Abstract

In this paper I review the biogenetic work relating to transsexualism, considering the literature, which has purported to have found biological causal links for the ‘syndrome’ of gender identity disorder, which I will argue is a form of empirical symbolic violence that can both engender a generative agentic (il)logic whilst restricting moves towards gender variance. From a Differently Sexed Development DSD (Diamond, 2008) analytical perspective, the paper critiques the simplistic constructs used to formulate analyses found in these biogenetic studies. Biogenetic work rely on constructs, such as ‘sex dimorphic behavior’ and ‘sex dimorphic fetal environments’ and binary logics in general, which the review found to be an oversimplification. The paper goes on to reveal that biogenetic work forecloses a polymorphous potentiality of humans. The paper concludes with a phenomenological critique, which advances the understanding that we are all sexually developing differently, that is, we are more similar than different in our biological make-up, but all asymmetrical in our sexual development due to our ‘violent’ lived world experiences.