Article: Trans scientist writes about gender gap in the sciences

I love hearing what transfolk have to say about the experience of gender within society; the ways interactions change and such.

Male Scientist Writes of Life as Female Scientist

Male Scientist Writes of Life as Female Scientist
By Shankar Vedantam
The Washington Post
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Gods in drag and gay genes

A funny little story came across one of my urban legends mailings today: When the Gods Go in Drag

Also, this British Op-Ed was posted to one of my bi mailing lists, although it didn't include a URL or source. I liked it a great deal, although I personally would also have added that the obsession with the "we can't help it" defense doesn't actually help our cause, and creates a lot of pitfalls that "we don't have to agree with you" doesn't. I've long argued that a "Freedom of Religion" style of argument is much more beneficial to us than the "we can't help it" argument. Plenty of things that are "natural" are also negative (aggression is a natural animal reaction -- we still expect people to control it, and punish them when they don't), and it leaves open the implication that if we could help it, we should be under some moral obligation to do so. This is particularly problematic for bi people -- how many of us haven't heard the argument that since we're capable of mixed-gender relationships, we should only pursue those? The "freedom of religion" style of argument is much more along the lines of "you don't have to agree with me, and you're free to believe I'm going to hell, but you can't legally discriminate against me". Isn't that the basis of what we're going for?

Activist criticises gay gene obsession

29-June-2006
Comment

Gay rights campaigner Peter Tatchell hits out at the obsession with finding a gay gene and suggests sexual orientation is deemed by a variety of factors
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Scientists catch up with the hippies

It really does drive me nuts that research on hallucinogens is so difficult to do in this country; it means it's hard to know either the benefits or the short and long term risks.

What a Trip: Psychedelic Drug Study Recalls the '60s

By Malcolm Ritter
Associated Press
posted: 11 July 2006
09:23 am ET


NEW YORK (AP)—People who took an illegal drug made from mushrooms reported profound mystical experiences that led to behavior changes lasting for weeks—all part of an experiment that recalls the psychedelic '60s.
Many of the 36 volunteers rated their reaction to a single dose of the drug, called psilocybin, as one of the most meaningful or spiritually significant experiences of their lives. Some compared it to the birth of a child or the death of a parent.
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And a blog post about the topic