#innate

[chronicallyleggless]

System origin blinkies pt. 2!!! (Full pack)

ABSOLUTELY NO SYSCOURSE

[mechkura]

Mike discovering that Ren Faire is a thing and learning secretly how to sword fight, just to invite the rest of the party to come as knights and enter the amatuer sword fighting comp for funsies-

The boys haven't seen Mike and one of the organisers (a friend of Mike's) says he's just been busy helping set up and told them to let the boys know he'd be along later.

Turns out there aren't many fighters and all of the others get knocked out by the champion who is in full armour (helmet included) as a HANDICAP because it's fucking heavy stuff trust me - practice swords though, first blood wins rules. There's a red paint/ink/powder or something on the challengers blade so it'll appear on the armour if the champion loses.

I think Dustin would be first to lose of the boys, then Will and Lucas would put up the best fight because he is the most fighter class type irl (most physical anyways as an athlete)

And after the champion clean sweeps everyone they take of their helmet and it's just Mike this whole time

And ofc it blows their minds but Will gets to see IRL Paladin Mike and he doesn't quite know what to do with himself because omg that boy is HAWT LIKE DAMN

Which means Mike's plan secretly worked bc he just wanted to be a Paladin for Will as his way of trying to woo the man he let go once, and learned it was a mistake of and is trying to fix that now ♡

[khert-hypervisor-level-i]

Innate Parrot

drawn by @unsoundedcomic in response anons finding the limits of who can cast pymary

[religion-is-a-mental-illness]

The Pseudoscience in the Case Against Trump’s Transgender Military Ban

Scientific research doesn’t support the claim of an “immutable” transgender identity.

By: Christina Buttons

Published: Apr 14, 2025

The claim that transgender status is immutable and biologically based was raised in the recent case of Talbott v. Trump. Eight plaintiffs—six active-duty service members and two individuals seeking to enlist—are challenging President Trump’s January 27 executive order barring transgender individuals from military service. The plaintiffs’ filings refer to “gender identity” as a deeply ingrained and involuntary characteristic with a biological basis—language that can be used to claim constitutional protections. The plaintiffs allege that the ban amounts to unlawful discrimination under the equal protection clause of the Fifth Amendment.

During hearings in February 2025, U.S. District Judge Ana C. Reyes pressed Department of Justice attorneys on the administration’s justification for the order. She instructed both parties to brief the court on “questions of biology,” prompting the plaintiffs to submit a five-page brief arguing that transgender identity is both innate and immutable.

This claim carries implications far beyond military recruitment. Activists have used it to justify medical interventions for minors, inform education policies, and establish civil rights protections for “gender identity” comparable with those for race and sexual orientation. There’s just one problem: the plaintiffs’ brief—and the immutability argument more broadly—doesn’t withstand scientific scrutiny.

Though the plaintiffs’ filing never defines gender identity—commonly understood by its proponents as a person’s “internal sense of being male, female, both, or neither”—it nonetheless describes it as “innate,” “deep-seated,” and “impervious to change through external influences.” The brief also claims that a “scientific consensus” exists supporting the biological basis of transgender identity and asserting that transgender individuals constitute “a discernible class.”

The brief’s claim that transgender identity is both innate and immutable appears to rely on a misreading of the evidence. While “innate” typically refers to traits present at birth, “immutable” implies that they cannot be changed. Even early researchers who believed gender dysphoria might be innate did not consider it immutable—particularly in children. Decades of desistance research suggest that 85 percent to 90 percent of children with gender dysphoria who do not undergo medical transition eventually outgrow those feelings, with most going on to become gay or lesbian adults. The growing visibility of detransitioners—individuals who once identified as transgender but later reversed course—further challenges the idea that transgender identity is invariably fixed.

Even if biology plays a role, transgender identification does not arise from a single cause. The heterogeneity within trans-identified populations makes it unlikely that one universal explanation applies across the board. Research instead points to several developmental pathways: a homosexual pathway, historically seen primarily in boys and linked to childhood gender nonconformity and same-sex attraction; an autogynephilic pathway, primarily in adult men, involving sexual arousal at the thought of being female; and rapid-onset gender dysphoria, a pattern that has recently emerged mainly among adolescent girls and shaped by social and psychological factors. These distinct profiles challenge any effort to define transgender identity as a singular, biologically determined condition.

