I think this is a really important point. A lot of anti-trans advocacy, especially in the UK, dresses itself up as "concern for children." It's easy to get people who aren't familiar with the...
Gender-affirming hormone treatment with estrogen or testosterone can help bring a transgender person’s physical characteristics in line with their gender identity. In adolescence, hormone therapy can enable a transgender teenager to go through puberty in a way that matches their gender identity.
“This study is particularly relevant now because many state legislatures are introducing bills that would outlaw this kind of care for transgender youth,” said Jack Turban, MD, a postdoctoral scholar in pediatric and adolescent psychiatry at Stanford Medicine. “We are adding to the evidence base that shows why gender-affirming care is beneficial from a mental health perspective.”
I think this is a really important point. A lot of anti-trans advocacy, especially in the UK, dresses itself up as "concern for children." It's easy to get people who aren't familiar with the issue to agree that, well, maybe it makes sense to wait until patients are 18 for them to be allowed to use any kind of hormones - but of course, by that point, it's already too late to prevent breast growth, some bone growth, voice changes, and a whole host of other things, many of which can't even be surgically corrected later in life.
In essence, the "caution" that many anti-trans advocates push ends up being far more harmful than, say, being on hormone blockers - or even gender-affirming HRT you eventually decide to stop - for a few years would.
Odds of severe psychological distress were reduced by 222%, 153% and 81% for those who began hormones in early adolescence, late adolescence and adulthood, respectively. Odds of previous-year suicidal ideation were 135% lower in people who began hormones in early adolescence, 62% lower in those who began in late adolescence and 21% lower in those who began as adults, compared with the control group.
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“For some transgender youth, their negative reactions to living in bodies that develop during puberty in ways that don’t match who they know themselves to be can be very damaging,” he said. For instance, individuals who feel uncomfortable developing breasts may react by binding their chests so tightly they develop skin infections or rib fractures.
We have safe and effective medical interventions for people who feel at odds with their bodies during puberty, from blockers (which actually are very safe to take until 16 or even 18!) to HRT. Barring teens from exercising their bodily autonomy in these ways serves only to harm them.
They claim that puberty blockers are irreversible, but the opposite is actually true: puberty is irreversible, whereas puberty blockers can be stopped at any time and puberty will resume as...
They claim that puberty blockers are irreversible, but the opposite is actually true: puberty is irreversible, whereas puberty blockers can be stopped at any time and puberty will resume as normal. And puberty blockers are used for non-trans kids, but transphobes never have a problem with them then. It's all just bigotry.
Exactly! It's true that going for ~10y or more past age 14 without any sex hormones at all can lead to osteoperosis, but that'd be a hell of a long time to be on blockers and I've never seen...
Exactly! It's true that going for ~10y or more past age 14 without any sex hormones at all can lead to osteoperosis, but that'd be a hell of a long time to be on blockers and I've never seen anyone suggest it. Even people seeking gender nullification therapies generally go on ultra-low-dose testosterone to keep their bones working.
I think this is a really important point. A lot of anti-trans advocacy, especially in the UK, dresses itself up as "concern for children." It's easy to get people who aren't familiar with the issue to agree that, well, maybe it makes sense to wait until patients are 18 for them to be allowed to use any kind of hormones - but of course, by that point, it's already too late to prevent breast growth, some bone growth, voice changes, and a whole host of other things, many of which can't even be surgically corrected later in life.
In essence, the "caution" that many anti-trans advocates push ends up being far more harmful than, say, being on hormone blockers - or even gender-affirming HRT you eventually decide to stop - for a few years would.
We have safe and effective medical interventions for people who feel at odds with their bodies during puberty, from blockers (which actually are very safe to take until 16 or even 18!) to HRT. Barring teens from exercising their bodily autonomy in these ways serves only to harm them.
They claim that puberty blockers are irreversible, but the opposite is actually true: puberty is irreversible, whereas puberty blockers can be stopped at any time and puberty will resume as normal. And puberty blockers are used for non-trans kids, but transphobes never have a problem with them then. It's all just bigotry.
Exactly! It's true that going for ~10y or more past age 14 without any sex hormones at all can lead to osteoperosis, but that'd be a hell of a long time to be on blockers and I've never seen anyone suggest it. Even people seeking gender nullification therapies generally go on ultra-low-dose testosterone to keep their bones working.