Does It Matter If We Were "Born This Way"?




The Takeaway show

Summary: <p>"We were born this way" was the unofficial mantra of the movement for LGBTQ rights in the 1970s and 1980s—a counter to the idea that people "choose" to be lesbian or gay or bisexual or transgender. But the message raises as many questions as it answers. We speak with <a href="https://twitter.com/lisadiamondlab?lang=en">Dr. Lisa Diamond</a>, Professor of Psychology and Gender Studies at the <a href="https://psych.utah.edu/people/faculty/diamond-lisa.php">University of Utah</a>, about how this language <a href="https://www.ted.com/talks/dr_lisa_diamond_why_the_born_this_way_argument_does_not_advance_lgbt_equality/transcript?language=en">took root in our culture</a> and what the science actually says about it. Then, <a href="https://twitter.com/chasestrangio?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor">Chase Strangio</a>, Deputy Director for Transgender Justice with the <a href="https://www.aclu.org/bio/chase-strangio">ACLU</a>, explains how "born this way" language became <a href="https://qz.com/856552/the-new-war-on-identity-politics-is-actually-a-very-old-way-repressing-marginalized-americans/">entrenched</a> in our legal system's treatment of constitutional rights, and how we might strive for a world with more nuance.</p>