Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

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Michael Ann, spooky, scary, spooky scary halloween femme @michaelann.bsky.social · 2d

To all trans PhD students/postdocs entering this year's job market: no, it's *not* you, the faculty members that keep telling you there's great opportunities and then pointing to jobs in places where you would be deeply personally/family/medically unsafe *ARE* being deeply insensitive.

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Claudia Astorino @claudistics.bsky.social · 2d

as an evolutionary bio & bioanthro, I've often wondered how my skeleton differs from typical M and F

my form of intersex, CAIS = my body doesn't use androgens. also, my gonads were removed just after my 1st bday - so I had NO sex hormones from age ~1-8 yr. how does that affect bone growth/dev? 🧪💀🦴

Claudia Astorino @claudistics.bsky.social · 2d

new article is up in full-text in #AJBA @bioanth.org! 🧪 💀

I predicted expression levels for skeletal sex indicators for 9 forms of #intersex, based on what we know ab these intersex variations (and which traits are most likely to affect bone growth, development, & remodeling) #SexualPolymorphism

onlinelibrary.wiley.com

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Beyond X&Y @beyondxandy.bsky.social · 2d

Love these!

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Sarah McAnulty, Ph.D. @sarahmackattack.bsky.social · 2d

I'm doing another print run of these "Biology is Bigger than Binaries" shirts!

Back, quite literally, by popular demand. Bullying works, sure, but so does a bunch of nice cutie patooties politely asking!

Order 'em now, I'll mail 'em in early November.

SquidFacts.net

a woman with short bown hair, glasses, and tassel earrings, wears a purple KN95 and looks cool as hell in her biology is bigger than binaries shirt, in orange

a woman with green glasses takes a selfie lookin' cool as hell in her pink biology is bigger than binaries shirt. She's also got ice cream, that lucky dog.

a woman with long brown hair and glasses hangs out in the back yard with her pink biology is bigger than binaries shirt

A man with a hat and sunglasses stands in hero-pose with his biology is bigger than binaires shirt (orange)

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Beyond X&Y @beyondxandy.bsky.social · 18d

Stay tuned for:
✊ Grassroots activism campaigns
🧬 Educational resources about the science behind sex, gender identity, and gender-affirming care
📰 Summaries & commentary about major news relating to trans health, research, and politics.
🫂 Community building for trans people in the field of biomed

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Reposted by Beyond X&Y

Beyond X&Y @beyondxandy.bsky.social · 5d

"Who decides what is normal development? Who decides what is natural biodiversity or pathological deviation? Who defines the distinction between defect and difference?"

Eugenic attacks on people who are disabled, neurodivergent, queer, trans... They are all linked by fear of diversity

the Node @the-node.bsky.social · 5d

Developmental Biology and Disability.

“Developmental biology is fundamentally beautiful. We are no less beautiful for our variation. Instead, perhaps we are more so. Perhaps we are remarkable. Perhaps we are full of wonder.”

Insightful post by Bethan ⬇️👀
thenode.biologists.com/developmenta...

Developmental Biology and Disability - the Node

Hopeful monsters. Morphospace. Mutation. Natural variation. Mutagenesis screens. Polymorphism. Deformity. Phenotype. Disease. Adaptation. Anomaly.

thenode.biologists.com

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Beyond X&Y @beyondxandy.bsky.social · 5d

"Who decides what is normal development? Who decides what is natural biodiversity or pathological deviation? Who defines the distinction between defect and difference?"

Eugenic attacks on people who are disabled, neurodivergent, queer, trans... They are all linked by fear of diversity

the Node @the-node.bsky.social · 5d

Developmental Biology and Disability.

“Developmental biology is fundamentally beautiful. We are no less beautiful for our variation. Instead, perhaps we are more so. Perhaps we are remarkable. Perhaps we are full of wonder.”

Insightful post by Bethan ⬇️👀
thenode.biologists.com/developmenta...

Developmental Biology and Disability - the Node

Hopeful monsters. Morphospace. Mutation. Natural variation. Mutagenesis screens. Polymorphism. Deformity. Phenotype. Disease. Adaptation. Anomaly.

thenode.biologists.com

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Reposted by Beyond X&Y

Julia Serano @juliaserano.bsky.social · 10d

this is a great video about a disturbing trend that I've experienced in a slightly different context. as a biologist, whenever I talk about natural variation & sexual diversity, I get non-biologists shouting "gametes" & "SRY gene" & accusing me of "covering up" the "reality" of "biological sex"...

