Puberty blockers trial can start recruiting children • Hacker News Board

Re: Puberty blockers trial can start recruiting children

#11

Post by summermusic » Fri, Jul 31, 2026, 4:38 PM UTC

cubefox wrote: post #6

MSFT_Edging wrote: post #3

This thread will likely have extensive hate on a very small portion of the population. A reminder that actual people have been turned into a cultural wedge issue, their lives put in danger due to the vitriol the culture war issue has stirred. If you have known a person who has transitioned, you'd likely see someone happier after being able to transition. Laws targeting trans people won't stop an actual criminal from…

> Children and teens can absolutely know these things about themselves. The article quotes a campaigner against the trial who first transitioned and then detransitioned (as far as this was still possible I assume, since a lot is irreversible). So kids can absolutely make the wrong decision. The question is what the relative frequency of these mistakes is.

"In a review of 27 studies involving almost 8,000 teens and adults who had transgender surgeries, mostly in Europe, the U.S and Canada, 1% on average expressed regret. For some, regret was temporary, but a small number went on to have detransitioning or reversal surgeries, the 2021 review said."

https://apnews.com/article/transgender-treatment-regret-detr...

Re: Puberty blockers trial can start recruiting children

#12

Post by MSFT_Edging » Fri, Jul 31, 2026, 4:39 PM UTC

cubefox wrote: post #6

MSFT_Edging wrote: post #3

This thread will likely have extensive hate on a very small portion of the population. A reminder that actual people have been turned into a cultural wedge issue, their lives put in danger due to the vitriol the culture war issue has stirred. If you have known a person who has transitioned, you'd likely see someone happier after being able to transition. Laws targeting trans people won't stop an actual criminal from…

> Children and teens can absolutely know these things about themselves. The article quotes a campaigner against the trial who first transitioned and then detransitioned (as far as this was still possible I assume, since a lot is irreversible). So kids can absolutely make the wrong decision. The question is what the relative frequency of these mistakes is.

With how few trans people are, the people among them who have detransitioned is even smaller. I'm not sure why these people should be the only ones that are taken seriously. They're nearly as big of grifters as the "tied-in-fifth-place" swimmer who decided the grift train would pay better than being a mid swimmer.

The thing about Puberty blockers, is they can be mostly reversed. This isn't about children getting things cut off, it's about preventing certain features that surgery cant fix from developing. IMO it's cruel for a teenager who is absolutely sure, to be forced to go through the incorrect puberty and have to undo that later.

Re: Puberty blockers trial can start recruiting children

#13

Post by MSFT_Edging » Fri, Jul 31, 2026, 4:41 PM UTC

cubefox wrote: post #8

vextea wrote: post #5

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Besides the bait, if the claim is that the evidence for treatment is weak (or well, "evil") a study with appropriate safeguards seems like it should be welcomed not eschewed.

Weak doesn't mean "evil" here. If the effect is strong, but a lot of kids end up regretting it later, then this would be bad.

~1% regret rate.

https://apnews.com/article/transgender-treatment-regret-detr...

Re: Puberty blockers trial can start recruiting children

#14

Post by VCFundedGenYer » Fri, Jul 31, 2026, 4:42 PM UTC

sail2boat3 wrote: post #10

As someone who has gone through a phase of questioning my ... inner state of the matter on this topic, now in retrospect, I am so so so so soooooo glad that such options were not readily available to me. If I was that age in the current world, I simply would've done it. Given the permanent nature of a transition on a body, I really wish the advocates of pushing this at young ages would not push back against discussio…

Not really understanding you. Are you softly still saying, as someone who isn't them, that you want to gatekeep this from people who don't feel comfortable in their own bodies?

Re: Puberty blockers trial can start recruiting children

#15

Post by AlexandrB » Fri, Jul 31, 2026, 4:47 PM UTC

MSFT_Edging wrote: post #13

cubefox wrote: post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Weak doesn't mean "evil" here. If the effect is strong, but a lot of kids end up regretting it later, then this would be bad.

~1% regret rate. https://apnews.com/article/transgender-treatment-regret-detr...

Counterpoint: https://segm.org/regret-detransition-rate-unknown

> And since gender transition is a lifelong process required to maintain a masculinized or feminized appearance, instances of medical detransition—reported by one study as reaching 30% within just 4 years of initiating treatment—is an alarming warning signal of high numbers of inappropriate transitions.

