Key Messages
What Happened When A Psychology Professor Challenged The Common View On Transgender People?
Galileo Galilei‘s insistence on empirical research and his demonstrated courage in standing up for his scientific beliefs are inspiring, but it’s also a reminder that not so long ago, forward-thinking ideas were threatened and discouraged.
With this in mind, it can be hard to believe we’ve come such a long way since then.
In reality though, there are still activists and researchers who experience profound backlash when they try to provide nuanced perspectives that challenge existing assumptions – particularly in the field of transgender research.
By reading Galileo’s Middle Finger, you’ll get a deep understanding of why the common view towards transgenderism is far too simplistic, as well as what one psychology professor wanted to do to change that perspective.
You’ll be exposed to different sides of transgenderism, see how it differs from intersex and learn just how difficult it is for those pushing innovative research on this oft-misunderstood identity group.
Understanding The Difference Between Transgender And Intersex: A Moral Imperative
Transgenderism and intersex identity are two distinct concepts.
Transgender individuals identify their gender based on their own internal understanding and personal experience, while intersex individuals are born with neither a male nor a female anatomy.
When we discuss transgender people, we’re talking about someone whose gender identity does not match the gender that was assigned to them at birth.
This could involve taking hormones or undergoing sex change procedures in order to alter the physical features they were born with.
People who identify as transgender may also have experienced stigma and discrimination due to lack of understanding and fear of the unknown.
Meanwhile, intersex refers to someone who has biological characteristics of both sexes – often involving reproductive organs, chromosomes, and hormone levels that are different from typical male or female anatomy.
Through the years there have been countless sex “normalization” procedures carried out on intersex individuals in an attempt to fit them into either binary category of male or female, which can lead to feelings of guilt, shame, grief and trauma for those affected by it.
So although both identities straddle what society might deem as traditional gender boundaries, transgenderism describes a distinctly different identity than intersex – one which is heavily dependent upon personal experience rather than biological factors.
The Complexities Of Transgender Identity: Biology, Society And Choice
Transgenderism is a complex issue that can’t be boiled down to a simple “either/or” matter.
J.
Michael Bailey, professor of psychology at Northwestern University and author of The Man Who Would Be Queen, believes that science should reflect the nuances and complexities inherent in this discussion.
According to Bailey, sexologist Ray Blanchard’s classification system creates a more accurate portrait of transgenderism.
Blanchard views gender identity and desires to transition as the result of multiple, external influences as well as physical components.
His findings challenge the idea that people are born with either male or female brains and suggest that gender identity and sexuality are fluid instead of fixed categories.
Bailey also notes that cultural values and societal understanding play an important part in how someone may view themselves.
An environment where acceptance is championed could mean tha the particularly effeminate male would be more likely to remain open about their homosexual inclination rather than feeling like they must completely change their gender identity in order to fit in.
By recognizing these nuances, research into transgenderism can progress much further than it has before while also empowering those who identify along a spectrum other than strictly male or female.
The utmost respect should be given to all individuals regardless of their expression or gender identity, which is why it’s important for science to illuminate this complex topic more accurately for all those who need further information on the subject.
The Controversy Of Bailey’s Book: Confronting Disturbing Ideas And Unethical Actions
When Galileo’s Middle Finger: Heretics, Activists, and the Search for Justice in Science was published, it was met with a huge amount of controversy.
People were shocked by its bold suggestions regarding gender and sex, but also because it dared to suggest that there existed another type of transgender person – males who identified as men but were sexually aroused by being female.
This idea caused uproar among transgender groups and a massive backlash followed.
Bailey faced personal attacks from transgender activists, many of which focused on his alleged unethical behavior while conducting his research on gender Identity.
He was accused of violating federal regulations by not getting approval from the Board of Ethics for his study, breaching patient confidentiality, practicing psychology without a license and sleeping with a trans woman while she was a subject in his experiment.
He was taunted endlessly online and even an activist sent him photos of his own family with blackened out eyes accompanied with loaded questions about whether his wife shared his desires or not.
The whole affair resulted in an avalanche of accusations that threatened to discredit Bailey’s work completely.