Angela Collier @acollierastro.bsky.social · 11d

this is the last physics video for a bit.
and I didn't even get to do any physics.

conspiracy physics and you (and also me)

YouTube video by Angela Collier

youtu.be

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Ashleeee 🌊🪭 @reactiveashley.bsky.social · 13d

“Biological sex” is just “Adam and Eve” dressed up as science.

I’ve tried so many different ways to explain this idea, but I think I’ve finally found the simplest one.

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Daniel Laurison @daniellaurison.bsky.social · 9d

Intersex people are real, trans people are real, biological sex is not binary, gender is complicated, and nothing anyone says can change any of those facts.

Thank you @georgianndavis.bsky.social for this piece and for all your work and speaking out.

Contributor: I'm an intersex professor. Am I supposed to lie by teaching 'only male and female'?

A campaign against teachers who acknowledge realities of human biology forces a choice: Teach truth and risk your job, or lie and maybe keep it.

www.latimes.com

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Jess McLaughlin, PhD (they/them) @jfmclaughlin92.bsky.social · 9d

Real talk, every prof teaching a course with a title like "The Diversity of Human Sexuality" has rehearsed in their mind for a scenario like this but gotta be honest, the whole (huge??) class stepping up was a surprise to me and likely to the prof! Good work everyone.

Queer Satanic @queersatanic.bsky.social · 10d

Wow, the University of Washington's Psych 201 class does *not* play

go fuckin Huskies

Nazi UW students fuck off

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Beyond X&Y @beyondxandy.bsky.social · 10d

That's great! It's not the student's fault that the right has been pushing a misinformation campaign. We need to thoughtfully engage people who are willing to listen and learn 💖

But some people... Some people definitely deserve that meme 😂

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Elinne Becket, PhD @bielleogy.bsky.social · 10d

Lol I read this to my class

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Beyond X&Y @beyondxandy.bsky.social · 10d

Thanks for teaching your students about the nuances around sexual development! We need more professors educating people that sex is not binary

Mike Wiser @drmikewiser.bsky.social · 10d

The specific slides the student objected to:

A slide with the text "Not everyone is XX or XY. Some are XXX, XXY, XYY, or XO. Nondisjunction of sex chromosomes during meiosis: chromatids don't separate and gametes end up with different number of chromosomes" There is a drawing showing what happens to a pair of chromosomes if there is non disjunction in meiosis 1 (one gamete gets a homologous pair of chromosomes while another gets neither -- technically there are two of each type), and if there's non disjunction in meiosis II (one gamete gets two copies of the exact same chromosome) while another doesn't get any copies of that one.

A slide titled "There is no biological support for gender of sex binaries"

Examples:
Biological female with 5-alpha reductase deficiency can develop male reproductive parts.
Born biological male, but insensitive to androgens and phenotypically female.

There are diverse ways of being male, female, or both

Even in organisms other than humans:
Some fundig have over 20,000 distinct sexes
Some species of fish change sex throughout lifetime
Invertebrate hermaphrodites (e.g. worms, clams)
White-throated sparrows effectively have four sexes, determined by sex chromosomes and reproductive behavior

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Science Vs @sciencevs.bsky.social · 10d

This moment from our latest episode with science writer @edyong209.bsky.social is 🔥

We asked Ed — how do we talk up the benefits of science in the face of government cuts? He told us that's the wrong approach. 🧪

Listen wherever, or watch on Spotify 👇

open.spotify.com/episode/7Evh...

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TBD Jones ⚧ @horsestaple.bsky.social · 12d

then simultaneously advance the belief that sex is binary and that it is impossible for one's actual sex to be misaligned with that of their body. It is to suggest billions of years of random flukes produced a 100% flawless process. It's unfathomably unlikely.

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TBD Jones ⚧ @horsestaple.bsky.social · 12d

i've long thought of transphobia as an inherently creationist belief that has finally found a social arena. It is incoherent to believe in evolution - the idea that the existence of life is a coincidence and all differences between species is a result of successful random mutations - and to

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Ashleeee 🌊🪭 @reactiveashley.bsky.social · 12d

When they say “biological sex”, they’re not talking about the hematopoietic PBX-interacting protein, but rather about the Adam and Eve narrative. Just saying.

