Gender Identity

BALTIMORE -- Dr. John Money, a psychologist and sex researcher who coined the terms "gender identity" and "gender role" and who was a pioneer in studies of sexual identity, died Friday at St. Joseph Medical Center in Towson. He was 84. Dr. Money died of complications from Parkinson's disease, said Sally Hopkins, his niece. Dr. Money was born in New Zealand and immigrated to the United States in 1947. He conducted research for about 50 years at Johns Hopkins University, where he was a professor of medical psychology.

Activists say Argentina now leads the world in transgender rights after giving people the freedom to change their legal and physical gender identity simply because they want to, without having to undergo judicial, psychiatric and medical procedures beforehand. The gender identity law that won congressional approval with a 55-0 Senate vote Wednesday night is the latest in a growing list of bold moves on social issues by the Argentine government, which also legalized gay marriage two years ago. These changes primarily affect minority groups, but they are fundamental, President Cristina...

Crimes provoked by the victim's gender identity would be considered hate crimes under legislation scheduled for a vote in Rhode Island's General Assembly. The House is set to take up the bill Wednesday. Similar legislation was introduced last year but did not pass. Current state law defines hate crimes as any crime motivated by prejudice involving race, religion, ethnicity, sexual orientation, homelessness or disability. The bill would add gender identity and gender expression to the list.

Adults who want sex-change surgery or hormone therapy in Argentina will be able to get it as part of their public or private health care plans under a gender rights law approved Wednesday. The measure also gives people the right to specify how their gender is listed at the civil registry when their physical characteristics don't match how they see themselves. Senators approved the Gender Identity law by a vote of 55-0, with one abstention and more than a dozen senators declaring themselves absent — the same margin that approved a "death with dignity" law earlier in the day. ...

While there is great diversity among people who identify themselves as lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender, it's clear that the group as a whole experiences significant health disparities, many linked to social stigmas. They have higher rates of psychiatric disorders and substance abuse, and are more likely to experience violence. Gay men are at higher risk of some sexually transmitted diseases, and lesbian or bisexual women are more likely to be overweight. Transgender people may be at greater risk for cardiovascular disease because of...

HARTFORD — Connecticut has moved closer to adding transgendered people to the list of classes of citizens protected from discrimination. Early yesterday morning, the Senate passed a gender identity protection bill on a 20-16 vote. The bill has already passed the House of Representatives, and Democratic Governor Dannel P. Malloy said he would sign it into law “This bill is another step forward in the fight for equal rights for all of Connecticut’s citizens, and it’s the right thing to do,’’ he said in a written statement issued shortly after the vote was taken.

Activists say Argentina now leads the world in transgender rights after giving people the freedom to change their legal and physical gender identity simply because they want to, without having to undergo judicial, psychiatric and medical procedures beforehand. The gender identity law that won congressional approval with a 55-0 Senate vote Wednesday night is the latest in a growing list of bold moves on social issues by the Argentine government, which also legalized gay marriage two years ago. These changes primarily affect minority groups, but they are fundamental,...

The U.N. human rights office is urging Chile to pass new laws against hate crimes and discrimination after the killing of a young gay man found beaten with swastikas carved into his body. Rupert Colville, a spokesman for the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights, says the "particularly abhorrent murder" of 24-year-old Daniel Zamudio, who died Tuesday night, 25 days after he was attacked, demands news laws against discrimination because of sexual orientation and gender identity.

A PROPOSED ban on discrimination against transgender people would have virtually no effect on most people in Massachusetts. But it would enormously improve the lives of a small minority, whose ability to find jobs and places to live is compromised by the fact that their gender identity differs from their sex at birth. The bill would forbid discrimination on the basis of gender identity in areas such as employment, housing, and public accommodations, and would add offenses based on gender identity to the list of potential hate crimes.

A small but growing number of teens and even younger children who think they were born the wrong sex are getting support from parents and from doctors who give them sex-changing treatments, according to reports in the medical journal Pediatrics. It's an issue that raises ethical questions, and some experts urge caution in treating children with puberty-blocking drugs and hormones. An 8-year-old second-grader in Los Angeles is a typical patient. Born a girl, the child announced at 18 months, "I a boy" and has stuck with that belief.

The U.N. human rights office is urging Chile to pass new laws against hate crimes and discrimination after the killing of a young gay man found beaten with swastikas carved into his body. Rupert Colville, a spokesman for the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights, says the "particularly abhorrent murder" of 24-year-old Daniel Zamudio, who died Tuesday night, 25 days after he was attacked, demands news laws against discrimination because of sexual orientation and gender identity.

CHICAGO - A small but growing number of teens and even younger children who think they were born the wrong sex are getting support from parents and from doctors who give them sex-changing treatments, according to reports in the medical journal Pediatrics. It is an issue that raises ethical questions, and some specialists urge caution in treating children with puberty-blocking drugs and hormones. Pediatricians need to know these children exist and deserve treatment, said Dr. Norman Spack, author of one of three reports published today and director of one of the nation's first gender...

A small but growing number of teens and even younger children who think they were born the wrong sex are getting support from parents and from doctors who give them sex-changing treatments, according to reports in the medical journal Pediatrics. It's an issue that raises ethical questions, and some experts urge caution in treating children with puberty-blocking drugs and hormones. An 8-year-old second-grader in Los Angeles is a typical patient. Born a girl, the child announced at 18 months, "I a boy" and has stuck with that belief.

Crimes provoked by the victim's gender identity would be considered hate crimes under legislation scheduled for a vote in Rhode Island's General Assembly. The House is set to take up the bill Wednesday. Similar legislation was introduced last year but did not pass. Current state law defines hate crimes as any crime motivated by prejudice involving race, religion, ethnicity, sexual orientation, homelessness or disability. The bill would add gender identity and gender expression to the list.

While there is great diversity among people who identify themselves as lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender, it's clear that the group as a whole experiences significant health disparities, many linked to social stigmas. They have higher rates of psychiatric disorders and substance abuse, and are more likely to experience violence. Gay men are at higher risk of some sexually transmitted diseases, and lesbian or bisexual women are more likely to be overweight. Transgender people may be at greater risk for cardiovascular disease because of...

Young elementary school students should use the proper names for body parts and, by the end of fifth grade, know that sexual orientation is "the romantic attraction of an individual to someone of the same gender or a different gender," according to new sexual education guidelines released Monday by a coalition of health and education groups. The non-binding recommendations to states and school districts seek to encourage age-appropriate discussions about sex, bullying and healthy relationships — starting with a foundation even before second grade.

Adults who want sex-change surgery or hormone therapy in Argentina will be able to get it as part of their public or private health care plans under a gender rights law approved Wednesday. The measure also gives people the right to specify how their gender is listed at the civil registry when their physical characteristics don't match how they see themselves. Senators approved the Gender Identity law by a vote of 55-0, with one abstention and more than a dozen senators declaring themselves absent — the same margin that approved a "death with dignity" law earlier in the day. ...

WASHINGTON - Gay victims of violence would gain new federal protections under a revived and expanded hate crimes bill passed by the House yesterday over conservatives' objections. Hate crimes - as defined by the bill - are those motivated by prejudice and based on someone's race, color, religion, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, or disability. The bill, which passed 249 to 175, could provide a financial bonanza to state and local authorities, with grants for investigation and prosecution of hate crimes.