But during Claire's formative years, she would have been perceived, and presumably treated, as if she were male. When would she have received the cultural conditioning that a perceived-female does?
It's not just cultural, we think.
Quote:
Boys and girls behave in different ways and one of the stereotypical behavioral differences between them, that has often been said to be forced upon them by upbringing and social environment, is their behavior in play. Boys prefer to play with cars and balls, whereas girls prefer dolls. This sex difference in toy preference is present very early in life (3–8 months of age) . The idea that it is not society that forces these choices upon children but a sex difference in the early development of their brains and behavior is also supported by monkey behavioral studies. Alexander and Hines, who offered dolls, toy cars and balls to green Vervet monkeys found the female monkeys consistently chose the dolls and examined these ano-genitally, whereas the male monkeys were more interested in playing with the toy cars and with the ball....
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Sexual Hormones and the Brain: An Essential Alliance for Sexual Identity and Sexual Orientation Garcia-Falgueras A, Swaab DF Endocr Dev. 2010;17:22-35
Biased-Interaction Theory of Psychosexual Development: “How Does One Know if One is Male or Female?” M.Diamond Sex Roles (2006) 55:589–600
A theory of gender development is presented that incorporates early biological factors that organize predispositions in temperament and attitudes. With activation of these factors a person interacts in society and comes to identify as male or female. The predispositions establish preferences and aversions the growing child compares with those of others. All individuals compare themselves with others deciding who they are like (same) and with whom are they different. These experiences and interpretations can then be said to determine how one comes to identify as male or female, man or woman. In retrospect, one can say the person has a gendered brain since it is the brain that structures the individual’s basic personality; first with inherent tendencies then with interactions coming from experience.
Which can be a real bummer if you identify as one sex, but have the superficial appearance of the other. It confuses others, even if it doesn't confuse you as much.
In short - Claire may have looked superficially male at one point in her life. But she was never a boy, and she always saw the world "through female eyes" so to speak. Possibly more so than most women, as there are so many barriers to transition that she'd have to be unusually discomfitted by her situation so that she was forced to do something about it. Although she's mostly healed from that now, remember she was guzzling Ativan at one stage. Being Trans hurts, though YMMV and early intervention can prevent much of that. Being treated as Trans in this society hurts more. In the QCverse, hopefully not quite so much.
Just remember that although the "gendered brain" model is appropriate to use when discussing gender identity, don't take it too far, most of what we call gender, and by that I mean 80% or more, is socially constructed. Biology is fuzzy too, my neurology is masculinised in a classic CAH female pattern (see below) yet I identify as female because the parts of my brain influencing gender identity (and much else) is definitely F. Treat people as individuals, not stereotypes.
“Prenatal hormones versus postnatal socialization by parents as determinants of male-typical toy play in girls with congenital adrenal hyperplasia” Pasterski VL, Geffner ME, Brain C, Hindmarsh P, Brook C, Hines M Child Dev 76(1):264-78 2005
Data show that increased male-typical toy play by girls with CAH cannot be explained by parental encouragement of male-typical toy play. Although parents encourage sex-appropriate behavior, their encouragement appears to be insufficient to override the interest of girls with CAH in cross-sexed toys.
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Topic: WCDT Strips 3306 - 3310 (12th to 16th September 2016) (Read 40174 times)