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Alex Zalben @azalben.bsky.social · 12d

FWIW, what Greg has here is a great simple script for anyone phone shy:

“Hi, I’m one of [rep]’s constituents, and I would like to tell them to vote NO on any bill that cuts trans health care. Trans health care saves lives, and is worth a government shutdown.”

That’s it! That’s all you need to say.

Greg Pak @gregpak.net · 12d

I ALSO GOT THROUGH TO A HUMAN AT SCHUMER'S 202 NUMBER - 202-224-6542

Make those calls, friends! Tell them to vote NO on any bill that cuts trans health care - tell them that trans healthcare saves lives and defending this is worth a shutdown.

Dylan Roth @dylanroth.bsky.social · 12d

I just called Chuck Schumer’s office and, for the first time EVER, a person answered, who then politely entered my complaints into their call log.

This tells me two things:

1) They’re not getting enough calls over there, and 2) If you want to yell at Schumer, today’s the day.

(212) 486-4430

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Chad @kitation.co.uk · 12d

“Anti-trans activists frequently point out the statistically higher percentage of trans people who are also autistic compared to the general population as another reason to override our autonomy as free and equal people by denying us health care”

Transphobia and ableism are bedmates.

Katelyn Boo-urns @katelynburns.com · 13d

For @truthout.org yesterday I wrote about how the government's lies about tylenol and autism reminds me a lot of the government's lies about trans people.

truthout.org/articles/ant...

Anti-Trans Policy Deserves Same Scrutiny as Trump’s Tylenol Disinformation

As a trans journalist, I see corporate media outlets as inconsistent in their treatment of right-wing disinformation.

truthout.org

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Beyond X&Y @beyondxandy.bsky.social · 12d

This is a moment where all cis people need to be calling their elected officials and demanding they protect trans healthcare, even if it means shutting down the government

It doesn't matter if you live somewhere red or blue - everyone needs to hear this

PinkNews @pinknews.bsky.social · 12d

Trump threatens to shut down US government unless Democrats agree to ban all trans health care
https://www.thepinknews.com/2025/09/29/trans-care-ban-government-shutdown/?utm_content=1759153201&utm_medium=social&utm_source=bluesky

Trump threatens to shut down US government unless all trans health care is banned

The US government's looming shutdown hinges on anti-trans measures after Donald Trump refused to speak to Democrats unless they were passed.

www.thepinknews.com

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Claire Zagorski, MSc, EMT-P @clairezagorski.bsky.social · 12d

Also - please bear in mind -

Nothing placates him except total deference. There are several examples of people sacrificing their values at his demand, and it not working out at all.

Giving up trans healthcare won’t get us shit in return. And it’ll be the death of an oppressed minority group.

Beyond X&Y @beyondxandy.bsky.social · 12d

This is a moment where all cis people need to be calling their elected officials and demanding they protect trans healthcare, even if it means shutting down the government

It doesn't matter if you live somewhere red or blue - everyone needs to hear this

PinkNews @pinknews.bsky.social · 12d

Trump threatens to shut down US government unless Democrats agree to ban all trans health care
https://www.thepinknews.com/2025/09/29/trans-care-ban-government-shutdown/?utm_content=1759153201&utm_medium=social&utm_source=bluesky

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Beyond X&Y @beyondxandy.bsky.social · 12d

Great question. Part of it is that the media has directly caused this wave of transphobia for their own benefit of getting clicks

Our hope is that this educational campaign can be a push to get people off their butts

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Beyond X&Y @beyondxandy.bsky.social · 12d

This is a moment where all cis people need to be calling their elected officials and demanding they protect trans healthcare, even if it means shutting down the government

It doesn't matter if you live somewhere red or blue - everyone needs to hear this

PinkNews @pinknews.bsky.social · 12d

Trump threatens to shut down US government unless Democrats agree to ban all trans health care
https://www.thepinknews.com/2025/09/29/trans-care-ban-government-shutdown/?utm_content=1759153201&utm_medium=social&utm_source=bluesky

Trump threatens to shut down US government unless all trans health care is banned

The US government's looming shutdown hinges on anti-trans measures after Donald Trump refused to speak to Democrats unless they were passed.

www.thepinknews.com

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Beyond X&Y @beyondxandy.bsky.social · 18d

Stay tuned for:
✊ Grassroots activism campaigns
🧬 Educational resources about the science behind sex, gender identity, and gender-affirming care
📰 Summaries & commentary about major news relating to trans health, research, and politics.
🫂 Community building for trans people in the field of biomed

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