🧵 Big News: Today was my last day at work. I resigned to completely dedicate my time to trans activism as long as it's financial feasible I'll be writing a book debunking anti-trans attacks that falsely claim to be founded in "biology" and making educational resources at @beyondxandy.bsky.social

@rikiwilchins.bsky.social 2026 Jan 2 AP: HRC files EEOC complaint on behalf of 4 fed employees against Office of Personnel Management policy banning coverage of “chemical & surgical modification" of sex for all federal employees, saying it constitutes sex-based discrimination.

A coalition of 19 states and DC have filed a lawsuit challenging the Kennedy declaration seeking to ban gender affirming care for trans youth by fiat by creating a federal "standard of care" based on pure pseudoscience. ag.ny.gov/press-releas...

The FDA prioritized attacking trans chest binders, which pose little risk, while allowing most pharmacogenomic DTC tests to market without being labeled as medical devices This is why biotech isn't fighting this government. They'll make more money with lax regulations

Mushroom evolutionary biologist here. We’re well aware of the fact that sex and gender isn’t a binary. Happy to talk about the fungus with 28,000 distinct sexual identities anytime. Trans rights are human rights! 🏳️‍⚧️

“All evolutionary biologists know that variation itself is life’s only irreducible essence”—Gould Evolutionary biology is the study of how complicated and diverse life can be; the field has its jerks, but a good evolutionary biologist learns pretty fast that life doesn’t like boundaries or binaries

I consider myself a biological anthropologist who sometimes has to engage with evolutionary biologists. In EB, too often the conclusions are about how biology determines culture. In BA, we learn that culture & biology are interrelated, affecting each other but not determining (that’s too narrow).

My training was very firmly in an evolution oriented EEB dept. As a visibly GNC queer, I have actually found EEB spaces to be a more welcoming home than neuroscience. Working on animal sexual behavior from an EEB perspective really highlights the sheer diversity of ways that sex can be organized.

Rather excellent thread Let’s be very clear here. This is exactly why it was exceptionally unwise of the Supreme Court to wade into this space using ‘biological sex’ as a defining concept, because as soon as you talk to actual biologists the simple binary unravels. Not a stable basis for law.

Ecologist here, we know plenty about the diversity of life, and as the @britishecologicalsociety.org we actively support the inclusion of trans people alongside all the many ways of simply being human. Dawkins does not represent or speak for us.

Actually see the opposite honestly been told time and time again that diversity in gene expression and behavior is an advantage in species not a take away. I don‘t think you understand evolution and genetics enough if you’re transphobic and homophobic

Geneticist had the best response to an office pool about whether my kid would be a boy or girl: “Probably”.

Hey, fellow evolutionary biologists: If you support trans rights, like, comment, or repost this. I want to show that transphobes like Richard Dawkins are a loud minority that does not represent our community

Seems like a good time to reshare this resource: www.scientificamerican.com/article/beyo...

Transphobia hurts everyone by enforcing binaries that aren't rooted in biology

We are compiling a list of scientific societies with public statements denouncing bioessentialist claims that sex and gender are strict binaries If your organization has publicly shown support for transgender, nonbinary, and intersex people, please let us know! Below is a thread of statements:

It's the scientific community's duty to fight misinformation, bioessentialism, and eugenics That's why we're launching Beyond X&Y, an educational campaign combating the rise of unscientific political propaganda used to attack trans and intersex people Subscribe to our newsletter at beyondxandy.org

Seems like a good time to reshare this resource: www.scientificamerican.com/article/beyo...

Great thread summarizing the "Genes, Traits, and Identities: Navigating Sex, Gender, and Sexuality in Modern Research" session at #ASHG25.

I hate gay Halloween, what do you mean you're a transgenic mouse who just lost their research funding?

If any journalist wants to talk to a trans man with a PhD in Human Genomics who was trained in labs that studied the evolution of sex, I'm right here Or just keep platforming Republicans who have a 5th grade understanding of biology so they get more trans people killed, sure 🤷🏻‍♂️

Our allies need to catch the fuck up and shouldn't be afforded this level of careful explanation but this bugs the shit out of me so here we go: Biological sex, as an immutable binary, IS THE ACTUAL PSEUDO-SCIENCE HERE. Y'all are getting played by language that just SOUNDS SMART to your ears.

