(Thor Swift for The New York Times)

FTM scientist speaks out...!

Dr. Ben A. Barres, who has a degree in biology from M.I.T., a medical degree from Dartmouth, a doctorate in neurobiology from Harvard and teaches at Stanford (!) explodes some sexist myths in a courageous commentary in the journal, Nature, and in this short interview in the NYT.

...Q.What about the idea that men and women differ in ways that give men an advantage in science?

A. People are still arguing over whether there are cognitive differences between men and women. If they exist, it’s not clear they are innate, and if they are innate, it’s not clear they are relevant. They are subtle, and they may even benefit women.

But when you tell people about the studies documenting bias, if they are prejudiced, they just discount the evidence.

Q. How does this bias manifest itself?

A. It is very much harder for women to be successful, to get jobs, to get grants, especially big grants. And then, and this is a huge part of the problem, they don’t get the resources they need to be successful. Right now, what’s fundamentally missing and absolutely vital is that women get better child care support. This is such an obvious no-brainer. If you just do this with a small amount of resources, you could explode the number of women scientists.

[snip]

Q. Why didn’t you see these episodes as sexism?

A. Women who are really highly successful, they are just as bad as the men. They think if they can do it, anyone can do it. They don’t see that for every woman who makes it to the top there are 10 more who are passed over. And I am not making this up, that’s what the data show.

And it may be that some women — and African-Americans, too — identify less strongly with their particular group. From the time I was a child, from the littlest, littlest age, I did not identify as a girl. It never occurred to me that I could not be a scientist because I was a woman. It just rolled off my back.

Now I wonder, maybe I just didn’t take these stereotypes so seriously because I did not identify myself as a woman.

I am so impressed with Dr. Barres' courage.

For one thing, he is outing himself (with photo!) in one of the most public forums possible: the pages of the New York Times.

When I was shortly out of journalism school, I went for advice to one of my former professors. A letter I'd submitted to the editor of the NYT in which I'd identified myself as FTM had been accepted for publication, but their editorial policy reasonably demanded I use my name. My professor, a former NYT reporter herself, advised that I assume everyone I knew would read the letter. If I wasn't prepared to out myself to everyone, then best not go forward.

I wasn't. My teenaged daughter lived with me at the time and attended a local high school and I worried about the possible consequences to her. So I pulled the letter.

Dr. Barres, on the other hand, is bravely going forward.

I am sure he knows better than anyone just how conservative--and sexist--the scientific and academic worlds are. From this point on, he will be widely known as the "transsexual scientist." His opinions and work will be taken less seriously by many. Future grant applications could be affected. And I sincerely hope he already has tenure at Stanford, for notoriety like this could hurt his chances.

I so admire that he felt strongly enough about women and feminism to take this brave stand.

Nature editor's summary is here. (The commentary itself must be purchased.)

And the NYT's interview here.

[Typo corrected 15:47 18/7/06.]