The DNA of those with gender dysphoria was found to have nine variants that may cause the condition

Transgender men and women may carry genetic variants that influence their gender identity, a study suggests.

It is the first time researchers have identified a panel of genes, including DNA involved in the development of nerve cells and the manufacture of sex hormones, that could provide a biological basis for gender dysphoria. The findings add to the growing evidence that transgender people have fundamental differences in their brains and biochemistry that may help to explain why they feel at odds with their birth sex. “It lends legitimacy, if that needs to be added, that transgender is not a choice but a way of being,” Ricki Lewis, a geneticist and author of textbooks, said. “I think people will be excited by this.”

There are thought to