

sarahumm.bsky.social•2 days ago

@whatthetrans.com @transpridebrighton.bsky.social @ohsarahsavage.bsky.social @pinknews.bsky.social @goodlawproject.org

kittykat-reynolds.bsky.social•2 days ago

Signed ✅

mycams.bsky.social•3 days ago

This fills me with hope and joy.

cherryl.bsky.social•2 days ago

📌

ciannwn.bsky.social•1 day ago

@beninldn.bsky.social could I message you about this, if you know anyone that might be interested?

ciannwn.bsky.social•2 days ago

@prideinstem.bsky.social please consider sharing this letter from bioscientists and medics on the UK's new anti-trans bathroom ban 'biological woman' pseudoscience.

ciannwn.bsky.social•2 days ago

@astrokatie.com if you know any bio/med/other people, please consider sharing this letter about the UK's anti-trans bathroom bans & 'biological sex' pseudoscience.

ciannwn.bsky.social•2 days ago

@jeymccreight.bsky.social please share with any scientists etc that you know who might sign & share

ciannwn.bsky.social•2 days ago

@pluslibdems.bsky.social @lgbtiscotland.bsky.social @bristolgreenparty.bsky.social @lgbtiqagreens.bsky.social

ciannwn.bsky.social•3 days ago

@robinmoirawhite.bsky.social I don't know if this is relevant to any work you do, but on 'biological sex', please see the above letter. Biology is not binary or immutable and many scientists are willing to speak on the subject.

ciannwn.bsky.social•3 days ago

@goodlawproject.org please see the attached letter on 'biological sex' from scientists and medics to the equalities minister. I don't know if 'biological sex' will come up during your work, but if it does, you may be interested.

ciannwn.bsky.social•3 days ago

@nadiawhittomemp.bsky.social @zarahsultana.bsky.social @dawnbutlerbrent.bsky.social please take a look at this letter from a group of scientists about 'biological sex' & toilet bans. Sex is not binary, trans women are not 'biological men', and this new update endangers many.

ciannwn.bsky.social•3 days ago

@charlotte2153.bsky.social please take a look at this letter from scientists about 'biological sex' & toilet bans, and share with sympathetic colleagues.

ciannwn.bsky.social•3 days ago

@rejserin.bsky.social were you asking about this?

rejserin.bsky.social•2 days ago

Yes, thank you. I have reached out to the authors to see if they would be interested in collaborating.

peterarnott.bsky.social•2 days ago

Is there an analogy with Physics? That is, that for most circumstances, Newtonian physics will give you accurate-ish results, but you need quantum physics to tell you what is actually going on?

ciannwn.bsky.social•2 days ago

I think there is an analogy but maybe it is simpler. In physics, newtonian physics break down at quantum scale but also large scale (relativity). QM and relativity are both quite advanced maths

I would say it is easier to see that biology is mutable, and see that medical transition changes biology

ciannwn.bsky.social•2 days ago

And I would like to clarify for the record that not everybody medically transitions, nor should they have to. Mutability and diversity of biological sex is even present in cisgender populations anyway. Still, it's very obvious that medical transition is biological.

peterarnott.bsky.social•2 days ago

Maybe there is another analogy with the "new science" then. Darwin and the "mutability of species" springs to mind. (With species having hitherto meant "special creations of the divine"and thus unchangeable.)

ciannwn.bsky.social•2 days ago

I thought about this a bit more. I think there are a few analogies like this but I am not convinced (I dont really know) that transphobic people really think that biology is this simple. I think they know how we look. I think it's prescriptive: they want to live in such a world of binary gender/sex

peterarnott.bsky.social•1 day ago

I suppose I am assuming that the "phobia"part of the word must be a projected fear that is actually about something/someone else. And I'm struggling to understand what that might be.

susanw1.bsky.social•2 days ago

Yeah, hence the "huge problem in a sane world" stuff.

peterarnott.bsky.social•2 days ago

Thanks for that.

meladyfreshness.bsky.social•2 days ago

Hey is this available for the public on a website pls?

ciannwn.bsky.social•2 days ago

Hi Mathilda. It's not currently but it should be publicly viewable at the link. I can do this at a later time when I have the time/energy/signatures stop coming in.

meladyfreshness.bsky.social•2 days ago

Oh sorry oc I really really appreciate your hard work and reading this and sharing with my friends has really blessed me this morning and lifted me from quite a dark mood - I’ll follow and as soon as you are rested and able I’ll be delighted to recirculate xxx

donalm.bsky.social•2 days ago

♥️

debrakidd.bsky.social•2 days ago

I am so very happy to see this - I hope Labour listens and I'm glad I have a go to document now to throw at the 'but science says...' transphobes online.

ciannwn.bsky.social•2 days ago

Thanks Debra. The science is pretty obviously that biology is mutable. But I agree that without scientists standing up this is hard to assert.

jambodes.bsky.social•2 days ago

📌

davidbhx.bsky.social•2 days ago

I was interested to read this scientific paper.
Maybe I'm thick but if biology is so flexible then are the terms of "men" and "women" rather meaningless?
And if so then what does it mean to transition from one to the other?

ciannwn.bsky.social•2 days ago

Thanks for your interest. Firstly, it's a letter and not quite a paper, but the references have a lot of info

Secondly, not meaningless no, just not strict biological categories. They are social constructs. The thing to be aware of is that they biology underneath is complex.

ciannwn.bsky.social•2 days ago

This is okay, most biological categories are constructed. 'Species', 'human', 'bacteria', etc., are all fuzzy categories. There's not really a perfect way to define these terms biologically. It was suggested that species could be defined by reproduction, but there are things such as ring species

ciannwn.bsky.social•2 days ago

Even the concept of 'life' is rather vaguely defined. Wiki might have some interesting info. The key is to just think that in biology, it is often the case that we can spot patterns that look like general rules, but there are almost always exceptions.

stijnfest616.bsky.social•20 hours ago

Indeed 'species' is a human construct as well. A working theory of you will, to help make hay of a supremely messy situation. I think even the term 'individual' starts to look a bit contived with the increasing knowledge about microbiomes. Now, how to fold all this into sensible laws and policies?

davidbhx.bsky.social•2 days ago

Thanks for your answer.
Sorry again if I'm being thick, but are the concepts of men and women simply social constructs?
There are certainly a lot of false stereotypes about men and women.
But what does transitioning mean?

ciannwn.bsky.social•2 days ago

I am a bioscientist, not a social scientist. But my 2c is the first thing to is to accept there is no rigid definition, like with the biology. Much like there is no rigid definition of a chair, or a home, or a British person. You have to first accept that some things are complex.

ciannwn.bsky.social•2 days ago

Then, for transition, I would give you examples of what transition can include but not must include: hormones, name changes, choice of pronouns, surgery. As a result trans women are seen by others as women and experience misogyny/transmisogyny. It's complex & worth reading about.