"The system failed. I literally lost an organ."
When Chloe was 12, she was transgender. I decided that there was. She was 13 years old and she came out to her parents. That same year she took an puberty suppressant and was prescribed her testosterone. At the age of 15, she underwent a double mastectomy. Less than a year later, she realized she had made a mistake. By the time she is 16 years old.
Chloe, now 17 years old, is one of the growing cohorts called "transsexuals". After realizing that those who try to reverse the sex change are actually equating with biological gender. Tragically, many will struggle with the irreversible medical consequences of the decisions they make as minors for the rest of their lives.
"I can't stay quiet," Chloe said. "I need to do something about this and share my attention."
•••
Children who have experienced gender identity in the West in recent years. The number of is increasing rapidly. Although it is difficult to get accurate figures, between 2009 and 2019, 1,000% of biological men and4,400% of biological women were referred to transitional treatment in the United Kingdom.Increased. Meanwhile, the number of young people identified as transgender in the United States has nearly doubled since 2017, according to the new Centers for Disease Control and Prevention&PreventionReport
. .. Women are much more common, and this cohort usually experienced persistent gender identity from a very young age. But recently, the situation has reversed and the transition from women to men has become an overwhelming majority
Lisa Littman, a former professor of behavioral and social sciences at Brown University. Dr., coining the term "rapidly developing gender identity" to describe this subset of transgender youth, usually biological women, who suddenly become gender identity during or shortly after puberty. To do. Littmannbelieves that this may be due to the adolescent girl's susceptibility to the influence of her peers on social media.
23-year-old transgender from Cincinnati, Helena Kerschner, Organism Born as a scholarly woman, Ohio first experienced gender discomfort at the age of 14. She says the Tumblr site, full of transgender activist content, has spurred her transition.
"I was really isolated at school, so I turned to the internet," she recalled. In her real life, Kershner had fallen with her friends at her school. But online, she found a community that welcomed her. "My discomfort was definitely caused by this online community. Before I went to Tumblr, I never had any problems thinking about gender or being a girl."
"There were many negative opinions about being a Sith, heterosexual, and white girl. I received those messages really, really personally."
Chloe Cole, on how the online transgender community felt pressure to change gender
She said she also felt the political pressure to move. rice field."The community was very social justice. There are many negative opinions about being a sis, heterosexual, white girl, and I make those messages really, really personal.
A 17-year-old California student, Chloe Cole, had a similar experience when she joined Instagram at the age of 11. "I started to be exposed to a lot of LGBT content and activities," she said. "I saw how the online transgender people got overwhelming support, and the amount of praise they really told me because I didn't have many friends at the time.
Experts say many young people seeking transition I am concerned that I am migrating without migrating. Appropriate mental health assessment. Among them is Dr. Erika Anderson, a clinical psychologist who specializes in gender, sexuality and identity. A transgender woman, Anderson has helped hundreds of young people navigate their transition journeys over the last three decades. Andersonsupports a systematic milestone-filled process that lasts months and years after the transition. But today, she is worried that some young people may be receiving medical care without proper restraint and supervision.
"I'm worried that the rise of non-migrants may reflect some young people who have made their gender journey very quickly," she said. rice field. She is worried that some doctors may be neglecting medicalization as a cure for other personal or mental health factors. "If other issues that are important to the child are not completely addressed [before the transition], medical professionals are failing the child."
"I I am worried that the rise of non-migrants may reflect some young people who have made their gender journey very quickly. ”
I am transgender myself. Dr. Erica Anderson, a clinical psychologist specializing in gender, sexuality and identity.
According to a non-migratory online surveyconducted by Dr. Lisa Littman last year, 40% said gender identity was due to their mental health. , 62% felt that health professionals did not investigate whether trauma was a factor in the transition decision.
"My discomfort clashed with my general depression and body image problems," Helena recalled. "I have come to the conclusion that if I was born in the wrong body and transitioned, all the problems of life would be solved."
Chloe had a similar experience. "My body didn't match the ideal of beauty, so I started to wonder if I had something wrong. I thought it wasn't enough to be a girl, so as a boy I thought it was better. I wanted to be deep and much cleaner, but that's what I kept suppressing. "
She said the underlying mental health problem was moving. I agree with Dr. Anderson that a more psychological assessment is needed to determine if it is affecting one's desires.
"We need to pay more attention to psychotherapy," Chloe said. “We are immediately jumping into irreversible treatment when these children can focus on empowering them not to hate their bodies.”
•••
Until 2019, Marcus Evans was the clinical director of adult and adolescent services at the Tabistock and Portman NHS Trust, a UK publicly funded mental health center with many young people. She seeks treatment for gender identity disorder. However, he resignedthree years ago becauseconsidered it an unnecessary medicalization of an unpleasant adolescent.
