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Source: http://www.lgbthealtheducation.org/wp-content/uploads/LGBT-Health-Care-for-Asian-Americans.pdf
References:
Mosher WD, et al. (2005) Sexual behavior and selected health measures: men and women 15-44 years of age, United States, 2002. Advance Data; 2005:362.
Pathela P, et al. (2006) Discordance between sexual behavior and self-reported sexual identity: a population-based survey of New York City men. Ann Intern Med. 2006;145(6):416-425.
““It’s practical to support young people in using the name that they choose It’s respectful and developmentally appropriate.””
After interviewing 129 youths in 3 US cities, the researchers found that having even one context in which a chosen name could be used was associated with a 29 percent decrease in suicidal thoughts.
The research was funded by a grant from the National Institute of Mental Health and supported by the UT Population Research Center and a grant from the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development.
Citation: Stephen T. Russell, Amanda M. Pollitt, Gu Li, & Arnold H. Grossman. (2018) Chosen Name Use Is Linked to Reduced Depressive Symptoms, Suicidal Ideation, and Suicidal Behavior Among Transgender Youth. Journal of Adolescent Health, Volume 63, Issue 4, 503 - 505. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jadohealth.2018.02.003
Summary: Based on 621,189 California kids in a 3-year time period, researchers found that transgender youth were 2.5 to 4 times as likely to experience suicidal ideation compared to non-transgender youth. Based on the data, authors identify depression and school bullying as major explanations for this trend, and make further recommendations.
Citation: Amaya Perez-Brumer, Jack K. Day, Stephen T. Russell, Mark L. Hatzenbuehler. (2017) Prevalence and Correlates of Suicidal Ideation Among Transgender Youth in California: Findings From a Representative, Population-Based Sample of High School Students. Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry. Volume 56, Issue 9, 2017, Pages 739-746, ISSN 0890-8567, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaac.2017.06.010 (http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0890856717303167)
In two peer-reviewed papers, researchers at The University of Texas at Austin have found that transgender adolescents are twice as likely to have suicidal thoughts as the general population, and they are up to four times as likely to engage in substance use. Depression and school-based victimization factored heavily into the disparities in both cases.
Read more: https://cns.utexas.edu/news/victimization-of-transgender-youths-linked-to-suicidal-thoughts-substance-abuse
Caption: Photograph of a Chimera Butterfly, from Kathy Pillsbury at the Insectarium, Montreal, CA
Source: Welcoming Schools (HRC)
OBJECTIVES
• Students will learn about Chimera butterflies that are both female and male.
• Students will engage in a discussion and art activity that will help them understand
what the concept non-binary means.
• Students will create a colorful butterfly that is unique to them.
Caption: Diagram showing a concept map of how experiences of LGBT-specific victimization comparatively influence adolescent and young adult gender nonconformity, depression, and adult life satisfaction. Source: Toomey et al. 2010.
From the American Psychological Association (which historically pathologized LGBT+ behavior), researchers found that bullying over LGBT status alone is completely responsible for how well that 13 to 19 year-old associates with gender as an adult.
We also found that school victimization due to LGBT status between the ages of 13 and 19 fully accounts for the associations between gender nonconformity and young adult adjustment, measured as depression and life satisfaction.
The researchers also analyzed their data to make sure other kinds of bullying weren’t responsible for depression and happiness.
However, school victimization for other reasons does not mediate this association.
This effect of bullying on the gender development of queer youth affects youth of all genders equally.
On the other hand, we did not find support for our hypothesis that the strength between gender nonconformity and school LGBT victimization would be stronger for boys. The process through which early gender nonconformity affects later psychosocial adjustment is similar for boys and girls.
Homophobic bullying in particular continues on into the young adult years and negatively impacts quality of life.
We found that the negative impact of specifically homophobic school victimization continues into the young adult years and affects quality of life and capacity to enjoy life.
The researchers do recommend that school policies specifically prohibiting queer-targeted bullying will reduce these negative outcomes.