To a layperson, the plaintiffs’ brief may appear persuasive. It employs technical language, cites scientific studies, and references earlier court rulings that treated transgender status as immutable.

But none of this holds up under closer scrutiny. The rulings cited failed to examine the underlying evidence, instead reinforcing a kind of circular legal logic. The studies—focused on brain structure, twin concordance, genetics, and fetal hormone exposure—can give the illusion of a solid scientific foundation, but they are fraught with limitations. They often rely on small, non-representative samples, produce inconsistent results, fail to control for key confounding variables, and lack reliable replication. What remains is a patchwork of inconclusive findings, frequently overstated to support broad claims.

To assess the plaintiffs’ scientific claims properly, it helps to understand that, while sex itself is binary, many sex-related physical and psychological traits exist along a continuum. Some individuals naturally display traits more commonly associated with the opposite sex—often referred to as gender or sex nonconformity. Evidence suggests that prenatal hormone exposure can shape such traits in both boys and girls. Childhood gender nonconformity, a term used in clinical research, has also been strongly associated with same-sex attraction.

Social and cultural influences shape how these traits are understood and expressed. For some, these traits may cause distress, leading to a diagnosis like gender dysphoria. In today’s environment, where transgender identity is often conflated with gender nonconformity, individuals who don’t conform to traditional sex stereotypes may interpret their experiences as an internal “mismatch,” rather than as natural variations in behavior, personality, or sexual orientation.

Sex-based differences in brain structure are well-documented, and, as neuroimaging techniques advanced in the early 2000s, researchers began searching for neurological correlates of gender dysphoria. This sparked a wave of transgender brain studies, many of which received enthusiastic media coverage. Many have referenced these studies to support the idea of a “neurological sex”—that the brain possesses an internal sex separate from the body.

Building on this idea, the brief claims that “research shows transgender women and non-transgender women have similar brain structures,” citing five studies. But these findings are complicated by confounding variables. The use of cross-sex hormones—commonly used among those who medically transition—can alter brain anatomy. And sexual orientation can independently influence brain structure. When studies control for these factors, the results often show that the brains of trans-identified individuals more closely resemble those of their biological sex.

The brief also cites a review of numerous twin case studies to suggest a genetic basis for transgender identity. While identical twins in the review were more likely than fraternal twins to identify as transgender, this does not constitute strong evidence of genetic causation. The research relies on case reports of twins raised together, making it difficult to separate genetic influence from environmental and social factors. Identical twins often share closer emotional bonds, which can influence belief systems and reinforce shared identities.

In nearly every case where both twins identified as transgender, both were also homosexual. The one exception involved a pair of identical twins described in the literature as exhibiting “transvestic fetishism”—a condition now more commonly referred to as autogynephilia. This raises the possibility that the studies are not capturing a genetic basis for transgender identity, but rather a shared predisposition for same-sex attraction.

The study’s findings also diverge from what would be expected if transgender identity were strongly heritable: concordance rates between identical twins—that is, how often both twins in a pair identified as transgender—were modest, while fraternal twins showed no concordance at all. For comparison, twin studies on homosexuality show a more typical genetic pattern, with fraternal twins exhibiting about half the concordance rate of identical twins.

The brief references a study of genetic variants—differences in DNA sequences—related to sex-hormone pathways. These pathways influence how the body produces or responds to hormones like testosterone and estrogen, which may in turn affect behavior patterns traditionally associated with masculinity or femininity. Atypicality in these traits reflect gender nonconformity—not transgender identity itself. While these variants may be more common in trans-identified populations, they are neither unique to, nor predictive of, transgender identity. The authors of the study explicitly caution that “none of the studied variants could hence be assumed to be a primary cause of this condition.”

