Most people recognize themselves as either male or female. But some people feel they don't neatly fit into the categories of man or woman, or male or female. For example, some perceive themselves as having a gender that blends elements of being a man or a woman, or a gender that is different than either male or female.
Some people don't identify with any gender. Some people feel their gender changes over time. All of these experiences include real people with dignity and a society unsure how to respond. Not wanting to alienate anyone yet not desiring to fail to ask important and critical questions, many struggle with the complexities of so important an issue.
Thinking Through the Transgender Question address these concerns and others by providing a cultural overview of the transgender controversy and relevant terminology, assessing the pharmacological, surgical, and behavioral approaches to this science, shedding light on the ethical issues involved, and helping others assist those facing gender dysphoria in a simple and easy to understand way.
Brief Biography
Fr. Tad currently serves as the Director of Education at The National Catholic Bioethics Center in Philadelphia and directs the Center's National Catholic Certification Program in Health Care Ethics. He is a priest of the diocese of Fall River, Massachusetts. He writes and speaks widely on bioethics and medical ethics. Since 2001, he has given several hundred presentations and invited lectures, and participated in debates and roundtables on contemporary bioethics throughout the U.S., Canada, and Europe.
As an undergraduate Fr. Tad earned degrees in philosophy, biochemistry, molecular cell biology, and chemistry, and did laboratory research on hormonal regulation of the immune response. He later earned a Ph.D. in Neuroscience from Yale University, where he focused on cloning genes for neurotransmitter transporters which are expressed in the brain.