Considerations about our scientific background and points of principle:

• 1. Gender identity, being a self-perception, is a dynamic development that has as its core part, the brain;
• 2. Inside the brain, the core part is the basal "reptilian" brain, including hypothalamus, stria terminalis, amygdalas and limbic system, among other possible parts;
• 3. Genes, hormones and the time inside the womb are fundamentally important factors that affect gender identity formation;
• 4. Even being very important, the brain and other factors are not the only factors that are important on gender identity development;
• 5. Gender identity development is a complex process, that is related to a many causes to many effects process. That process has known and unknown controls;
• 6. For all collectivity, with or without a typical sexual development, there may be unexpected developments, as extreme events with low probability;
• 7. Due to the unexpected developments that as extreme events surely happen with low probabilities, we may say the gender identity development system has a chaotic and deterministic pattern;
• 8. Due to that chaotic pattern, for each individual, even with typical sexual development, we may not be sure "a priori" which will be the development. So we may define an individual intrinsical unpredictability;
• 9. Even unpredictable for each individual, we have and may look for typical patterns or signatures for typical states - as the states defined by SOC 6th of WPATH;
• 10. To study these typical states we may define a state space we call gender space, which limits are pure masculinity (M) and femininity (F). Any unexpected development may be represented inside that virtual state space;
• 11. We may define two half spaces - MtF and FtM, considering the sex of original assignment (M and F respectively);
• 12. We need to consider outside that state space representation, any atypical sexual development (intersex);
• 13. We may develop instruments - questionaries (as the MFX and FMX tests developed by Gendercare) and even games for children (as our Ways & Dreams embrionary game-test), estimulating each individual to remember facts and feelings that can show the gender identity evolution in time and the dynamic characteristics of that development;
• 14. Through these instruments we may develop time-series considering the unexpected gender and other scales for each evaluated individual;
• 15. We may calculate return maps, phase space diagrams, recurrence plots and other measurements for each family of patients (considering the SOS 6th from WPATH for example), to find typical patterns and signatures;
• 16. We may compare patients with these patterns and signatures for an objective differential diagnosis.
• 17. That diagnosis is objective and not limited to any etiology hypothesis;
• 18. That diagnosis is not dependent which is the sexual orientation of any patient. We study also that variable, but the gender identity measurement is not necessarily dependent on it;
• 19. We study that system as a discrete system, where we may consider one measurable observable considering Taken's theorem;
• 20. We have sufficient evidence to say, that system probably is a self-similar one, showing a diversity of possibilities and not necessarily "abnormalities".

For more details about that background and points of principle, see please our "Chicago" papers at the download section.

 

Follow please, some considerations.

Historically due to reproduction, sex and gender was always directly related to a Male - Female bipolarity. With the recent possibility of reproduction control and the increasing of human population, more attention is given to pleasure and other values of sex and gender.

The gray zone, between strictly male or female is becoming increasingly visible - and important.

Intersex, crossdressing, each day are realities that are more perceived and discussed.

Old ideological and religious points of view are also changing and being re-thinked.

But to be not perfectly inside one of the two boxes, M and F, is still a problem. For some an inner problem, a lack of harmony problem, and these problems for all may elicit psychological, family and social problems.

We are sure, most of these problems are not mental ones in its etiology - but they may trigger a consequent mental morbity - when very intensive and when the person is specially fragile.

Difficulties to have good jobs is a big problem, mainly for transsexuals and transgenders. Social ostracism is terrible and absolutely unfair against them.

Lack of good help is a problem for almost all.

We are sure each person with inner gender problems is the BEST PERSON to EVALUATE THE OWN CONDITION, but health related conditions may exist, and each person needs to be evaluated as a whole - in the most objectively way possible.

That way we intend to help - always centered in the client - stimulating the client self-perception - we may help the client to understand the situation and show us the signs through which we may evaluate it precisely and from then on erect together in cooperation a strategy to develop from then on.

Since 2001 we are developing an objective method to help people that need that kind of help through a web-based service. Each person would not need to travel miles and miles to have help - would not need to expend money, time and effort with trips - would not need to show themselves for one therapist after another looking for help, sometimes suffering difficult situations but from a computer and a connection - from home or near home - could have immediate help - even from the Sahara desert or the Amazon forest.

But good intentions are not enough, we need knowledge to develop feasible methods to do that.

What was our main scientific background to develop that method? Let now we try to follow for a more deep level.

1st: We start considering gender identity formation - as a self-perception - is something dynamic - something that develops and "a priori" is unpredictable, even when the genitals are well formed (no intersex). The existence of transsexuals (TS/HBS) is the evidence. We consider also that the identity may develop in an unexpected way in different degrees! Crossdressers in a mild degree, transgenders in a higher degree, and transsexuals in an absolute degree.

