Thread by @bschillace

JK Rowling is up here suggesting blood is gendered and you have to get transfusion from the same bio sex you were assigned at birth (supporting her anti #transgender rhetoric) Before the blow up, some key information regarding the study she refers to—let’s get the facts 1/

There was a study. But: “The American Red Cross and the researchers themselves were quick to say the study is not definitive enough” and “three teams were from different countries, used different data sets and all had slightly different findings.” So what were the findings? 2/

The study suggested there may be a 2% decrease in how long a chromosomally male patient lives after cardiac arrest transfusion from a person who had been pregnant. (Loss: about one year of extra life) But the study was limited, using different data set. What would prove it? 2/

Scientists would have to find a “plausible biological mechanism to explain these differences”(something in the blood of previously pregnant donors) and run “two randomized controlled trials” to look at whether “the donor’s sex and pregnancy history affect the recipient.” 3/

The theory (not yet supported by data) speculates those who have been pregnant could have some “immune factor in their red blood cells that causes more rejection” in XY chromosome patients. (There are conflicting studies and data sets.) 4/

So: does blood gender matter? Possibly, mainly due to hormone and antibody changes that may occur during pregnancy. That also means there blood variations even within chromosomal sex groups.
Will blood transfusion that matches your type and not your gender endanger you? No. 5/

Will transfusion based on type and not gender save your life when you are in a critical medical situation? Yes. Will this new detail (from 2017, btw) suddenly show that gender is definitive? No more than chromosomes do, my friend. (#Gender is a social construct.) #TransRights

I decided to follow up…

https://twitter.com/bschillace/status/1641055332720951296