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The Herald Scotland

Transgender debate is more complex than some realise

Your sex is, but gender is not. Scientists agree that the way transgender people develop is a combination of genetics, biology and upbringing, with upbringing the least significant of the three. One example: With identical twins, if one turns out to be transgender, the chances of the other twin being likewise is 13 times higher than with non-identical twins. That's genetics for you. There is plenty more evidence; transgender people can no more help being transgender than others can help being gay. I'm not advocating for specific rights transgender people should, or should not, have. Merely pointing out that continuing to refer to them as "men" (which also puts trans men under the spotlight – what are they?), is demeaning and insulting, and only accurate as far as their sex is concerned. It's completely and scientifically inaccurate in terms of their gender. Iain Cope, Glasgow. Letters: Trans people have a right to privacy that includes filling in census forms Letters: Hiroshima was devastating opening shot in the Cold War Letters: Health benefit from a Brexit deal War… what is it good for? EIGHTY years on from Hiroshima ('Hundreds gather to mark dropping of Hiroshima bomb', The Herald, August 7) I find myself reflecting not just on history, but on the continuity of weapons, fear, and the industries built around them. I left Dumbarton in the early 1970s, at a time when protest against Faslane was strong and people believed there could be alternatives to war and weapons production on the Clyde. There were serious efforts to imagine different economic futures for West Dunbartonshire and other struggling regions; futures based on peace, not militarism. Now living in Adelaide, I see the same patterns repeating. Once a hub for cars, whitegoods and domestic manufacturing, South Australia is now turning increasingly to weapons production, submarines, missiles, surveillance technologies, tied tightly to AUKUS and a declining United States. The feared threat of the USSR has become the imagined threat of China. The Cold War turns warm, the actors change, and the cycle continues. What doesn't change is the moral clarity of those who say: never again. I salute the church leaders and citizens who stood in witness at Faslane last weekend. In a world addicted to militarism, their quiet stand for peace speaks louder than ever. Stewart Sweeney, Adelaide, South Australia. Vanity, all is vanity Modern cosmetic procedures, with their unavoidable fillers, are touted as being the road to glamour and the eradication of facial and physical flaws. Such presentations attract ladies who always want to look their best, and who can blame them? Down through the centuries women have made use of externally applied cosmetics, known in the game as war-paint, to present their best side. However, the modern practice of injecting foreign substances into different areas of the body should be considered a step too far and banned outright. Even when governed by what would be considered practical regulation. We have already seen too many examples of botched cosmetic procedures, involving fillers, at the hands of the poorly trained and virtually unskilled operators in that field. There are horror stories aplenty about the life threatening and life changing outcomes for patients who have chosen to improve themselves in the UK, or have gone abroad to combine a holiday with cheaper offers of cosmetic procedures. Consider yourselves lucky if you come out of such cosmetic encounters unscathed and without experiencing problems further down the line. Surgical operations may be necessary to correct serious physical infirmities. But why subject yourself to filler procedures supposedly designed to make you more appealing, though with every likelihood that you become one of the unlucky ones condemned to suffer botched beauty treatments. Learn to grow old gracefully and continue to apply the more recognised glamour products for nights out and daily appearances. Denis Bruce, Bishopbriggs Taxing situation Ian McNair's letter 'Poor SNP decision' (Letters, August 7), is not quite factual. Prescription charges were abolished in Scotland in 2011, and were not free to the majority before that date as Mr McNair claims. Those who had long term conditions and were unable to work were not automatically exempt from charges, because if you did not have a condition covered by the exemption list (like a heart condition), then whether you got free prescriptions was dependant on the income of the household. In other words, it was a means tested benefit. The SNP in Government recognised that this was a tax on the sick paid through the household income and abolished prescription charges. Catriona C Clark, Falkirk. Thistle do nicely THANKS and congratulations to my old work colleague Ian W Thomson for speaking up in support of Milngavie (Letters, Aug 07). Ian has been a staunch ambassador in these pages for his home town of Paisley for many years, and as a native of Maryhill, now in very happy retirement in Milngavie, I am grateful for his support. Crail may be a very pleasant place, but for someone like me who likes to have easy access to trains and boats and planes, not to mention Partick Thistle, it does not tick many boxes. Willie Maclean, Milngavie. Shoot first THE mention of American comic book superhero, Spiderman, swinging his way effortlessly through Glasgow city centre while the traffic down below is in permanent gridlock (Letters, Aug 7), makes me suspicious that Spidey (as his numerous fans label him) is not as heroic as he at first would seem. If he truly was one of the 'good guys' surely he would provide us all with web-shooters, so we don't have to use cars or buses, and thus won't be left facing the daily road blockages caused by the Marvel movie clogging up the thoroughfares? Mark Bailey, Paisley. Some chips, with their old friend, a slice of battered fish. Food for thought I NOTE that eating three or more portions of French fries increases the risk of type 2 diabetes ('Eating fries over boiled potatoes significantly increases type 2 diabetes risk', The Herald, August 7). Boiled, mashed or baked potatoes are innocent of this crime. Are chips okay? Alastair Clark, Stranraer.