Leroy N. Soetoro
2024-09-19 01:16:49 UTC
Reply
Permalinkregret-changing-genders/
I was failed by the system. I literally lost organs.
When Chloe was 12 years old, she decided she was transgender. At 13, she
came out to her parents. That same year, she was put on puberty blockers
and prescribed testosterone. At 15, she underwent a double mastectomy.
Less than a year later, she realized shed made a mistake all by the
time she was 16 years old.
Now 17, Chloe is one of a growing cohort called detransitioners those
who seek to reverse a gender transition, often after realizing they
actually do identify with their biological sex. Tragically, many will
struggle for the rest of their lives with the irreversible medical
consequences of a decision they made as minors.
I cant stay quiet, said Chloe. I need to do something about this and
to share my own cautionary tale.
In recent years, the number of children experiencing gender dysphoria in
the West has skyrocketed. Exact figures are difficult to come by, but,
between 2009 and 2019, children being referred for transitioning treatment
in the United Kingdom increased 1,000% among biological males and 4,400%
among biological females. Meanwhile, the number of young people
identifying as transgender in the US has almost doubled since 2017,
according to a new Centers for Disease Control & Prevention report.
Historically, transitioning from male to female was vastly more common,
with this cohort typically experiencing persistent gender dysphoria from a
very young age. Recently, however, the status quo has reversed, and
female-to-male transitions have become the overwhelming majority.
Dr. Lisa Littman, a former professor of Behavioral and Social Sciences at
Brown University, coined the term rapid onset gender dysphoria to
describe this subset of transgender youth, typically biological females
who become suddenly dysphoric during or shortly after puberty. Littman
believes this may be due to adolescent girls susceptibility to peer
influence on social media.
Helena Kerschner, a 23-year-old detransitioner from Cincinnati, Ohio, who
was born a biological female, first felt gender dysphoric at age 14. She
says Tumblr sites filled with transgender activist content spurred her
transition.
I was going through a period where I was just really isolated at school,
so I turned to the Internet, she recalled. In her real life, Kerschner
had a falling out with friends at school; online however, she found a
community that welcomed her. My dysphoria was definitely triggered by
this online community. I never thought about my gender or had a problem
with being a girl before going on Tumblr.
There was a lot of negativity around being a cis, heterosexual, white
girl, and I took those messages really, really personally.
Helena Kerschner, on how the online trans community made her feel
pressured to change gender
She said she felt political pressure to transition, too. The community
was very social justice-y. There was a lot of negativity around being a
cis, heterosexual, white girl, and I took those messages really, really
personally.
Chloe Cole, a 17-year-old student in California, had a similar experience
when she joined Instagram at 11. I started being exposed to a lot of LGBT
content and activism, she said. I saw how trans people online got an
overwhelming amount of support, and the amount of praise they were getting
really spoke to me because, at the time, I didnt really have a lot of
friends of my own.
Experts worry that many young people seeking to transition are doing so
without a proper mental-health evaluation. Among them is Dr. Erica
Anderson, a clinical psychologist specializing in gender, sexuality and
identity. A transgender woman herself, Anderson has helped hundreds of
young people navigate the transition journey over the past 30 years.
Anderson supports the methodical, milestone-filled process lasting
anywhere from a few months to several years to undergo transition. Today,
however, shes worried that some young people are being medicalized
without the proper restraint or oversight.
Im concerned that the rise of detransitioners is reflective of some
young people who have progressed through their gender journey very, very
quickly, she said. She worries that some doctors may be defaulting to
medicalization as a remedy for other personal or mental-health factors.
When other issues important to a child are not fully addressed [before
transition], then medical professionals are failing children.
Im concerned that the rise of detransitioners is reflective of some
young people who have progressed through their gender journey very, very
quickly.
Dr. Erica Anderson, a clinical psychologist specializing in gender,
sexuality and identity, who is herself transgender.
According to an online survey of detransitioners conducted by Dr. Lisa
Littman last year, 40% said their gender dysphoria was caused by a mental-
health condition and 62% felt medical professionals did not investigate
whether trauma was a factor in their transition decisions.
My dysphoria collided with my general depression issues and body image
issues, Helena recalled. I just came to the conclusion that I was born
in the wrong body and that all my problems in life would be solved if I
transitioned.
Chloe had a similar experience. Because my body didnt match beauty
ideals, I started to wonder if there was something wrong with me. I
thought I wasnt pretty enough to be a girl, so Id be better off as a
boy. Deep inside, I wanted to be pretty all along, but thats something I
kept suppressed.
She agrees with Dr. Anderson that more psychological evaluation is needed
to determine whether underlying mental health issues might be influencing
the desire to transition.
More attention needs to be paid to psychotherapy, Chloe said. Were
immediately jumping into irreversible medical treatments when we could be
focusing on empowering these children to not hate their bodies.
Until 2019, Marcus Evans was the Clinical Director of Adult and Adolescent
Services at the Tavistock and Portman NHS Trust, a publicly funded mental-
health center in the UK where many youth seek treatment for gender
dysphoria. But he resigned three years ago over what he viewed as the
unnecessary medicalization of dysphoric adolescents.
I saw children being fast-tracked onto medical solutions for
psychological problems, and when kids get on the medical conveyor belt,
they dont get off, Evans said. But the politicization of the issue was
shutting down proper clinical rigor. That meant quite vulnerable kids were
in danger of being put on a medical path for treatment that they may well
regret.
Indeed, transitions are getting younger and hastier. Puberty blockers are
commonly administered at the first sign of development to children as
young as 9, according to the World Professional Association for
Transgender Health. Testosterone and estrogen injections are frequently
prescribed at age 13 or 14, despite the Endocrine Societys recommendation
of 16. And serious surgeries like mastectomies are sometimes performed on
children as young as 13.