Despite this, he still stands by the results obtained through his research.
The Discrimination And Persecution Of Transgender People Is A Heartbreaking Reality
The backlash against Dr.
J.
Michael Bailey’s theories was understandable, particularly to those in the transgender community who had worked hard over lifetimes to desexualize the stigma of transgenderism.
Activists had invested a great deal of effort into improving transgender health care access and establishing human rights for these individuals, which included changing the term “transsexuality” to “transgender” in order to de-emphasize questions about sexuality and sexual attraction.
So when Bailey came along with his emphasis on sexuality as central to being trans, much of the movement felt like it was going backwards — even further than before.
This was because narrow-minded members of the medical establishment still consider male-to-female transgenderism mere fetishism or a form of mental illness, nevermind advocating for people’s access to hormones or surgeries like other patients receive.
In addition, activists are deeply concerned about legal discrimination in many states that can deny housing, employment or schooling based on gender identity and sexuality.
Federal disability discrimination laws don’t cover trans people either, though Washington state law has been more progressive in this respect.
Furthermore, police have even been known not to investigate hate crimes committed against trans individuals — let alone address murders — while emergency workers have chosen not to treat injured trans individuals when they should be providing life-saving help right away.
This is why transgender activists were particularly outraged by Bailey’s emphasis on sexuality: it only perpetuated the violations they faced daily and brought their progress back a step.
The Irony Of Destroyed Reputations: How Trans Activists Targeted And Exploited A Scholar For His Research
As author of the book Galileo’s Middle Finger, Priya Vincenti was skeptical of the allegations made against J.
Michael Bailey and fully expected to uncover evidence of wrong-doing.
Surprisingly, her closer inspection revealed no wrongdoing whatsoever.
She couldn’t find any proof that Bailey had acted unethically or illegally as a scholar and non-clinical psychologist.
On the contrary, she discovered that Bailey had gone out of his way to help some of his book’s subjects get sex-reassignment surgery by writing letters of recommendation–something activists usually fight for access to.
In addition, state regulations showed that no license was needed for providing these services if one wasn’t asking for money–which Bailey never did.
Finally, she uncovered how trans activists had used the subjects from Bailey’s research to tarnish his reputation and then abandoned them after achieving their goal.
Vincenti found all this deeply disturbing but also extraordinary proof that there had been no wrongdoing on Bailey’s part.
The Need For Open Hearts And Open Minds: The Lessons Learned From A Trans Activist’s Attack On An Academic
The reactions of activists to Galileo’s Middle Finger, a book critical of Andrea James and her tactics, demonstrate how science can be politicized when the facts don’t fit an agenda.
The author of the book had written a critical post on her blog, entitled “The Blog I Write in Fear,” and expected to receive criticism for it.
But she was soon met with far worse than just criticism – emails from James containing messages like “we’ll chat in person soon” and calling her son a “precious womb turd.”
To counter this, the author searched for someone who could share her story with the world, and eventually found Benedict Carey at the New York Times who was willing to tell the public about her findings.
Unfortunately for the author, once her research was made public, some activists moved from attacking Bailey to attacking her personally.
One activist even wrote a letter claiming that funding from Bailey’s group was involved in the work – which turned out to be completely false – inadvertently dragging science into politics.
This shows how easily progressive causes can become rigid ideologies which prioritize only one side of something and overlook any contrary evidence or opinions.
It serves as an important reminder that real progress means having open discussions where everyone is allowed their own opinion regardless of what those opinions are.
Wrap Up
Galileo’s Middle Finger by Alice Dreger provides a compelling and eye-opening look into the world of scientific research, medical activism and gender identity.
It brings to light issues surrounding transgenderism that have been largely ignored or unreported, providing evidence that both progressive activists and traditional medical establishments have been complicit in disregarding facts in favor of convenient narratives and ideologies.
In conclusion, this book is an important reminder that when it comes to science, progress is built on facts – not convenient narratives or biased ideals.
By understanding how evidence can be warped to fit the narrative, we can ensure that science remains unbiased and accurate.
It is only through careful examination of facts that real progress can be made.
