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This short but harrowing article brings one main issue to the forefront.
What option *apart* from puberty inhibition is available after parents have facilitated a complete social transition of their child pre- puberty onset? Ie. A male has started high school as a girl. Cont.
What option *apart* from puberty inhibition is available after parents have facilitated a complete social transition of their child pre- puberty onset? Ie. A male has started high school as a girl. Cont.
Such complete social transition of children is relatively new. Before puberty blockers were used in under 16s for GD (circa 2011 in the UK), it was known that puberty would occur in all cases. As a result, there was no expectation that pubertal development could be avoided. Cont
With the introduction of this treatment, some parents have chosen to register their children at high school as the opposite sex. This has been done with the full expectation of medical puberty blockage from the outset. The child is stealth and fears being outed. Cont.
Parents want what is best for their children, but it's difficult to know what is best in the long term when a child is so young they've not even started puberty yet. Social transition is initially positive, but has major implications.
Cont.
Cont.
The implications:
1. The child's belief that their body is wrong is cemented to an extreme degree during early childhood.
2. Medical intervention /puberty inhibition is pre-planned to avoid the 'wrong puberty'.
Cont.
1. The child's belief that their body is wrong is cemented to an extreme degree during early childhood.
2. Medical intervention /puberty inhibition is pre-planned to avoid the 'wrong puberty'.
Cont.
3. There is essentially no possibility that the child will gain comfort with their body as it is.
4. The child will greatly fear being 'outed' by the physical detransition which puberty brings.
Cont.
4. The child will greatly fear being 'outed' by the physical detransition which puberty brings.
Cont.
5. As a result, puberty will be extremely distressing, to a much greater extent than would have occurred otherwise.
So essentially, complete social transition prior to starting high school = extreme distress at physical development, with huge mental health implications.
Cont.
So essentially, complete social transition prior to starting high school = extreme distress at physical development, with huge mental health implications.
Cont.
Is it very difficult to know what can be done in this situation. Parents who can afford it will obtain medication privately eg. online services.
A full social transition of this nature is not a trial, it is step 1 in complete medical/surgical transition, and there is no plan B.
A full social transition of this nature is not a trial, it is step 1 in complete medical/surgical transition, and there is no plan B.
It's worrying because there are implications when blocking puberty from the outset until adulthood. This is something we've only been doing for a few years (in the UK, 9 years). It will improve passability during adulthood, which leads to its promotion. But it's not without risk.
