I'm Science!

Well, kind of.  Some time ago I volunteered to take part in a study concerning bigendered persons at UCSD. I ended up in Scientific American. http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/observations/2012/04/19/ramachandrans-lab-looks-into-whether-you-can-be-a-man-in-the-morning-and-a-woman-at-night/ Well, as a lab rat anyway. I was the person who had a poor vocabulary in guy mode and who couldn’t throw a dart for crap in girl mode. Sorry I broke the tip off your black plastic dart Laura. =P

The attention to this study has surprised me to say the least. My point of contact was Laura Chase, who was/is a student of the famed neuroscientist Vilayanur S. Ramachandran. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vilayanur_S._Ramachandran At the time I had no idea just how famous this guy is; I just wanted to contribute the the understanding of bigenderism.

I was shocked when they said they would pay me money to study me as I was happy to donate my time for free. I know that bigenderism is not an act, or a way-station to transgenderism. It's a very specific gender identity and my hope was that I could add some legitimacy to our cause.

They did multiple tests on me over the next few months, but I'm hesitant to say what they were in the event that this study expands. (And I hope it does.) The problem is that people might learn what the tests are and then look them up on the internet. Then, unintentionally or deliberately, will contaminate the test results. That kind of situation would hurt all of us as we struggle for recognition amongst the scientific community.

I'm very excited to have participated in this study. The implications regarding gender identify vs. personal identity from a neurological standpoint are staggering. If it's capable for a person to switch genders, not just in an psychological sense but neurologically, how will this effect how neurologists study the brain and personal identity in the future? While these investigations are still in their infancy, I look forward to said outcomes.

Identifying as a bigendered person is not science. It's an identity that some of us choose to adopt because we identify that way. No one can ever take your personal identity away from you so long as you refuse to let them. Personal identity is just that – personal. You are who you are, and the only person who can make that decision is yourself.

Paige