The California Dreamin Transgender Convention, April 17-20, 2008, at the Hotel Doubletree, San Jose

The Biology of Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity: what we know and what we don't know

When: Friday, April 20, 4:30–5:30

Where: San Martin Room

In a maelstrom of politics, court rulings, and proposals to amend the constitution, what determines sexual orientation and gender identity remains confusing. Often the media hypes the results of biological research on sexual orientation. Yet, the reports on biological findings are filtered through the journalists’ understanding of the science and at times are misrepresented. Further, parties who are both for and against the rights of sexual minorities reinterpret these media reports. This can make it difficult to sort fact from fiction. The purpose of this presentation is to provide an overview on what the biological research has shown in regards to sexual orientation and gender identity.

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Francisco “Cisco” J. Sánchez is a Psychology Research Fellow in Dr. Eric Vilain’s Center for Gender-Based Biology at the UCLA School of Medicine. He received his B.S. in Psychology from Texas A&M University and his Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology from the University of Iowa. His current research interests mainly stem from his extensive clinical training—in particular his work with gay men and gender variant individuals. His primary research project is on the neurological and genetic basis of male-to-female transsexualism. He also studies the effect traditional masculine norms on gay men, and he is involved in the lab’s genetics of sexual orientation study.