2nd. If there are perceptible degrees, we may measure them. There are popular free scales for measurement of these degrees as the Cogiati scale, and also our free MF9 and FM1 scales, among other ones that even roughly try to measure the space of these degrees. These scales are good to measure degrees for the study of a space of variations and its spectrum, but not necessarily to diagnose or evaluate people definitively and to suggest any body transition!

3rd. In science, for all phenomenom, we may study the state space of it - where and how the phenomenom as a dynamic system develops, considering mathematical instruments. One of them is the "power spectra" analysis. The power spectrum is the plot of incidence (frequency) versus intensity (power). The evaluation of hurricanes (their grades are determined by power spectrum analysis), earthquaques (Richter scale is a power spectrum), are examples. Power spectra analysis is specially important and efficient when the system is rich in "extreme events" - catastrophic very rare events that may trigger great consequences (in mathematics and statistics these systems have "heavy tail probability distributions" - very far from Gaussian distributions). Gender identity develops EXTREME EVENTS. So as a state space and as a system, it is complex, heavy tailled, with the possibility of extreme events. In gender space, the extreme events happen with very low probabilities (as TS/HBS and TG for example) and may have a catastrophic intensity. Transsexual and transgender phenomena are rare but may be catastrophic for persons, families and communities !

4th. That way, we are enriching our knowledge about gender identity formation and its possible states. There are multiple states, in a gradation that is measurable - as all gradations are possible to be measured!

5th. We measured that gradation after more than 1000 evaluations with our MF9 and FM1 scales for intensity and Lynn Conway's data for incidence, and our result shows a near linear log-log plot for incidence versus intensity, which means fractality, naturality, diversity, self-similarity - in other words, by an analogy, as we may measure earthquaques and hurricane scales, we may also measure gender variance scales.

6th. But how could we evaluate someone for a sure decision, a sure "diagnosis"? We would need better instruments. We developed these instruments considering some complex ideas and theories, we published and showed at the XXth Biennial WPATH Symposium held in Chicago last September. You may download a PDF copy of my presentations in Chicago Here in English (two papers) and Portuguese (4 original papers). These instruments we name MFX (for male originally assigned) and FMX (for female originally assigned) people. These tests are a step of all Gendercare evaluations, and are the core part of our method.

7th. I will try to resume here the idea how it is possible to measure, and in which sense it is possible to measure gender variance. The analogy IS NOT SIMPLE. In physics, in the beginning of the XXth century, De Broglie, Einstein, Bohr and other of the highest level scientists, discovered energy and matter are intertwined. A foton of light is particle and is wave, and the same for all energy and matter. There was an important experience, we know it as the double slit difraction: Through a slit and 2 slits, an electron goes, and imprints a photograph plate. A point. Then, more 20 electrons, 20 points... than 100, 500, 4000. Each electron (EACH INDIVIDUAL) imprints IN AN UNPREDICTABLE WAY (and place), the plate, one after the other, as what we name nowadays, not then, a Chaotic Deterministic System. Each electron was "a priori" unpredictable. Now see the pictures that follows, from that experience with electrons (or fotons - through a generalization with "INDIVIDUALS"):

What do you see? Each individual is absolutely unpredictable, but in their space THE COLLECTIVITY shows A PATTERN, A SIGNATURE!

A signature, a pattern we may measure, we may recognize. THAT WAY, we may precisely evaluate gender variance patterns! Analysing signatures!

Through our MFX and FMX instruments we evaluate signatures, signatures we may compare and recognize - and measure.

Why not through the Web, if the computers are THE BEST WAY to study dynamic system patterns?

Dr.Torres, Ph.D.

To be able to help you, we developed knowledge. We studied a lot (since 1995 to 2002 we wrote a book - in Portuguese printed in Brazil during 1998 and developed our MSc. in Sexology at UGF-Universidade Gama Filho, Brazil), we developed instruments, we analysed results from 2001 to 2003. And now we have not only the good intention but also instruments and a method to help you.

All we do is through the Web. Through the web, people even from Africa, Amazon forest or the Sahara desert, may have a PC or a laptop and stay connected. No need for big travels, miles and miles for therapy and more therapy. Our method is OBJECTIVE. It is fast. Soon (in less than 2 months) we are able to say you who you are (people with age 16 or more), what you need. Which are your limits, which will be the difficulties. Which will be feasible goals to achieve.

Our method is fast and objective. At the start you send us your life story - we need to know you, to help you. Through emails we will exchange questions and comments. To write the own life story is much better than to talk face-to-face or through a phone call, for example. Then we perform our Unexpected Gender Development Tests - MFX for male assigneds originally and FMX for female originally assigneds. If necessary, for a complete evaluation, then we perform a mental screening through the MMPI - to be sure if you may show any sign of a problem, or not.

When necessary, from then on we may start transitions, and so on.

We are sure, we may help you. You need only to open your heart and your mind, and access a connected PC.