"Children are rushing to a psychological solution I saw a problem and when the kids get on the medical conveyor belt, they don't get off, "Evans said. "But the politicization of the problem was to shut down proper clinical rigor. It is a danger that very vulnerable children will be put on the medical path for treatment they may regret. It meant that I was exposed to. "
Indeed, the transition is younger and in a hurry. According to the World Association of Transgender Health Professionals, puberty suppressants are usually given to children up to the age of 9 with the first signs of development. Injections of testosterone and estrogen are frequently prescribed at age 13 or 14 years, even though the Endocrine Society recommends 16. Serious surgery, such as mastectomy, may also be performed on a 13-year-old child
"Very vulnerable children. Was at risk of being put on the medical path for treatment they may regret. ”
Marcus Evans, former clinical director of adult and adolescent services at Tavistock and Portman NHSTrust
Medical intervention in minors requires parental consent, but many mothers and fathers recommend affirming medical professionals or refuse treatmentafraid that the child may be self-injured if doneand approve surgery and hormonal therapy.
"It's very difficult for parents to know exactly how to evaluate their child, and they rely very much on professionals to tell them," founded Rethink Identity Medicine. Former regulatory medical lawyer Jane Wheeler said ethics, a non-profit organization that promotes ethical and evidence-based care and treatment for children in Disfor. "Clearly, there are many concerns about the ability of adolescents or minors to fully understand the real meaning of medicalization."
Medical professionals usually follow an aggressive care model. 147} supportedby the American Psychological Association and validated the expressed gender identity of patients, regardless of age. As a result, demigrators often report that getting a prescription is easy.According to a study by Dr. Littmann, a total of55%said they felt their medical evaluation was inadequate.
For Helena, all she needed to get a prescription for testosterone was a single trip to a parent-child relationship planned at the age of 18. Without seeing a doctor.
Chloe, with the consent of his parents, said he quickly followed the entire transition from blocker to mastectomy in just two years. The only backlash she encountered was from the first endocrinologist she saw. She agreed to prescribe an puberty suppressant at the age of 13, but did not prescribe her testosterone.
"I saw how online transgender people get an overwhelming amount of support. I didn't have many friends at the time."
Detransitioner Chloe Cole, 17
"The model did not have much gatekeeping throughout the transition process as all therapists and specialists followed active care." She recalled. "All the professionals seemed to be driving the transition to health care, so I thought that was the only way to make me happy."
"Gender Disagreement: Children, Evans, author of Therapeutic Models for Treating Adolescents and Young Adults, is currently practicing with his wife in Beckenham, England. Here he helps his parents struggling with how to deal with their children's discomfort.
DiversityStudyshows that 80% of unpleasant children can eventually experience "frustration" It suggests that there is sex. Their biological gender without resorting to migration. Therefore, many experts like Evans consider it wise to postpone potentially irreversible medical interventions as much as possible. "I am not against the transition. I do not think children can give informed consent."
All of these treatments carry the risk of side effects claimed by critics. It's too serious for children to fully understand. In the short term, the puberty inhibitormay impede the growth ofand affect bone mineral density, but the long-term effects were approved only by the FDA in 1993, as Still unknown. Testosterone includes high cholesterol, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, blood clots, and even infertility. Currently, only three states, Arkansas, Arizona, and Texas, havepolicies that limitgender-identifying treatments for minors, including surgery, hormones, and speech therapy.
The consequences of hormone therapy and surgery can be devastating for those who eventually regret the transition. In Helena's case, testosterone caused emotional instability and culminated in two hospitalizations due to self-harm.
While in her hospital, she realized that her transition was wrong. "Looking at the montage of my photo, seeing how my face changed and how unhappy it looked, I realized that this all failed and I shouldn't have done it. It was a really dark time."
Chloe said testosterone changed the structure of her bones, permanently sharpening the chin line and widening her shoulders. She also suffered from increased hair on her body and face, she said. She had a large scar on her chest on her mastectomy that interfered with her surgery. "Recovery is a very graphic process, which was definitely something I wasn't preparing for," she said. "I couldn't bear to see myself from time to time. I would feel nauseous."
The most important of all concerns is her fertility. She wants to have a baby someday, but Chloe doesn't know if years of testosterone injections have compromised her egg viability. She works with her doctor to investigate, but her medical future is uncertain. "I'm still in the dark about the big picture of my health right now," she said.
• • •
She often encounters vitriols from the transgender activist community. It claims that stories like Chloe and Helena are used to undermine the credibility of the entire trance movement.
It's unlikely, but it's understandable. A study found inthat up to 86% of transgender adults feel that transition is the right long-term decision for them. However, as more and more children are tasked with making serious medical decisions with lasting consequences, the number of dissatisfied non-migrants will almost certainly increase. To do.
That's why Doctor. As a transgender woman herself, Anderson feels forced to speak for them. "Some of my colleagues are worried that conversations about non-migratory people will feed more cannons in the culture war, but if we don't address these issues, it's appropriate. I'm worried about more ammunition to criticize. Work done by me and other colleagues"
And, like Anderson, live forever as a result of a hasty transition. These young people refuse to be silent. "I want you to hear your voice," Chloe said. "I don't want history to repeat. I can't let other children do this."
