I wish I had them on my fingertips. This is both a question and a criticism I have been getting of late. When I started my transition several years ago, one of the first things I did was to look at the science being a scientist both by training and by nature. There are a variety of studies being done in a multitude of disciplines that come together to lead one to the conclusion I made. They are being done by psychologists, both with young children and adults. They are being done by geneticists. (In this regard I can tell you that I have a female AR gene which I discovered quite by accident because of a problem with finasteride). Biochemists are also looking into the sex based differences in metabolism. Finally medical doctors and pathologists are examining structures and have discovered some differences. When I did the research, I didn’t realize that I would need to defend it in the future, so I merely stowed it away for my own use. In retrospect I guess I should’ve kept good notes. I can start you in the right direction however.

The Cleveland clinic is doing PET scan studies of transgender women and cis men and cis women. Not surprisingly, the brains of trans women light up like those of cis women, not males. Psychologists are doing studies of populations of individuals where boys and girls and men and women answer questions differently. Not surprisingly, trans women and girls answer the questions the same way as cis girls and women do. Anna B referenced one of these studies in an article she published in March in Medium titled Being Transgender Isn’t a Choice. Harvard University beginning in the mid-90s started studying the brains of trans women post mortem and discovered structures which are similar to cis women, but different than males. This should get you started a bit. I would also recommend you read the book Becoming Nicole, which is the story of Nicole Maine who is now a somewhat prominent actress and knew from a young age she was trans. She has an identical twin brother who is very different. Much of the science is summarized in various chapters in the book. It is a fascinating read both because of the story and also because some of the science is presented which should get you thinking.

I often get pushback from those who are afraid that if there are demonstrated differences in the structure and function of trans brains that they somehow would flunk any testing and therefore be denied treatment. This is a misplaced concern. The purpose of the research is to establish that trans people are a legitimate and natural variation of humankind, not mentally deranged or defective. This is what is required to win acceptance by the larger population who are skeptical at the moment. The phenomenon is not dissimilar to climate change. In the early days, most people were skeptical until the evidence accumulated that demonstrated it was real. This is what we are trying to establish for the trans community as well. For obvious reasons, the studies that are being done are primarily focusing on those who are binary because the differences from their cis counterparts are so extreme. When we start moving into the realm of the merely gender nonconforming or gender fluid, the distinctions become much muddier. That does not mean that this group is any less authentic.

Another area that is also used to criticize me is the concept of brain plasticity. We all know that our brains are in fact plastic. That is how we learn, by modifying the structures to retain information. However there is a basic structure which determines how we learn and how we identify that is immutable and innate. The link appearing below, it’s a review of a book addressing exactly this fact. We cannot turn a girl into a boy or vice versa or a trans person into a straight person. Some of the science is discussed in the book that is referenced. https://link.medium.com/CQsUtccGRtb

If you look at the evolving standards of the American Psychology Association and DSM-V, in the early days trans people were treated as individuals with psychological pathology. Over the decades, the scientists have learned that this is not the case. You can no more turn a trans person into someone with a cis identity than you can cure a gay person of their same-sex attraction. This is now an accepted scientific fact. The reason that conversion therapy does not work is that there is some kind of innate structure and physiology in the way trans brains operate that is immutable. It is the only logical conclusion. We can debate whether this is genetics or hormonal influences during fetal development or a combination of the two, but what is clear is that it has nothing to do with socialization. I appreciate your interest in this area.

I think we all are, if we are honest with ourselves. I just wish that I had kept better notes when I did my early investigation. I didn’t realize I would be needing to defend my conclusions to others. To me the evidence seemed overwhelming and compelling. in the future as I stumble across more articles, I will make a point of keeping note of them somewhere so I will be able to provide a body of evidence to the next person who is skeptical. We are all in this together, and proving that trans people are different scientifically is the way to establish acceptance and legitimacy in society in my opinion.