Under the general headline “A transgender ‘movement’? Or simply a world with trans people?,” scroll down to “Scientific research supports the sense of being trapped in the wrong body,” a letter by Willa Taber of Arlington published April 18 by The Boston Globe. It is republished with the author’s permission.
The premise of Carine Hajjar’s argument is that “the belief that anyone can be born in the wrong body is just that — a belief. It’s neither the product of scientific research nor the outcome of a democratic debate. It’s a statement of faith.”
If the premise is false then the conclusion is false. Here is what scientific research has shown:
▪ That our genitals develop in the first trimester of pregnancy and the brain develops in the second trimester.
▪ That our development is a product not just of genetics but also of epigenetics, which is the way hormones and other environmental factors affect how our genes are expressed.
▪ That the human brain continues developing well into a person’s 20s.
▪ That the brains of transgender women show many of the characteristics of cisgender female brains.
▪ That it is possible to have genitals of one sex and a brain aligned with another.
Thus, research has shown why some transgender people have the sense of being trapped in the wrong body.
This letter was republished Friday, April 18, 2025.