Re: Puberty blockers trial can start recruiting children

#16

Post by amusable » Fri, Jul 31, 2026, 4:48 PM UTC

sail2boat3 wrote: post #10

As someone who has gone through a phase of questioning my ... inner state of the matter on this topic, now in retrospect, I am so so so so soooooo glad that such options were not readily available to me. If I was that age in the current world, I simply would've done it. Given the permanent nature of a transition on a body, I really wish the advocates of pushing this at young ages would not push back against discussio…

100%, completely agree with this. I was a raised in an small town in the US where men were expected to football-loving brutes with hair-trigger tempers and went deer-hunting on the weekend. Given I was never like this, I also went through a phase of questioning - until I realized there are many ways of being a man. But I didn't come to that realization until I was in college.

Re: Puberty blockers trial can start recruiting children

#17

Post by AlexandrB » Fri, Jul 31, 2026, 4:49 PM UTC

VCFundedGenYer wrote: post #14

sail2boat3 wrote: post #10

As someone who has gone through a phase of questioning my ... inner state of the matter on this topic, now in retrospect, I am so so so so soooooo glad that such options were not readily available to me. If I was that age in the current world, I simply would've done it. Given the permanent nature of a transition on a body, I really wish the advocates of pushing this at young ages would not push back against discussio…

Not really understanding you. Are you softly still saying, as someone who isn't them, that you want to gatekeep this from people who don't feel comfortable in their own bodies?

We do it all the time with people who believe they should be amputees.

https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/body-integrit...

Re: Puberty blockers trial can start recruiting children

#18

Post by summermusic » Fri, Jul 31, 2026, 4:49 PM UTC

konsalexee wrote: post #4

> Campaigners who brought the legal action had argued the safeguards in place were inadequate and raised concerns about the long-term physical and psychological effects on young people. What exactly are the safeguards for real? It’s literally irreversible damage when you mess up with hormones while on puberty. I am conflicted myself, but I think I err on the side of caution and think that avoiding messing with your h…

> Irreversible damage

Puberty blockers are safe, effective, and generally reversible

Re: Puberty blockers trial can start recruiting children

#19

Post by summermusic » Fri, Jul 31, 2026, 4:52 PM UTC

AlexandrB wrote: post #15

MSFT_Edging wrote: post #13

Earlier quoted context omitted.

~1% regret rate. https://apnews.com/article/transgender-treatment-regret-detr...

Counterpoint: https://segm.org/regret-detransition-rate-unknown > And since gender transition is a lifelong process required to maintain a masculinized or feminized appearance, instances of medical detransition—reported by one study as reaching 30% within just 4 years of initiating treatment—is an alarming warning signal of high numbers of inappropriate transitions.

Your source is fake.

"The Society for Evidence-Based Gender Medicine (SEGM) is an anti-trans organization that is known for its opposition to gender-affirming care for transgender youth and for engaging in political lobbying. SEGM is known for transgender health care misinformation. It has falsely claimed that the majority of transgender children desist, argued that gender exploratory therapy should be the first line treatment for those under 25, and promoted the scientifically unsupported theory of rapid-onset gender dysphoria. SEGM is often cited in anti-transgender legislation and court cases, sometimes filing court briefs."

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Society_for_Evidence-Based_Gen...

Re: Puberty blockers trial can start recruiting children

#20

Post by sail2boat3 » Fri, Jul 31, 2026, 4:54 PM UTC

VCFundedGenYer wrote: post #14

sail2boat3 wrote: post #10

As someone who has gone through a phase of questioning my ... inner state of the matter on this topic, now in retrospect, I am so so so so soooooo glad that such options were not readily available to me. If I was that age in the current world, I simply would've done it. Given the permanent nature of a transition on a body, I really wish the advocates of pushing this at young ages would not push back against discussio…

Not really understanding you. Are you softly still saying, as someone who isn't them, that you want to gatekeep this from people who don't feel comfortable in their own bodies?

I'm not sure what you're trying to say by - "isn't them"

If I did undergo that path when I wanted to, at which point would you consider me "becoming them"? At the inception of the thought? After some rumination? After making the decision? After first time taking meds? After undergoing surgery?

I don't consider it gatekeeping, rather prevention of making an irreversible choice while the frontal lobe is still far from knowing even what path it wants for itself for the rest of its life. I know that might be seen as unfair to a lot of people, but given the persistence with which gender affirmation is being pushed, I feel that cases like me are simply considered collateral damage. Really glad I didn't end up as such.