Consider what you have learned about growth and development, gender identity, and sexual orientation. Then, answer the following
questions. Describe common challenges faced by those with individual differences, such as boys and girls who reach puberty before their peers, those who are transgender, or those who identify as homosexual or bisexual.
What are the possible outcomes for these individuals if their differences are not respected?
What benefits might result if society showed more tolerance and respect for people with different gender identities and sexual orientations?
Common challenges are mental illness and bad self-esteem. Some individuals become depressed, and start having suicidal thoughts, others feel anxious to speak about themselves openly. If society showed more acceptance, individuals may be happier, and will not have as many problems to face.
Answer: Biology is the natural science that studies life and living organisms, including their physical structure, chemical processes, molecular interactions, physiological mechanisms, development and evolution.[1] Despite the complexity of the science, certain unifying concepts consolidate it into a single, coherent field. Biology recognizes the cell as the basic unit of life, genes as the basic unit of heredity, and evolution as the engine that propels the creation and extinction of species. Living organisms are open systems that survive by transforming energy and decreasing their local entropy[2] to maintain a stable and vital condition defined as homeostasis.[3]
