The atypical brain development of transsexuals

WebLogs3.NRC.nl – by Dick Swaab

Transsexuals are convinced that they were born in the body of the opposite gender and would do almost anything to change that fact. This transformation occurs step by step, by first taking on the social role of the other gender, then taking hormones and then undergoing a series of major operations, after which just 0.4 percent express regret later.

The gender team of the Vrije Universiteit Medical Centre in Amsterdam has been a pioneer in this field for many years, initially under the leadership of professor Louis Gooren and now of professor Peggy Cohen-Kettenis. This is unusual because the Bible, on which the VU is founded, states in Deuteronomy 22:5-6: “A woman must not wear men’s clothing, nor a man wear women’s clothing, for the Lord your God detests anyone who does this.”