This snake oil salesman is reality rejecting There's a reason why all major medical organizations disagree with him: Because transness is innate, and nearly a century of evidence clearly shows gender affirming care saves lives He has the blood of trans kids on his hands for these lies

Key words: "It is the policy of the state" That policy is a lie. It denies the reality of hundreds of thousands of trans people who have demonstrably changed their sex with hormones Sex is mutable *because of how biology works*, regardless of propaganda from a fascist government

Key words: "It is the policy of the state" That policy is a lie. It denies the reality of hundreds of thousands of trans people who have demonstrably changed their sex with hormones Sex is mutable *because of how biology works*, regardless of propaganda from a fascist government

"Sex is not one single, simple, uniform biological reality. Thus, biology cannot be invoked as a basis for such in legal terms." Augustin Fuentes.

An HIV doctor quit the CDC when they insisted on censoring his research by removing data on trans people. This interview peels back the curtain of how anti-trans ideology figured into the Trump administration's war on science. Republished from @kffhealthnews.org, written by @amymaxmen.bsky.social.

Call your reps, folks

Queerness is innate because sex and human behavior are products of evolution. God didn't just design two perfect genders "Born this way" is certainly an oversimplification, but fundamentally the best summary And way more accurate than a lot of the hateful, unscientific nonsense out there

"We remain committed to reversing harmful policies enacted by Levine and ensuring that biological reality guides our approach to public health." Since when have *names* been encoded in someone's DNA? Names are a cultural invention Transness is actual biological reality

"We remain committed to reversing harmful policies enacted by Levine and ensuring that biological reality guides our approach to public health." Since when have *names* been encoded in someone's DNA? Names are a cultural invention Transness is actual biological reality

1. After the shutdown fight, Republicans promised Democrats a vote on extending enhanced ACA subsidies, which cover 20 million Americans. Now, new reporting shows that Republican negotiators want to make a trans funding ban a requirement for the extension. Subscribe to support our journalism.

Great thread summarizing a fantastic resource! Thanks to the GenderSci Lab team for their hard work creating this

This is great but I would add a big reason GCs are stuck on gametes is they spent ages hopping from trait to trait ("it's genitals! No? Okay, XX/XY!! No? Okay it's...") and gametes are the square they were on when they found themselves at the end of the board without further spaces to retreat to.

Many people dismissed the announcement Catholic hospitals will ban gender-affirming care nationwide under the assumption that there will be other options. In reality, Catholic hospitals make up as much 46% of options in some states. This map is 2020, prior to Trump’s assault on safety net hospitals.

1. After reporting on Washington State University's approval of continuing medical education credits for anti-trans SPLC-designated hate group SEGM, WSU has suspended the courses. Now, hundreds of emails and dozens of orgs say they need to make it permanent. Subscribe to support our journalism.

"biological pronouns" is an insane phrase

Great thread Colin Wright needs to be vociferously denounced by the entire scientific community Despite his lack of expertise in this subject, he is shamefully using his PhD to spread unscientific anti-trans propaganda We need cis scientists to speak up in dissent NOW before things get worse

Hey #medsky it’s time to stand up for trans rights. The option to be “non political” is gone when the basic practice of medicine is under attack from one party.

This will literally kill children And pave the way for a national ban for adults as well We need hospitals, doctors, and researchers to take a stand for basic scientific and medical ethics NOW

Gender affirming care saves lives by alieviating anxiety, depression, and suicidal ideation. It has the same scientific support as any other medical procedure Framing it as "mutilation" is nothing more than propaganda. They want to turn working class people against each other while they starve them

The only mutilation that's happening is rich tech elites carving up this country for their own gain Trans people didn't take your SNAP benefits. Billionaires did.

and i wanna reiterate that many bills about trans care explicity EXCEPT actual mutilation (involuntary and unnecessary surgeries on intersex kids) from the bans. they know they're lying about being against mutilation

Transphobia hurts everyone by enforcing binaries that aren't rooted in biology

Gender affirming care saves lives by alieviating anxiety, depression, and suicidal ideation. It has the same scientific support as any other medical procedure Framing it as "mutilation" is nothing more than propaganda. They want to turn working class people against each other while they starve them

I hate gay Halloween, what do you mean you're a transgenic mouse who just lost their research funding?

The #ASHG25 feedback survey was just emailed out For question #6, please request more sessions around equity, advocacy, policy, and ethics Specifically mention combating modern eugenics movements targeting transgender, intersex, and disabled people Thank you for your allyship 🙏🏳️‍⚧️

this is good, share and get your organization to write such a statement:

We are compiling a list of scientific societies with public statements denouncing bioessentialist claims that sex and gender are strict binaries If your organization has publicly shown support for transgender, nonbinary, and intersex people, please let us know! Below is a thread of statements: