But sex? For those with 5alpha-reductase-2 deficiency or 17beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase-3 deficiency, who get a natural sex change from female to male, not so much.

It's a lot more complicated than most people think. For 59 people out of 60, everything matches. Chromosomes, genitalia, endocrinology, neurology. And most of those who have anomalies are asymptomatic, or nearly so.

For 1 in 1000 though, the anomalies can be pretty darned spectacular.

One of them is transsexuality. Cross-gendered neurology, compared with most or all of the rest of the body. There's often other Intersex conditions too, maybe 1 in 10.

Chaz was born a boy with a feminised body. He's tried living as a lesbian for 40 years, but lesbians aren't men, and he's a man. Now he's getting his body made as consistent as it can be.

That's it.

See, for example:
Gender change in 46,XY persons with 5alpha-reductase-2 deficiency and 17beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase-3 deficiency. by Cohen-Ketternis

A Sex Difference in the Human Brain and its Relation to Transsexuality by Zhou et al.

Male-to-Female Transsexuals Have Female Neuron Numbers in a Limbic Nucleus by Kruijver et al:

fMRT zur Diagnose bei Transsexualität geprüft (An Examination of the use of fMRT for diagnosing Transsexuality) (ArzteZeitung, 2006)

A sex difference in the hypothalamic uncinate nucleus: relationship to gender identity by
A. Garcia-Falgueras A and D.F. Swaab.

Male-to-female transsexuals show sex-atypical hypothalamus activation when smelling odorous steroids. by Berglund H, Lindström P, Dhejne-Helmy C, and Savic I.

And so on and so on. As Prof Ecker MD said recently at the APA annual conference:
"We spoke for 2 1/2 hours on why cross gender identity was a normal inherited variation of humans. We showed how Transgender Brains think, smell, and hear like the opposite sex.
...
My greatest personal compliment came from Frank Kruijver, from Holland, whose research of the human brain in TSs started it all. He thought we have taken his work very far in our understanding of the human brain."

Oh BTW... male to female natural sex changes happen too, but they're really, really rare, only a handful well documented worldwide.

I'm just curious, GA, did you develop this finely honed sense of outrage during or after your 12 years making fvck movies for a living?

lol, selling not making, but no it was a little before but mostly after, when I woke out of the liberal bullshit dream I was living in.

So it matters to you when people change, it's how you judge them?

So your saying in the beginning stages after conception they are only murdering girl babies by way of abortion or before?

I'm just curious, GA, did you develop this finely honed sense of outrage during or after your 12 years making fvck movies for a living?

d'yall know that we all start out as females?

So your saying in the beginning stages after conception they are only murdering girl babies by way of abortion or before?

Why, do you need one?

Probably, but some seems to need two or three......

And yet, as I keep suggesting by way of the questions, the data are at best incomplete.

I'll still go with even incomplete data over mere speculation.

Somebody is lying to Ms Bono. She was born a female and she will die a female. Sex is immutable.

Many years ago, in another life, I edited medical books for a living. I recall seeing a photo of twin 16-year old sisters, and quite beautiful they were. The problem was, although they possessed all the outward characteristics of females, they were in fact genetic males. They presented with amenorrhoea, and it was only through genetic testing that the truth was found.
They were completely androgen-insensitive. Psychologically, they considered themselves female, and, in truth, they were, though their genes said otherwise.

Sex is immutable.

Legally, this is now a false statement. Even "technically", I'm not so sure.

There are obviously many attributes, both physical and mental, that are in general different between male and female. Whether these attributes are "immutable" is doubtful, as something as simple as eating too much soy can cause boys to start growing breasts.

And then of course there are the brain studies that show similarities between gay men and straight women, for example. If the attributes are truly immutable, as you say, then you are literally subscribing to the "born gay" theory.

That said, high-achievement families seem to have one factor the rest don't and Chastity seems a fair enough example... Seems to me the only thing s/he brings to the party is mom and dad's money, which makes it far easier to accomidate her wishes on such an operation. It's not a matter of the rest livng in stealth mode so much as their inability to pay for a futile attempt to change the situation.

Actually, you'd be surprised, I think, at how many are in the process of changing their situation, and of those who have the vast majority are quite happy. I've give you two examples, and you have none. I think I'll go with actual data points vs. speculation.

Yes, this. Bit is falling for the selection effect. We see the high-achievement cases and never the other ones because people of high-achievement tend to already be in the spot light.

First off, I've not denied that point, either, saying specifically, that the evidence was Anecdotal, and asking if there's not more substantial data along the same line.

I question labeling Chastity Bono as high-achievement. What, exectly, has she achieved?

That said, high-achievement families seem to have one factor the rest don't and Chastity seems a fair enough example... Seems to me the only thing s/he brings to the party is mom and dad's money, which makes it far easier to accomidate her wishes on such an operation. It's not a matter of the rest livng in stealth mode so much as their inability to pay for a futile attempt to change the situation.

Chastity Bono has revealed today that she is in the early stages of changing her gender, to transition from living as a woman to living as a man. From the looks of things, this should only take another hour or so

Somebody is lying to Ms Bono. She was born a female and she will die a female. Sex is immutable.

It seems that she has issues with being a female. Heck we all have issues.

Uh, Bit, I'm willing to bet that the vast majority of transgendered folks don't come from families in the public eye. So, in answer to your penultimate question, Yes. And in answer to your last question, No.

Yes, this. Bit is falling for the selection effect. We see the high-achievement cases and never the other ones because people of high-achievement tend to already be in the spot light.

Combine this with that many transgendered people decide to live in "stealth" mode. They keep the fact that they've transitioned to themselves, and it isn't at all clear that those who are in the spot light are anymore inclined to transition that the general population.

This is headed towards the age-old 'born or bred' issue, which in my opinion is not even close to being resolved.

According to the transgendered it is undoubtedly born. They claim to have always felt closer identification with the opposite sex, so much so that remaining in their birth sex is very problematic sometimes to the point of committing suicide.

For those who want to know more, I'd recommend Deirdre McClosky's website and Lynn Conway's.

Chastity Bono has revealed today that she is in the early stages of changing her gender, to transition from living as a woman to living as a man. From the looks of things, this should only take another hour or so.