More Science Behind Gender Differences
Male-female differences are a matter of science fact, not political ideology.
Perhaps no political movement has become more anti-science (other than the neo-flat-earth) than the idea of “gender fluidity,” the notion that people can choose whether to act male or female. Their bodies, genes and brains say otherwise.
Researchers discover clues to brain differences between males and females (Medical Xpress). The University of Maryland School of Medicine knows what everybody else knows: men and women think differently. This has a biological basis:
A key contributor to the differences in play behavior between males and females is a sex-based difference in the number of newborn cells in the part of the brain called the amygdala, which controls emotions and social behaviors. The research showed that males have fewer of these newborn cells, because they are actively eliminated by immune cells.
Male Y chromosomes not ‘genetic wastelands’ (Science Daily). The Y chromosome undergoes a unique kind of recombination, found researchers at the University of Rochester, called “gene conversion.” The process maintains the chromosome’s integrity for traits passed on from father to son: “these genes manage to get expressed and carry out their functions that are important for male fertility.”
How men continually produce sperm—and how that discovery could help treat infertility (Phys.org). An obvious difference between men and women concerns the gametes they produce, let alone the body parts and mechanisms that bring them together. Women produce a limited cache of eggs in development, but men produce uncountable trillions of sperm throughout life. Researchers at UC San Diego learned some things about this lesser-studied type of cell development, and shared some surprising facts:
The production of sperm—otherwise known as spermatogenesis—generates more than 1,000 sperm per second in normal males. This productivity comes, in part, from a special cell type called the spermatogonial stem cell. The staying power of this stem cell has allowed many celebrities, including Robert DeNiro and Pablo Picasso, to father children after the age of 65.
Even baby boys have spermatogonial stem cells that are not active till puberty, but the researchers believe they have a function in male development even before then.
Masculine fitness program improves physical activity of European men (Medical Xpress). This article could sound very politically incorrect, given that “toxic masculinity” has become a catch-phrase of the leftists. Of all places, Europe is discovering that men really do benefit from programs tailored to their ‘gender’ –
Gender-sensitized lifestyle-change programs in a professional sport setting are an exciting development in men’s health promotion, with the potential to engage men who are underserved by most programs. One such program, Football Fans in Training (FFIT), has been shown to be effective and cost-effective in delivering long-term weight loss in overweight and obese Scottish football fans. Drawing on the success of FFIT, Wyke and colleagues developed the European Fans in Training (EuroFIT) program to attempt to improve physical activity and sedentary time in male football fans. EuroFIT is a 12-week group-based program delivered by coaches at football clubs in weekly 90-minute sessions. Whereas FFIT introduced physical activity and dietary change for weight loss, EuroFIT focused on increasing physical activity and reducing sedentary time as desirable outcomes in their own right.
Wrong Way: Danger Ahead
In World Magazine‘s January 30th issue, Jamie Dean describes some of the harm done to teenagers nudged by LGBT activists into pretending to be what they are not. So-called “rapid onset gender dysphoria” has nothing to do with sex chromosomes, but instead with propaganda and pressure to conform.
“Sex is biologically determined from at the moment of conception” says Hruz. “It’s recognized at the time of birth, it’s not assigned at the time of birth. And even if you modify the appearance of the body, you don’t do anything to change the sex.”
Some young people undergo periods of questioning their gender identity, but almost all grow out of it. Victims of the new rapid-onset dysphoria craze are led to believe that any discomfort with their sex role ‘means’ that they must be transgender. With encouragement from media and LGBT pressure groups praising the ‘courage’ of those who ‘come out’ as transgender, some children and teens try living as the opposite sex, often with lasting physical harm and regret.
Jamie Dean also writes that sex and gender are issues of creation. Parents need to teach children at an early age that they are created in God’s image as male and female.
The science is undeniable; those falling for ‘rapid-onset gender dysphoria’ are in denial. What’s happening in culture these days is a perfect example Walter Scott’s warning, “Oh, what a tangled web we weave…when first we practice to deceive.” The worst kind of deception is deceiving yourself.
For those struggling with confused feelings about their gender, come to Christ! Learn the beauty of God’s creation, how a holy, loving. all-wise Creator made a perfect world with two beings equal in His image: “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. And God blessed them” (Gen 1:27-28). He intended your sexual identity to be a blessing to you and to others. The two sexes are equal in value, but differ in roles, complementing each other physically, emotionally and spiritually. It was a beautiful thing before Satan corrupted it. It can still be beautiful under God’s common grace, but can potentially reach the highest good for the redeemed.
If you are sexually confused, or feel yourself wanting to be what you are not, here’s the secret: Learn to love the beauty of God’s design. Being a woman is beautiful (for those with XX chromosomes). Being a man is awesome (for those with XY). When your gender identity matches your biological reality, you have harmony within yourself and with others. Learn about and appreciate the traits with which God endowed you, to bless you. There’s a lot of room for variation within God’s designed gender roles; some men are macho weightlifters while other men write the most delicate of sounds for violin or sensitive poetry. Some women do great in the military (like fighter pilot Martha McSally) and as national leaders (the “Iron Lady” Margaret Thatcher), while others are as delicate as the Princess and the Pea. That’s OK. You can find your sweet spot as either man or woman.
But denying what you are and trying to be the opposite of what God designed leads to disharmony, confusion and evil that will affect not only you, but your family and others around you. God made you what you are. Embrace it; enjoy it; glorify God with it. Then turn with admiration, respect and affection to the other sex, finding in the one God planned for you the completion of your identity.
Recommended resource: Love Thy Body by Nancy Pearcey..