The disinformation on transgender youth healthcare is extreme, and many people hold weakly held opinions on that care. I talk about how to move the needle with those who are uncertain.
This is best article I’ve encountered with potential of reassuring and persuading folks that decisions about transgender supportive care should be no different than for any other childhood condition or situation. Parents and medical professionals are closest to and know the child best. Politicians have no standing to get involved.
What a great (and civilly expressed) explanation. This sentence resonated with me: "Most trans youth have comprehensive care teams—psychologists, endocrinologists, general practitioners." I'm both nonbinary and a parent, so my early experience with this issue held two lived realities in tension: young people (like all of us) should get the healthcare they need, AND kids change their minds all the time as their brains develop. The idea that they're making carefully considered decisions--about something they've known about themselves since an early age--with all kinds of professional support assuaged my fears. Moreover, no elected official is ever in a better position to assess a young person's readiness for treatment than the young person themselves. I'm glad you're making this case, Erin; may it continue to change minds.
"They don’t protect children; they prevent care, impose harm, and silence the very voices that matter most."
I know that, you know that. We are fighting people who do not really believe we even exist.
They think we are the mental illness of actually cisgender people -- or -- the willful perversion and fetish of an actually cisgender (Satan influenced?!) person.
Educating those who are not gender critical is critical. When they understand all that prohibitions and restrictions on gender affirming care do is force boys to have breasts and periods, and, force girls to have beards and deep voices . . . then the "gender critical" are done. Over.
I recently encountered a third take. Someone tried to tell me that transgender people only exist because a group of "billionaire perverts" got together in the late 1970s and came up with the word and concept of transgender.
Even in the face of evidence we've always existed, she kept trying to tell me I'm a pawn of their plan. She had no udea what they hoped to accomplish with the plan, but "knew" it happened.
Fortunately, that seems to be a rare stance as no amount of education will work there.
No amount of education will work for any "gender critical" ideologue. Either we beat them or we don't, and, they die out in obscurity or flourish and drive us into misery and closetedness.
As a TG Medicine doctor (now retired), i want to thank you for this extremely well-written and well-reasoned article. It can be very helpful to share with the general public who are still open to rethinking their stance on the care of TG youth, and trans people in general. Unfortunately, for those who have already closed their bigotted minds to all reason, even dynamite is ineffective in moving them!
It's particularly important to highlight that in the vast majority of cases, children seeking transition medicine are doing it with the support of their families, especially given the noxious myth that kids being "transed" behind their parents' back is routine. In the real world, the idea that a medical transition could be sustained without parental support frankly seems utterly ludicrous. Who is going to make sure that kid remembers their pills? Attends their injections? And how would you expect to keep the secret, even of a social transition? All it would take would be one bully, whether a peer or a gender critical teacher to spill the beans to the parents.
While recovering from recent facial feminisation surgery (at a cost of about £40,000/$54,500, a stark reminder of the cost of undoing the damage done once you reach adulthood), I had some quite fascinating conversations with a young trans woman (an adult of course) using the same clinic and her mother, who was there supporting her. That was a real story of childhood transition and a world away from the caricature presented in the media.
It is a tough time to be out so. And those who advocate for their own community are critized for "looking after themselves". Once again, it is time for allies to step up. Democrats and thoughtful Republicans, (if they are not extinct), have to grow a spine on this issue. One of the most annoying elements of this conversation is when Democrats and fair-minded people defend the transgender community, some bad faith actors question why this issue keeps coming up since it represents such a small community. In fact, Fox "News" has an almost daily segment attacking trans-folks in one way or another. The most foolish comments come from within the LGBTQ+ community saying that transgender and non-binary folks are not "real gays" and should not be included under our unbrella. It is foolish because 1), the same folks are going after them, (such as same sex-marriage),in real time, and b) it is almost unfathomed hypocricy, probably hyped by some lingering self-hate. It should be clear by now that the demolition of the rights of transgender people is just the start of a war on minorities, (and majority -- l all women), by this cruel adminstration.
I don’t believe that the vast majority of conservative politicians oppose GAC because they are genuinely concerned about regret, or medical harm. That’s what they say to sound acceptable to the public….but…Most of that group opposes GAC (whether for minors or adults) because of hatred and bigotry. The thought of a AMAB person becoming a cis-passing female and moving through society without difficulty - and that is possible for any age group but it’s more likely if interventions are done before puberty - is an all-out nightmare scenario for them, and something they deeply react against (and yes, their hatred is often stronger in the M2F direction). We can debate all day what the reasons for this are. But make no mistake: opponents of GAC want ideally to not only prevent future transitions, but detransition everyone who has already transitioned. That does mean they will get their wish. But it’s important to understand that it’s something that they deeply want.
