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How the Fight Over Transgender Kids Got a Leading Sex Researcher Fired

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Re: How the Fight Over Transgender Kids Got a Leading Sex Researcher Fired

#11

Post by personjerry »

vidarh wrote: post #8
bruceb wrote: post #4

"In 2016, there’s fairly solid agreement about the proper course of treatment for otherwise healthy, stable young people who have persistent gender dysphoria, and who are either approaching puberty or older than that: You help them transition to their true gender. The process is different from person to person, but for an 11-year-old, it might include a round of puberty-blocking hormones to prevent the development of…

Your point being? In this case it is hormone blockers that delay the onset of puberty, to essentially "buy time" until the patient can competently make a decision on more invasive transitioning. This is reversible (just stop taking the drugs), and for young people with gender dysphoria, the onset of puberty can be extremely traumatic and often triggers a range of sometimes severely self-destructive behaviour, and so…

I feel like "reversible" is a generous term for hormone therapies.

And additionally, I suspect that puberty and its associated natural hormones is a big part of what allows a teen to feel comfortable.

Re: How the Fight Over Transgender Kids Got a Leading Sex Researcher Fired

#12

Post by kbenson »

bruceb wrote: post #4

"In 2016, there’s fairly solid agreement about the proper course of treatment for otherwise healthy, stable young people who have persistent gender dysphoria, and who are either approaching puberty or older than that: You help them transition to their true gender. The process is different from person to person, but for an 11-year-old, it might include a round of puberty-blocking hormones to prevent the development of…

The current climate seems to force us into a "dammed of you do and damned if you don't" type of situation. Not doing reassignment is seen by some as forcing a gender upon someone, and doing it is seen by others as taking drastic action on youths which may be experiencing gender confusion but might not eventually settle on needing gender reassignment.

Lose lose all around.

Re: How the Fight Over Transgender Kids Got a Leading Sex Researcher Fired

#13

Post by andrelaszlo »

bruceb wrote: post #4

"In 2016, there’s fairly solid agreement about the proper course of treatment for otherwise healthy, stable young people who have persistent gender dysphoria, and who are either approaching puberty or older than that: You help them transition to their true gender. The process is different from person to person, but for an 11-year-old, it might include a round of puberty-blocking hormones to prevent the development of…

Most people are perfectly happy giving hormones to kids with other problems (growth hormone deficiency, for example). You seem to think it's morally wrong somehow ("think of the children") but maybe I'm reading your comment wrong?

"Professionals who treat gender identity disorder in children have begun to refer and prescribe hormones, known as a puberty blocker, to delay the onset of puberty until a child is believed to be old enough to make an informed decision on whether hormonal gender reassignment leading to surgical gender reassignment will be in that person's best interest."

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gender_dysphoria#Prepubescent_...

I can see how that could be an uncomfortable idea for some people, but maybe it's the best option available? What would be your solution?

Re: How the Fight Over Transgender Kids Got a Leading Sex Researcher Fired

#14

Post by zyxley »

bruceb wrote: post #4

"In 2016, there’s fairly solid agreement about the proper course of treatment for otherwise healthy, stable young people who have persistent gender dysphoria, and who are either approaching puberty or older than that: You help them transition to their true gender. The process is different from person to person, but for an 11-year-old, it might include a round of puberty-blocking hormones to prevent the development of…

It's worth keeping in mind that the particular hormones being referenced delay puberty, rather than causing a permanent transition.

The whole reason they're the accepted course of treatment is that, if the child changes their mind before reaching the age of majority or near-majority when the treatments actually used for the physical transition begin, the effect can be reversed just by stopping the blockers and letting puberty take its natural course.

Re: How the Fight Over Transgender Kids Got a Leading Sex Researcher Fired

#15

Post by DanBC »

bruceb wrote: post #4

"In 2016, there’s fairly solid agreement about the proper course of treatment for otherwise healthy, stable young people who have persistent gender dysphoria, and who are either approaching puberty or older than that: You help them transition to their true gender. The process is different from person to person, but for an 11-year-old, it might include a round of puberty-blocking hormones to prevent the development of…

11 year olds have a pretty good idea about their gender identity. Puberty blockers are a temporary measure to avoid the trauma of the child going through puberty as the wrong gender - and it is traumatic. Young people are at generally at low risk of suicide, but that risk increases for trans children.

Re: How the Fight Over Transgender Kids Got a Leading Sex Researcher Fired

#17

Post by justinpombrio »

koralatov wrote: post #3

I've written and rewritten a comment for this thread several times now, but every time I get close to posting it, I feel obliged to go back and revise it. The simple truth is that, given how toxic and charged a lot of the activism is around this topic, I don't feel able to make any kind of substantive comment that won't be misinterpreted, deliberately or otherwise, and used to pillior me.

Let me try.

I frankly find it bizarre that so many things -- colors, clothes, toys, certain behaviors -- that should have nothing to do with gender are associated with gender. Why are toy isles even gendered? Why does everything for girls have to be pink? The kids wouldn't care if the adults hadn't already hoisted the distinction on them.

I feel like, if we got rid of all these false associations, the difference between genders would be minimal, and that would make the sorts of problems discussed in the article a lot more manageable.

Or are all of these just distractions, and am I missing the point entirely?

Re: How the Fight Over Transgender Kids Got a Leading Sex Researcher Fired

#19

Post by andrelaszlo »

personjerry wrote: post #11
vidarh wrote: post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Your point being? In this case it is hormone blockers that delay the onset of puberty, to essentially "buy time" until the patient can competently make a decision on more invasive transitioning. This is reversible (just stop taking the drugs), and for young people with gender dysphoria, the onset of puberty can be extremely traumatic and often triggers a range of sometimes severely self-destructive behaviour, and so…

I feel like "reversible" is a generous term for hormone therapies. And additionally, I suspect that puberty and its associated natural hormones is a big part of what allows a teen to feel comfortable.

"I suspect that puberty and its associated natural hormones is a big part of what allows a teen to feel comfortable"

Sorry but I couldn't help laughing out loud. I do not share your suspicion. You probably meant that the hormones makes you feel more comfortable with your gender identity (is there research on this?), but it looks like a general comment about how comfortable teens are with their raging hormones.

Re: How the Fight Over Transgender Kids Got a Leading Sex Researcher Fired

#20

Post by 2muchcoffeeman »

jlebrech wrote: post #7

You can't give children counselling, you just have to give them the meds and convert them into the gender they want to be. There's no balance, in some cases it could be psychological and a hormone imbalance (of the childs current gender) In a few years they'll flip flop in the other direction, when children will be denied reassignment, and it'll start all over again. Also this could be dangerous to some in adult life…

There was a story on the BBC podcast Analysis, about a UK politician who while helping a transgendered teen, tried to get reassignment treatment funded through NHS.

The LGBT group protested. Apparently according to their research the majority of children who feel they are transgender realise they are actually gay.

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