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Author Archive: danabevan
Dana Jennett Bevan holds a Ph.D. from Princeton University and a Bachelors degree from Dartmouth College both in experimental psychology. She is the author of The Transsexual Scientist which combines biology with autobiography as she came to learn about transgenderism throughout her life. Her second book The Psychobiology of Transsexualism and Transgenderism is a comprehensive analysis of TSTG research and was published in 2014 by Praeger under the pen name Thomas E. Bevan. Her third book Being Transgender was released by Praeger in November 2016. She can be reached at danabevan@earthlink.net.
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Dana Bevan was called upon to help put together a course to educate police officers about transgenderism. The course was being developed by the Department of Justice and was slated to be rolled out to police departments around the country. Dana participated in a trial run of the course in Atlanta but then, after being told to wait for contact from the DOJ, she heard nothing. Today she explains what was being done and asks if any of our readers know if the course is still being considered.
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Dana Bevan reviews the scientifically established facts about the transgender condition. From the simple definitions needed to discuss transgender issues on into the DNA of trans people, the discredited theories of why we are transgendered, and the best estimates of how many humans are transgendered. Be prepared. There will be a blue book exam after you’ve read Dana’s column.
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Every week we make more progress in acceptance of trans people and more and more localities amend their human rights anti-discrimination laws to add protections for trans people. But while this goes on in the legislative bodies and the courts are charged with enforcement we still hear of incidents of violence and discrimination against us. What can we do to change that? Dana Bevan believes we need to work harder at changing our culture. Today she tells you how.
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The TG world presents images now and then of forced crossdressing, CD “sissy” maids waiting on their leather and stiletto clad mistresses and there are stories of men being feminized by dominant women. Do these stories and images mean that there is a strong connection between the worlds of TGTS and BDSM? Dana Bevan takes a look at that question.
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Dana Bevan chose to “come out” to her adult daughters by sending them a letter in which she revealed that she is a trans woman. Since Dana is an expert on trans issues her letter not only tells her daughters about her gender status but gives them important information about how gender is assigned. We bring you her letter today so you can see how Dana handled telling her daughters and in hopes that you will find her technique useful if you have to come out to someone.
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Dana Bevan is not a medical doctor but she does know what the scientific evidence says about taking progesterone as part of MtF TS hormone therapy with regard to breast development. Clinicians are divided on the subject but there are those MtF TS and doctors who swear it makes a big difference, and public information sources support the MtF TS contentions.
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Are you happy that The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders–5 changed “gender identity disorders” to “gender dysphoria”? If you feel that that is a big win for trans people you should read this post from Dana Bevan. It seems that the DSM is in Bevan’s words “a sham.” It’s not HIPAA compliant and it has become irrelevant to the mental health professions. What we need to change is the ICD. What’s the ICD? Let Dana explain it to you.
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With the advent of online connectivity we have seen the decline and disappearance of support groups for TGs. With the ability to network online (on sites like TGF) TGs can meet people, chat, discuss trans issues and exchange makeup tips. Does this mean that the in person transgender support group meeting is the dinosaur of the 21st century? And what about TG conventions? Many of those have disappeared, too. Get Dana Bevan’s take.
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Transgender children now have new opportunities to express their biological gender predisposition. Both social transition and puberty delay are now recognized as appropriate options for some transgender children. This represents a change in the guidelines set by the World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH), which sets standards for medical and mental health treatment of […]
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Paul McHugh is a former Professor of Psychiatry at Johns Hopkins who denies the existence of trans as a real condition. He claims it is a disorder that is all in the mind and that transgendered people don’t deserve to have their civil rights guaranteed. He believes SRS is a waste of money and doesn’t resolve gender dysphoria. McHugh can believe what he wants but when he publishes his beliefs in a major newspaper as fact he does major harm to trans people. Dana Bevan tells us why.
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No, we are not talking about Top Gun or 12 O’clock High, we are talking about the tendency of transgender people to join the military. It is well documented that transgender people join the military at about twice the rate of the United States general population. Understanding of why transgender people are attracted to the […]
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A lot has been written in the clinical literature showing that transgender males grow up to be gay. This has been echoed in the popular literature as well. Many parents panic and take their children into the clinic if they see signs of transgender behavior in their children. Ethical therapists will provide supportive counseling for […]
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Dr. Dana Bevan has a confession to make. For fifty years she identified as a non-transsexual transgendered person. And as such she kept her TG feelings and desires hidden. She concentrated on service to her country and things stayed that way until the end of the cold war. That’s when her identity had to change and she realized she was a transsexual person. That’s when she also came to feel that no TS should put down non-TS TGs.