Yes! But it does not cover those cases where the parents do NOT know best, or try to apply moral or religious reasons to deny their child the care they need.
I think that when addressing this issue with those on the fence, I think better approach would be to show that those youth (under 18) if not definitively know, certainly have a gut knowledge that they are trans.
It should be child first (using appropriate mental health professionals needed to ascertain the needs of each child), *then* the parents. The fuzzy gray area is where medical professionals fit into the picture.
Regardless, approaching this topic from that angle will better help you target audience to empathize with the child and their parents/guardians.
How do I know this to be true? Because I *knew* by age 5 that I was trans, and my family and medical providers worked as hard as they could to do the equivalent of 'conversion' which set me back decades before I finally was able to transition.
Well said. Thank you. A trans child with unsupportive parents is at greater risk of facing difficulties as a trans person than is the trans child with parental support who is allowed to follow their own self-knowledge.
Thank you for this. I have sent some of your words and Jack Turbin’s to our legislators over the past couple of years, along with studies, statistics, 1st person stories. But, alas, the NH MAGA Right chooses to listen to the likes of Jamie Reed and Cori Cohn, dismissing doctors, parents and the general public who have showed up to testify for these adolescents. The only question left before the adolescent trans care ban goes to the governor’s desk is whether to give those already on HRT the ability to stay on it or if they will have 6 months to wean off and detransition. No wonder so many are leaving our state, both families with trans kids and trans adults who know they are next. Cruelty seems to be the point. So much for my proud “Live Free” state.
Thank you for this article. As a Med/Peds doctor, I so appreciate that you pointed out the process of collaboration and adjustment. The doctor-patient relationship really is a sacred trust. We, as a nation, need to do more to encourage collaboration between primary care providers and specialty centers, not drive care into the closet so to speak.
This is a really important take on the situation. The disinformation out there is staggering and mainstream media like The New York Times are just doubling down on it, making it unsurprising that those without any first hand knowledge would be swayed. At the very least, it would be nice if the government would just stay out of it and recognize that these are decisions best left to those involved and their care providers.
Thanks for this well written and informative article! I am totally supportive of trans youth care, seeing what my adult trans daughter had to endure going through her very expensive and painful surgeries.
This is best article I’ve encountered with potential of reassuring and persuading folks that decisions about transgender supportive care should be no different than for any other childhood condition or situation. Parents and medical professionals are closest to and know the child best. Politicians have no standing to get involved.
This is a brilliant desperately needed article! Thank you so much!
What a great (and civilly expressed) explanation. This sentence resonated with me: "Most trans youth have comprehensive care teams—psychologists, endocrinologists, general practitioners." I'm both nonbinary and a parent, so my early experience with this issue held two lived realities in tension: young people (like all of us) should get the healthcare they need, AND kids change their minds all the time as their brains develop. The idea that they're making carefully considered decisions--about something they've known about themselves since an early age--with all kinds of professional support assuaged my fears. Moreover, no elected official is ever in a better position to assess a young person's readiness for treatment than the young person themselves. I'm glad you're making this case, Erin; may it continue to change minds.
💯
"They don’t protect children; they prevent care, impose harm, and silence the very voices that matter most."
I know that, you know that. We are fighting people who do not really believe we even exist.
They think we are the mental illness of actually cisgender people -- or -- the willful perversion and fetish of an actually cisgender (Satan influenced?!) person.
Educating those who are not gender critical is critical. When they understand all that prohibitions and restrictions on gender affirming care do is force boys to have breasts and periods, and, force girls to have beards and deep voices . . . then the "gender critical" are done. Over.
Then we win.
I recently encountered a third take. Someone tried to tell me that transgender people only exist because a group of "billionaire perverts" got together in the late 1970s and came up with the word and concept of transgender.
Even in the face of evidence we've always existed, she kept trying to tell me I'm a pawn of their plan. She had no udea what they hoped to accomplish with the plan, but "knew" it happened.
Fortunately, that seems to be a rare stance as no amount of education will work there.
No amount of education will work for any "gender critical" ideologue. Either we beat them or we don't, and, they die out in obscurity or flourish and drive us into misery and closetedness.
As a TG Medicine doctor (now retired), i want to thank you for this extremely well-written and well-reasoned article. It can be very helpful to share with the general public who are still open to rethinking their stance on the care of TG youth, and trans people in general. Unfortunately, for those who have already closed their bigotted minds to all reason, even dynamite is ineffective in moving them!
