The NHS will test all children who believe they are transgender for autism under new plans seen by The Telegraph.

I am glad to see the doctors are acting as they should - as scientists. They don't seem afraid to say they don't know everything but that knowledge is growing every day.

Scientific progress can challenge and expand all understanding of gender, moving away from rigid binary thinking towards a recognition of diversity. However, it could also reinforce binary distinctions if society choses to emphasise traditional categories.

Because we are in a time of change (and not just in this area) its important cultural, ethical, and political frameworks are informed and listened to.

Thankfully, having a BIID child isn’t seen as an advantage yet.

www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(00)82030-9/abstract

Only the opening lines are available without registering, but whatever age these patients are it sounds so wrong.

I wish the first thing to be discontinued is the use of 'gender' to mean biological sex or some inner feeling of identity that some people experience. Even transactivists who at the early part of their campaigning said sex and gender were separate things now interchange as suits their purpose.

PN Scientific progress can challenge and expand all understanding of gender, moving away from rigid binary thinking towards a recognition of diversity. how are you using gender here? Do you mean biological sex or that inner feeling and maybe stereotype presentation?

I think huge numbers of the general public are confused and don't differentiate. Including those who are trans aware but haven't taken part in the detailed debates.

I always make an effort to explain: biological sex is what you are born with, gender is a social construction how you live your life and what/who you identify as

Always felt it benefits no one to conflate the two.

Rosie51

I wish the first thing to be discontinued is the use of 'gender' to mean biological sex or some inner feeling of identity that some people experience. Even transactivists who at the early part of their campaigning said sex and gender were separate things now interchange as suits their purpose.

PN Scientific progress can challenge and expand all understanding of gender, moving away from rigid binary thinking towards a recognition of diversity. how are you using gender here? Do you mean biological sex or that inner feeling and maybe stereotype presentation?

Excellent Rosie51

There is also the feminist perspective that gender is a range of stereotypes which frequently have a negative impact on both men and women.

I agree. It would be so useful if there were a ruling about it, and saying that questions about 'gender' should not be used on forms of any description without suitable clarification of how the word is being used. If a research project is about so-called 'gender' there could be something about how you describe yourself, but the other questions should cover the rest. Otherwise, 'sex' is enough in most cases.

People have sleepwalked into this conflation of the two, and I am convinced that this was a deliberate tactic. I am sure I read/heard/heard that someone from Stonewall has admitted this, but I can't be sure and can't remember enough about it to cite anything properly.

I think a conflation of the two inadvertently happened way way back when we set up Gender Studies late 1970's onwards.

Didn't call them "Women's studies" as part of the aim was to be able to examine Male stereotypes and misogyny and power relationships.

Interesting, Wyllow3.

What a shame gender was seized by some TIM and all TRA as an excuse to use in their campaign to overthrow women’s rights.

I remember learning about gender as part of a Sociology A level in the 70s. It was largely to do with the socialisation of children - clothes, toys, expectations etc - and was always distinct from sex.

Doodledog

I remember learning about gender as part of a Sociology A level in the 70s. It was largely to do with the socialisation of children - clothes, toys, expectations etc - and was always distinct from sex.

Yes, when the main concern was about whether boys should play with dolls, even those like Action Man. Even then there was a move away from only gender specific toys. Or school subjects, like should boys be doing domestic science or girls doing woodwork and metalwork.
Sex education never taught about clothes, toys etc. it still doesn't at primary level.

Galaxy

There is also the feminist perspective that gender is a range of stereotypes which frequently have a negative impact on both men and women.

Couldn't agree more.

Yes, that’s how it was presented in the A level textbook all those years ago😀.