Enactment of school policies that specifically prohibit victimization due to LGBT status, gender nonconformity, and other types of bias-related harassment can help reduce negative psychosocial outcomes in LGBT and gender-nonconforming young people. Thus, although it is clear that all victimization should be prohibited in schools, these findings specifically indicate the need for antibullying policies that enumerate categories often targeted by bullies.
The authors also seem thoughtful about how they are considering their transgender participants:
We also tested the model without transgender participants. The findings (available upon request) were similar to the results based on the full sample (i.e., the indirect pathway was significant and all pathways were of similar strength and the same direction). On the basis of these results, and because our measure of LGBT school victimization was inclusive of transgender experiences, we present finding based on the full sample.
Citation: Russell B. Toomey, Caitlyn Ryan, Rafael M. Diaz, Noel A. Card, & Stephen T. Russell. (2010) Gender-Nonconforming Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Youth: School Victimization and Young Adult Psychosocial Adjustment. Developmental Psychology 2010, Vol. 46, No. 6, 1580-1589. (pdf)
Caption: Small screenshot of printed article linked in this post.
On the basis of odds ratios, lesbian, gay, and bisexual young adults who reported higher levels of family rejection during adolescence were 8.4 times more likely to report having attempted suicide, 5.9 times more likely to report high levels of depression, 3.4 times more likely to use illegal drugs, and 3.4 times more likely to report having engaged in unprotected sexual intercourse compared with peers from families that reported no or low levels of family rejection.
Latino men reported the highest number of negative family reactions to their sexual orientation in adolescence.
Researchers have established a link between rejecting behaviors of families towards lesbian, gay and bisexual adolescents and negative health problems in early adulthood.
Published in the January 2009 issue of Pediatrics, journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics.
Citation: Caitlin Ryan, David Huebner, Rafael M. Diaz, Jorge Sanchez. Family Rejection as a Predictor of Negative Health Outcomes in White and Latino Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Young Adults. Pediatrics Jan 2009, 123 (1) 346-352; DOI: 10.1542/peds.2007-3524 (link to abstract)
Description: A screenshot taken of a biology teacher’s post on Facebook.
A few of the facts that biology teacher Grace Pokela shares:
sex chromosomal variety: Insects use an XO sex determination system, while birds use the ZW system.
environmental factors for sex: A reptile’s sex is at least partly determined by the temperature in which the egg develops.
hermaphroditism: Flatworms transfer sperm through a process called penis fencing (which is described in graphic detail here).
hermaphroditism & sex change: In clownfish colonies, dominance is based on size, the female being the largest and the male being the second largest. If the female dies, the male gains weight and becomes the female for that group.
Editor’s note: The term "hermaphrodite" is appropriate for referring to non-human animals with sex characteristics that do not fit typical binary notions of male or female bodies. For humans, “intersex” is the appropriate term—learn more here!
transgender behavior: Other fish species take on female attributes while mating, and they release sperm in the process.
2+ sexes: Fungi like molds and mushrooms have 36,000 sexes.
In humans, 5-alpha-reductase deficiency is a real (albeit rare) condition, in which young women grow a penis during puberty.
In humans, androgen insensitivity syndrome (AHS) is an intersex condition in which a person who is genetically male is resistant to male hormones . As a result, the person has some or all of the physical traits of a woman, but the genetic makeup of a man.
In humans, the SRY gene is involved in male sexual development—without it fetuses can be genetically male (with XY chromosomes) but have a female body. The same is true in females (with XX chromosomes), who can develop a male body without the SRY gene.
In humans, XXY males are sterile, with small testes—while women with only one X chromosome (a condition called Turner syndrome) are infertile and don’t go through puberty. Males with two X chromosomes (called Klinefelter syndrome) are taller, with a higher risk of breast cancer and osteoporosis.
