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Ce gen este creierul meu? Frenologia periculoasa a „Sexului creierului”

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Istoria ridica motive de ingrijorare cu privire la mizele asociate bazarii pe imagistica creierului pentru a dicta sursa identitatii transgenre.

De Alex Verman

Atunci cand actrita POSE , Indya Moore, a facut un tweet despre un „penis biologic feminin” in februarie, a creat exact genul de reactie pe care te-ai putea astepta.

Raspunsurile la tweet-ul ei sunt extrem de crude, in cea mai mare parte condamnand-o ca fiind complet irationale si nerealiste. Ele reflecta o abordare comuna in modul in care dreptul – si chiar multi liberali, progresisti sau de altfel – raspund persoanelor transgenre. In cuvintele si mintile lor, afirmatiile noastre este posibil sa avem dreptul sa simtim si sa actionam ca genuri, dar acest lucru nu il face stiintific adevarat; fapte, asa spune afirmatia, nu-ti pasa de sentimentele noastre.

Nu m-am putut abtine sa ma gandesc la acest concept cand observ reactia la tweet-ul lui Moore. Chiar si cei care au cautat sa-l apere pe Moore de detractorii ei au facut-o invocand asa-numitele dovezi stiintifice ale identitatii transgenre. Un articol Pink News a impartasit un citat din autorul principal al unui studiu de scoala medicala Sao Paolo din 2018, care a folosit imagini cerebrale pentru a sustine ca creierul persoanelor transgenre este particular si identificabil. El a sugerat ca „diferentele” dintre creierul transgender si cisgender pot aparea in timpul gestatiei – acordand sprijin ideii ca persoanele trans sunt practic „nascute in acest fel”.

Studiul de la Scoala Medicala Sao Paolo a aparut in cateva luni de la o lucrare de conferinta prezentata de o echipa de cercetare olandeza si belgiana. In acea lucrare, cercetatorii au folosit scanari imagistice ale creierului pentru a testa volumul si activitatea creierului subiectilor transgender in comparatie cu subiectii cisgender. Conform descoperirilor lor, creierul femeilor transsexuale arata si a actionat ca cele ale femeilor cisgender, in comparatie cu barbatii cisgender.

Este incontestabil faptul ca „stiinta” ca metoda de determinare si ancheta este un bun moral. Dar, dincolo de „stiinta”, ca urmare a cunoasterii prin mijloace riguroase, replicabile si verificabile, functioneaza si ca o chemare la autoritate. Cunostintele stiintifice si capacitatea de a consolida legitimitatea si modificarea afirmatiilor cuiva pe aceasta baza nu sunt apolitice. De-a lungul istoriei sale, figurile politice si ale autoritatii liberale si-au intemeiat pretentiile intr-o cunoastere exclusiva a adevarului si a ratiunii. Curentele intelectuale dominante ale iluminismului si transformarea moderna in Europa au subliniat o obiectivitate castigata ca unica sursa pura de cunoastere, chiar inainte de dezvoltarea unei metode stiintifice reale. In cartea Negru pe ambele parti: o istorie rasiala a identitatii trans, C. Riley Snorton exploreaza modul in care progresele stiintifice atat de importante precum dezvoltarea ginecologiei moderne, de exemplu, au avut loc prin si cu experimentari repetate pe femei negre inrobite. Timp de generatii, cercetatorii medicali europeni si americani din secolul al XIX-lea au folosit discursurile stiintifice de comparatie si clasificare pentru a insista asupra diferentei rasiale intrinseci, argumentand ca ceva despre oamenii negri i-a facut fundamental diferiti decat oamenii albi la nivel biologic. Si cum ne avertizeaza activismul pentru justitia pentru dizabilitati, disponibilitatea de a ceda toata autoritatea celor care pretind cunostinte stiintifice deschide frecvent spatiu pentru abuz in sisteme (cum ar fi institutiile mentale), unde cei marcati pentru „tratament” sau „vindecare” sunt jefuiti de agentie peste ritmurile de baza ale vietii lor.

Inrudite: GENERII NOI SUNT MAI MAI MULTE decat ORGANELE NOASTRE: AFECTIONAREA IDENTITATII TRANS DUPA APARATULUI

Am vorbit despre asta cu Zoe Samudzi, un savant de sociologie medicala la Universitatea din California, San Francisco. Ea este preocupata de faptul ca utilizarea diagnosticelor de sex cerebral ar putea avea ca efect reducerea accesului la ingrijiri legate de tranzitie, prin cresterea barierelor in calea diagnosticului. Avand in vedere ca traim intr-o lume dominata de cissexism (precum si alte forme de putere opresiva), nu exista niciun motiv de incredere in institutiile cisgender si in cercetatorii pentru a crea conditiile pentru o tranzitie mai usoara.