Jennifer Burnett, MS, MD, FAAFP
It's particularly important to highlight that in the vast majority of cases, children seeking transition medicine are doing it with the support of their families, especially given the noxious myth that kids being "transed" behind their parents' back is routine. In the real world, the idea that a medical transition could be sustained without parental support frankly seems utterly ludicrous. Who is going to make sure that kid remembers their pills? Attends their injections? And how would you expect to keep the secret, even of a social transition? All it would take would be one bully, whether a peer or a gender critical teacher to spill the beans to the parents.
While recovering from recent facial feminisation surgery (at a cost of about £40,000/$54,500, a stark reminder of the cost of undoing the damage done once you reach adulthood), I had some quite fascinating conversations with a young trans woman (an adult of course) using the same clinic and her mother, who was there supporting her. That was a real story of childhood transition and a world away from the caricature presented in the media.
It is a tough time to be out so. And those who advocate for their own community are critized for "looking after themselves". Once again, it is time for allies to step up. Democrats and thoughtful Republicans, (if they are not extinct), have to grow a spine on this issue. One of the most annoying elements of this conversation is when Democrats and fair-minded people defend the transgender community, some bad faith actors question why this issue keeps coming up since it represents such a small community. In fact, Fox "News" has an almost daily segment attacking trans-folks in one way or another. The most foolish comments come from within the LGBTQ+ community saying that transgender and non-binary folks are not "real gays" and should not be included under our unbrella. It is foolish because 1), the same folks are going after them, (such as same sex-marriage),in real time, and b) it is almost unfathomed hypocricy, probably hyped by some lingering self-hate. It should be clear by now that the demolition of the rights of transgender people is just the start of a war on minorities, (and majority -- l all women), by this cruel adminstration.
I don’t believe that the vast majority of conservative politicians oppose GAC because they are genuinely concerned about regret, or medical harm. That’s what they say to sound acceptable to the public….but…Most of that group opposes GAC (whether for minors or adults) because of hatred and bigotry. The thought of a AMAB person becoming a cis-passing female and moving through society without difficulty - and that is possible for any age group but it’s more likely if interventions are done before puberty - is an all-out nightmare scenario for them, and something they deeply react against (and yes, their hatred is often stronger in the M2F direction). We can debate all day what the reasons for this are. But make no mistake: opponents of GAC want ideally to not only prevent future transitions, but detransition everyone who has already transitioned. That does mean they will get their wish. But it’s important to understand that it’s something that they deeply want.
Correction: next-to-last sentence should read “That does not mean they will get their wish”.
“It is parents who know their child best.”
Yes! But it does not cover those cases where the parents do NOT know best, or try to apply moral or religious reasons to deny their child the care they need.
I think that when addressing this issue with those on the fence, I think better approach would be to show that those youth (under 18) if not definitively know, certainly have a gut knowledge that they are trans.
It should be child first (using appropriate mental health professionals needed to ascertain the needs of each child), *then* the parents. The fuzzy gray area is where medical professionals fit into the picture.
Regardless, approaching this topic from that angle will better help you target audience to empathize with the child and their parents/guardians.
How do I know this to be true? Because I *knew* by age 5 that I was trans, and my family and medical providers worked as hard as they could to do the equivalent of 'conversion' which set me back decades before I finally was able to transition.
Well said. Thank you. A trans child with unsupportive parents is at greater risk of facing difficulties as a trans person than is the trans child with parental support who is allowed to follow their own self-knowledge.
Thank you for this. I have sent some of your words and Jack Turbin’s to our legislators over the past couple of years, along with studies, statistics, 1st person stories. But, alas, the NH MAGA Right chooses to listen to the likes of Jamie Reed and Cori Cohn, dismissing doctors, parents and the general public who have showed up to testify for these adolescents. The only question left before the adolescent trans care ban goes to the governor’s desk is whether to give those already on HRT the ability to stay on it or if they will have 6 months to wean off and detransition. No wonder so many are leaving our state, both families with trans kids and trans adults who know they are next. Cruelty seems to be the point. So much for my proud “Live Free” state.
Thank you for this article. As a Med/Peds doctor, I so appreciate that you pointed out the process of collaboration and adjustment. The doctor-patient relationship really is a sacred trust. We, as a nation, need to do more to encourage collaboration between primary care providers and specialty centers, not drive care into the closet so to speak.
So well written! Thank you!❤️
This is a really important take on the situation. The disinformation out there is staggering and mainstream media like The New York Times are just doubling down on it, making it unsurprising that those without any first hand knowledge would be swayed. At the very least, it would be nice if the government would just stay out of it and recognize that these are decisions best left to those involved and their care providers.
My teen has been receiving gender affirming care for years and if they are prevented from getting care we will leave the country.
Thanks for this well written and informative article! I am totally supportive of trans youth care, seeing what my adult trans daughter had to endure going through her very expensive and painful surgeries.