Read more at https://observer.com/2017/03/transgender-facebook-troll-biology-sexuality/
Early in my teaching career I modified an existing diagram to create this image which shows how meiosis in testes and ovaries functions to complete the human life cycle. I could not in good conscience use existing diagrams where the two rows were labeled “Mother” and “Father”, “Woman” and “Man”, in text colored pink and blue, etc.. I needed something that precisely communicated the structures and processes involved, in a way that was simple for my students. Reflecting back, the phrases in parentheses may or may not be necessary depending on the audience. - Sam
Image is a drawing of two faces split into puzzle pieces with image fragments of a DNA double helix and chromosomes.
In BBC News, William Kremer discusses how homosexuality in humans and animal species may fit in with the theory of evolution.
Image is a drawing of two faces split into puzzle pieces with image fragments of a DNA double helix and chromosomes.
In The Chronicle of Higher Education, evolutionary biologist David P. Barash reviews six leading hypotheses for the evolution of homosexuality as a behavior.
The World Health Organization website has a concise but comprehensive overview of the relationship between genetics, sex, and gender. This website presents an overview of the major ethical, legal, and social implications associated with gender and genetics. This website is a useful resource for students researching sex and gender in the context of genetics or health.
Image shows a small snowman with hat, eyes, and arms created in a plastic container in a science classroom.
This article by Ariel Serkin in Chem Ed Xchange describes the author's choice not to do any Christmas-themed chemistry celebrations that are popular on social media. The author cautions educators that these common school traditions may unintentionally create an environment where students and teachers may feel excluded.
Image shows several slipper limpets (small snail-like organisms) with four captions reading (1) A larva that settles on an unoccupied substrate develops into a female, which produces chemicals that attract other larvae. (2) The larvae attracted by the female settle on top of her and develop into males, which become mates for the original female. (3) Eventually the males on top switch sex, developing into females. (4) They then attract additional larvae, which settle on top of the stack and develop into males. This image is from Genetics: A Conceptual Approach, Fourth Edition.
Slipper limpets are unique because their sexual development is influenced by touch with other individuals of the same species. Maryna Lesoway from the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign concisely explains current research on the phenomenon.
Image shows two purple-colored figures with male symbols and one orange-colored figure with a female symbol, all caring for two yellow-colored babies.
This gallery of art by Humon depicts diverse animal mating behavior in 20 different species.
Image of a rainbow-colored composition notebook with title “2018 LGBTQ Youth Report” and HRC logo.
This is a survey of over 12,000 LGBTQ teenagers in the United States. Although it lacks any specific data about science curriculum, it contains the important finding that only 10% of youth are out to all of their teachers. This informs teachers’ work because we must not assume that there are no LGBTQ students in our classrooms, just because they are not out.
Image shows two graphs displaying information about testosterone levels of men and women in different sports.
In this activity by HHMI BioInteractive, students analyze data on testosterone levels in elite athletes to assess the appropriateness of official athletic policy. First, students learn about the current IAAF and IOC policies for using testosterone levels to determine eligibility for women's sports events. Students interpret the graph and engage in discussion. Statistical concepts include range, sample size, average, threshold, and using a graph to make predictions.
Image shows various birds with unique plumage.
This research by Nathan H. Lents finds that undergraduate students are more likely to accept evolutionary concepts after learning about the biological basis of reproduction and sexuality. The authors suggest that the topics of reproduction and sexuality may be opening students’ minds to accepting the ideas of evolution, or that these topics are high-interest and they make tangible and striking examples of evolution.
This article by Vicky L. Snyder and Francis S. Broadway uses queer theory to question assumptions embedded in high school biology textbooks. The authors identify "deafening silences" on some topics and "socially sanitized concepts". The authors suggest ways to science educators to broaden their perspectives.
Article uploaded with permission from Francis S. Broadway.
This SciShow video reviews several intersex traits in humans and several patterns of hermaphroditism in animal species. At different times in the video, the host describes this phenomenon as a “condition,” “disorder,” and “variation”. You may wish to discuss the impact of these word choices with your students.
Editor’s note: The term "hermaphrodite" is appropriate for referring to non-human animals with sex characteristics that do not fit typical binary notions of male or female bodies. For humans, “intersex” is the appropriate term—learn more here!