Dear BTL,
While I have great respect for Gwen Smith's work, I would like to take issue with her belief that the numbers of the two scientific studies she's quoted make their value less significant in her column "Genetic redemption?" from the June 9 issue of BTL. While we would all like to see replication of data and increased numbers, these studies were well done, passed careful peer review, and were statistically signicant. These are in contrast to the pontifications of the likes of Paul McHugh, which appear not in a peer-reviewed journal but in a Catholic magazine, and Michael Bailey, which appeared in a trashy book two years ago.
And while it is possible to become anxious about the use of genetic knowledge to do harm to transsexual persons, I think that is somewhat overwrought. When the day comes that we can cut and paste our nucleic acids at will, the least of our problems will be issues of transsexualism. We will have to deal with much greater societal ramifications than our own rather parochial interests.
Dana Beyer, M.D.
Chevy Chase, MD
Trans studies have merit
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