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Do prenatal testosterone levels cause transgender behavior? Is MTF transgenderism caused by low prenatal testosterone levels and FTM transgenderism caused by levels that are too high. The Prenatal Testosterone Theory of Transgenderism was developed by some East German scientists in an effort to please their socialist and Soviet masters during the 1960’s that recommended that […]
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Since no one has any idea of why transgendered people exist, other than we are born that way, there are theories that circulate. One of them is that while in the womb a fetus is subjected to “baths” of hormones and too much of one or too little of another gives the child masculine or feminine gender mapping in their brain. The hormone theory is based on research that you may find shocking, and Dr. Dana Bevan says it is just plain wrong.
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Did you know keeping secrets can have negative physical consequences? Sure, you’ve been keeping your crossdressing a secret because you fear negative physical consequences from your loved ones or associates. Fear of the negative reaction of friends, family and society in general is what makes a transgendered person keep their inclinations a secret. Dr. Dana Bevan tells us about the effects of keeping the real you a secret.
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Did you enlist in the armed forces to escape your transgender tendencies? Did you get married believing that settling down in a committer relationship would “cure” you? Is that really what goes on with TGs who enlist or get married? Some studies say yes, enlisting in the armed forces is a flight to hyper masculinity. Having to be the “man” in a relationship may be seen as another “cure” for TG issues. But are these behaviors what they appear to be? Could there be another reason why TGs join the military or get married? Dr. Dana Bevan has another hypothesis.
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TGs often find themselves sexually aroused when they first begin to experiment with dressing up. While some claim they were never aroused by their crossdressing others in the community seem to be turned on at the drop of a high heeled pump. What does the science behind sexual arousal say about the erotic pull of femme attire for MtFs? Doctor Dana Bevan tells us in today’s post.
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Today Dr. Dana Bevan doesn’t blind you with science. She takes you on a scientific trip through the brain and points out the differences that can be found using sophisticated instruments between the brains of non-TG/TS people and those of TG/TS people. Research on deceased TG/TS brains pointed toward differences in brain structure and today’s modern magnetic resonance imaging is finding even more. Read Beyond the BNST to first of all find out what the BNST is and then learn why it’s looking more and more as if we’re born this way.
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Dr. Dana Bevan believes that being transgendered is not a choice. She also believes that most of the choices we make are not made by our conscious minds but by the bits of programming and wiring that integrates our nervous systems with our brains. As she puts it, most people believe there is a “little person” inside their head that makes decisions for us. They call it a soul or spirit. Evidence though points to our “decisions” including acting out TG behavior, are all made by parts of our brains that are not under our control. Food for thought indeed.
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A letter to the editor of The New York Times from a “Big Shrink” concerning the case of Coy Mathis, the young TG who can now use the girls’ room at her school, raised the hackles of our contributor Dr. Dana Bevan. Dr. Bevan takes the shrink to task for not understanding transgender issues and for pushing an agenda of “reparative therapy” for TG children. And the shrink makes statements that aren’t backed up by scientific evidence. Decide for yourself who’s the winner in Coy vs. the Big Shrink.
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Looking for examples of transgenderism from around the world to include in her next book Dr. Dana Bevan found herself on a virtual tour of the planet, and she found transgendered people in many places. From North American Native tribes to such far flung areas as Indonesia, Siberia, Iran and Mexico Dr. Bevan was able to find not just a third gender but in some cases five genders. And she learned that transgendered people exist in cultures that have religious restrictions against dressing as the opposite sex. Take the tour today with Dr. Bavan and learn about TGs around the world.
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There are good reasons that the words “sex” and “gender” are not interchangeable. In her post today Dr. Dana Bevan tells us why this is so and why transgendered people in particular should insist that physical sex and gender identity be kept separate.
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Doctor Dana Bevan comes to TGForum today with the first of a series of articles on her research into the causes of transgenderism. Dr. Bevan holds a Ph.D. in experimental psychology from Princeton University and is the author of “The Transsexual Scientist.” Welcome her to TGForum.
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