11/4/2002: Gay Games open

[MaggieL]

Originally posted by juju

Hmm.. I don't think I follow you. Care to expand on that?

Sure. In a genetic mosaic, the genotype is not the same in every cell. You can have an individual with Y chromosomes in some cell lines but not in others. An intersexed individual can have sexually ambiguous genetalia, the differentiation that occurs in one stage of fetal growth can be incomplete, or this can result in a hermaphrodite or other outcomes.

All embryos start off fundamentally female, but some of them get exposed to testosterone in utero, which casues them to develop male. This is *supposed* to be consistant thoughout development. and *supposed* to only happen when the baby is genetically male, but sometimes shit happens. Then things get interesting.

One very well-known theory about transexuality is that it may be a neurological intersex state, where the brain is constructed, say, female while the body develps male. (this differentiation occurs at a different stage of fetal development from the genetalia). We're only discovering today how many estrogenic compounds are *extremely* comnmon in the environment and getting more so, and lots of pregnant moms in the 1950's were taking DES "to prevent miscarriages", so that didn't help either.

Peripheral conversion and androgen insensitivity result in individuals whose hormone balance doesn't match their genetic sex on a chronic basis. Peripheral conversion can change testosterone into estrogen or vice versa, while in AIS there can be boatloads of testosterone around but the receptors are somehow blocked.