„Stiinta si obiectivitatea sunt subiectivitatile puterii”, a spus Samudzi. „Studiile despre sexul cerebral care apar acum nu sunt lucruri unice care trebuie dezbatute in sine: sunt o parte a unui corp extins de literatura care incearca sa biologicizeze experientele sexului si genului, care sunt atat un fenomen construit social.”

Dupa cum spune ea, ideea „sexului creierului” ar putea fi folosita de gardieni pentru a formula sau a aplica mai departe scenariul a ceea ce o naratiune acceptabila din punct de vedere medical, care ar face pe cineva viabil pentru tranzitie, cum ar fi tropeala comuna de a fi „prins in corp gresit. “

Another problem with this work is that it takes the very idea of biological sex as something objective in its own right — natural, inevitable, and separate from the social construction of gender. According to Anna Swartz, an independent researcher and bioethics specialist, this is a tremendous error. In the case of brain sex, the very practice of researching, measuring, and identifying what we perceive to be differences between male and female brains presupposes that “male” and “female” are discrete and purely biological categories that exist independently of cultural or social context.

As Swartz puts it, there’s a noticeable gap between the actual evidence this research uncovers, and the social claims that they appear to make and legitimize. The fact that we’ve taken sparse imaging of a pattern in transgender people’s brain chemistry as evidence of some form of inherent, biological “trans-ness” says more about how we misunderstand the scientific process than it does about trans identity or experience.

“What has received little to no attention, in both scientific and popular media circles alike, has been the degree to which contemporary fMRI research on transgenderism reflects a particular problematic and misleading research paradigm—one that seeks to understand sex/gender differences through the brain,” said Swartz via email.

Related: HOW YOU CAN HELP CREATE A SAFE SPACE FOR TRANS PEOPLE IN THE WORKFORCE

She argues that, while this proposition may be intriguing, it’s also not well-founded. This line of thinking takes as given that there is an essential, intrinsic difference between genders that can be located in the body. The brain is only the most recent site of investigation: past research has put emphasis on the endocrine system, chromosomes, or the genitals.

But as biologists continue to encounter variation between humans on all of those fronts, the central premise gets more and more shaky. While it’s definitely possible to look at broad categories and differentiate them on the basis of genitals, secondary sex characteristics, hormones, and chromosomes, we’re still dealing with ideal types rather than uniform standards. Hormonal changes occur throughout life and often vary based on environmental factors; genital size and shape and function is so varied that it’s hard to truly put the majority of the world into firm boxes; and chromosomes are poor indicators of how people actually enact their genders out in the world anyway (not to mention the fact that chromosomal variation is widely documented). Essentially, while it’s certainly true that there exists general sexual types, it’s also true that these types are not static, consistent, or biological. At best, what we call male and female are sets of traits that are as much determined by society as they are by biology.

Don’t get me wrong, I am not anti-science, and I don’t think transgender people should reject science as a way of living in our identities and bodies. And when I critique science, I’m not doing it in the same way that climate change deniers or evangelicals do. Rather, I am a student of history, and history raises cause for concern about the stakes associated with relying upon brain imaging to dictate the source of transgender identity.

These brain sex papers, and others like them, have had a somewhat mixed reception. Some see them as positives, arguing that their claims are basically good and politically useful. If our identities as trans people can be mapped and spotted early on, then it might help us push back against institutional opposition to trans rights. This way, we have recourse in the hard sciences of neurobiology to demand recognition and respect, especially within the medical system. Rather than rejecting transgender identity as simple delusion, there’s room for us to illustrate our needs and circumstances as a biological reality. It’s a handy response to all those who dismiss our experiences as unscientific and our identities as irrational.

But I worry that this will not have the intended effect. In fact, I see these brain sex studies as a dangerous extension of an already troubling liberal practice. At best, its logical conclusion would only serve to restrict access to transition-related care for already marginalized trans people. At worst, it turns back the clock on decades of trans activism, feminist organizing, and anti-racism work, empowering the darkest discourses among the reactionary right and liberal centre.

Alex Verman is a writer and researcher who lives and works in the territory of the Dish With One Spoon wampum belt covenant. Alex’s work deals with the politics of identity and narrative; they have been published in This Magazine, Teen Vogue, CBC News, and elsewhere in Canada and the United States. You can follow them on Twitter @misgenders.

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Ce gen este creierul meu? Frenologia periculoasa a „Sexului creierului”

Istoria ridica motive de ingrijorare cu privire la mizele asociate bazarii pe imagistica creierului pentru a dicta sursa identitatii transgenre.

Inrudite: GENERII NOI SUNT MAI MAI MULTE decat ORGANELE NOASTRE: AFECTIONAREA IDENTITATII TRANS DUPA APARATULUI

Related: HOW YOU CAN HELP CREATE A SAFE SPACE FOR TRANS PEOPLE IN THE WORKFORCE

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