Quite vulnerable kids were in danger of being put on a medical path for
treatment that they may well regret.
Marcus Evans, former Clinical Director of Adult and Adolescent Services
at the Tavistock and Portman NHS Trust
Although medical intervention for minors requires parental consent, many
mothers and fathers approve surgery and hormone therapy at the
recommendation of affirming medical professionals or even out of fear
their child might self-harm if denied treatment.
Its very hard for parents to know exactly how to evaluate their own
kids, and they rely quite heavily on experts to tell them, said Jane
Wheeler, a former regulatory health-care attorney who founded Rethink
Identity Medicine Ethics, a non-profit that promotes ethical, evidence-
based care and treatment for dysphoric children. Theres obviously a lot
of concern about the capacity for the adolescent or minor to fully
appreciate what medicalization really means.
Medical professionals typically follow the affirmative-care model, which
is supported by the American Psychological Association, validating a
patients expressed gender identity regardless of their age. As a result,
detransitioners frequently report that getting prescriptions is a breeze.
A total of 55% said their medical evaluations felt inadequate, according
to Dr. Littmans survey.
In Helenas case, all it took to get a testosterone prescription was one
trip to Planned Parenthood when she was 18. She said she was given four
times the typical starting dose by a nurse practitioner in less than an
hour, without ever seeing a doctor.
Chloe said she was fast-tracked through her entire transition from
blockers to a mastectomy in just two years, with parental consent. The
only pushback she said she encountered came from the first endocrinologist
she saw, who agreed to prescribe her puberty blockers but not testosterone
when she was 13. But she said she went to another doctor who gave her the
prescription with no trouble.
I saw how trans people online got an overwhelming amount of support . . .
at the time, I didnt really have a lot of friends.
Detransitioner Chloe Cole, 17
Because all the therapists and specialists followed the affirmative care
model, there wasnt a lot of gate-keeping throughout the whole transition
process, she recalled. The professionals all seemed to push medical
transition, so I thought it was the only path for me to be happy.
Evans, the author of Gender Dysphoria: A Therapeutic Model for Working
with Children, Adolescents, and Young Adults, now runs his own private
practice with his wife in Beckenham, England, where he helps parents
struggling with how to address their childrens dysphoria.
A variety of studies suggest that as many as 80% of dysphoric children
could ultimately experience desistance or coming to terms with their
biological gender without resorting to transition. Which is why many
professionals like Evans think its wise to hold off on potentially
irreversible medical intervention for as long as possible. Im not
against transition. I just dont think kids can give informed consent.
All these treatments run the risk of side effects that critics argue are
too serious for children to fully understand. In the short term, puberty
blockers can stunt growth and effect bone density, while the long-term
effects are still unknown since they were only approved by the FDA in
1993. Side effects of testosterone include high cholesterol,
cardiovascular disease, diabetes, blood clots and even infertility.
Currently just three states Arkansas, Arizona and Texas have policies
limiting gender-affirming treatments for minors, including surgery,
hormones and speech therapy.
For those who ultimately end up regretting their transition, the
consequences of hormone therapy and surgery can be devastating. For
Helena, testosterone caused emotional instability that culminated with two
hospitalizations for self-harm.
While in the hospital she came to the realization that her transition was
a mistake. I saw a montage of photos of me, and when I saw how much my
face changed and how unhappy I looked, I realized this was all f****d up
and I shouldnt have done it. It was a really dark time.
Chloe said testosterone altered her bone structure, permanently sharpening
her jawline and broadening her shoulders. She said she also struggles with
increased body and facial hair. She has a large scar across her chest from
her mastectomy, which disturbed her about surgery. The recovery was a
very graphic process, and it was definitely something I wasnt prepared
for, she said. I couldnt even bear to look at myself sometimes. It
would make me nauseous.
Gravest of all concerns is her fertility. Although shed like to have
children one day, Chloe doesnt know whether the viability of her eggs was
compromised by years of testosterone injections. Shes working with
doctors to find out, and her medical future is uncertain. Im still in
the dark about the overall picture of my health right now, she said.
The subject of detransitioning is often met with vitriol from the
transgender activist community, which claims that stories like Chloes and
Helenas will be used to discredit the trans movement as a whole.
This is understandable, although unlikely, as research reveals that up to
86% of trans adults feel that transitioning was the right long-term
decision for them. But, as more and more children are entrusted to make
serious medical decisions with permanent implications, the numbers of
disaffected detransitioners is almost certain to grow.
Thats why Dr. Anderson feels compelled to speak out on their behalf, as a
transgender woman herself. Some of my colleagues are worried that
conversation about detransitioners is going to be more cannon fodder in
the culture wars, but my concern is that if we dont address these
problems, there will be even more ammunition to criticize the appropriate
work that I and other colleagues are doing.
And, like Anderson, these young people who will forever live with the
consequences of hasty transition refuse to be silenced. I want my voice
to be heard, said Chloe. I dont want history to repeat itself. I cant
let this happen to other kids.
--
We live in a time where intelligent people are being silenced so that
stupid people won't be offended.
Durham Report: The FBI has an integrity problem. It has none.
No collusion - Special Counsel Robert Swan Mueller III, March 2019.
Officially made Nancy Pelosi a two-time impeachment loser.
Thank you for cleaning up the disaster of the 2008-2017 Obama / Biden
fiasco, President Trump.
Under Barack Obama's leadership, the United States of America became the
The World According To Garp. Obama sold out heterosexuals for Hollywood
queer liberal democrat donors.
President Trump boosted the economy, reduced illegal invasions, appointed
dozens of judges and three SCOTUS justices.