The brief also cites research on congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH), a disorder of sex development in which female fetuses are exposed to elevated levels of testosterone due to adrenal gland dysfunction. This excess androgen can lead to masculinized physical traits and more traditionally male-typical behaviors in childhood. While the brief interprets this as evidence that prenatal hormones shape “gender identity,” what the research actually shows is an association between prenatal androgens and masculinized behaviors or interests—that is, gender nonconformity, not identity rejection. Most girls with CAH continue to identify as female, despite these biological effects.

Taken together, the studies cited in the immutability brief do not establish that transgender identification is biologically determined. Instead, they more consistently reflect patterns of gender nonconformity and same-sex attraction. Ultimately, transgender identification is an individual choice made in response to gender-related distress—not the result of a hardwired biological condition.

Misinterpreting the findings of these studies as evidence of a fixed transgender identity risks narrowing society’s understanding of gender nonconformity. Rather than encouraging individuals to alter themselves to fit a prescribed identity, we should create space for a broader range of expression—recognizing that many gender-nonconforming children grow up to be gay or lesbian adults.

As courts and policymakers weigh the arguments in Talbott v. Trump and similar cases, they should treat claims of scientific certainty with skepticism. Decisions with profound personal and social consequences demand clear evidence, honest interpretation, and restraint in drawing conclusions that the research cannot support.

==

I love how "sex is a spectrum," yet somehow an MRI can test for and reveal a "brain sex" binary of a male brain in a female body, or vice versa. And yet also we should trust "self ID," because people can just feel the results of an MRI innately.

"Gender identity" is "innate" and "immutable," except that it's also a "social construct," "not a simple fixed binary construct," "fluid" and a "journey."

Mind-body dualism is a deranged Wonkian boatride.

[themself]

would I sound crazy if I said that one of my beliefs lately is in abolishing romance as like a structure

[angelaeleni]

Decide that you are worth it even if you feel like you’re not. You are worth the changes you want to experience for yourself.

[beyond-mogai-pride-flags]

Born This Way Pride Flag

Born This Way: an innatist identity narrative.

[swanlike-elegance]

People are proposing that Mirabel is essentially ‘the new candle’ and thus the new source of the magic, but in as much as this theory is interesting, I’d like to put forth my own take why I think Mirabel remaining ‘giftless’ in her family makes for a more meaningful ending.

You see the whole magical aspect of the movie Encanto makes for more fantastical storytelling, but actually being the only perceived failing member in a family when the others are seen as very successful and/or gifted is obviously not exclusive to fiction.

One of the main points and overall meanings to the movie is that there are those who are not seen as successful and amazing by others and society in general, but who still can contribute something of importance and value to others. I don’t think Mirabel has to have an amazing magical gift, or be the new head of the family, or some bearer of a magical candle, or any of that.

Mirabel is just a normal girl who saw her family was in trouble and despite being looked down on by some, pushed aside by others, and having her very real concerns met with disbelief, she pushed through and took it upon herself to get to the bottom of things to help her family, selflessly.

Rather than having some flashy ‘gift’, her character is what is really special about her. She is caring, kind, empathetic, and determined. And she’s talented at sewing and embroidering too!

I do relate to people wishing Mirabel had a magical gift though, because when we see her struggle throughout the movie with others looking down on her and she herself wrestling with her insecurities, even to the point of singing a song like Waiting on a Miracle: we can’t help but sympathize with her desire to measure up.

In life I think everyone has some expectation put upon us by someone - maybe society, friends, family or even ourselves that is something we honestly will never measure up to no matter how hard we try. And it’s a difficult thing to come to terms with because we really wish we could be that. We long to shine like those around us seem to shine.

Encanto serves as a reminder that people have more innate worth regardless of how others see them, and that those who we perceive to ‘shine’ have their own insecurities and fears to work through just like you. And you don’t have to be seen as a gifted individual or a real success by others or even yourself to be worthwhile.

As much as there’s a part of me that would love to see Mirabel get a magical gift and totally live out her fantasy of being all magical and awesome, it’s really not the point. She’s already awesome the way she is. That’s the point.