However also unlikey at that age for it to be a response to
by wpkirish (2024-02-02 19:08:04)

In reply to: 3 seems quite early to know much of anything *  posted by ravenium

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type of societal conditions that people believe are leading to this which would lead me to believe the kid is seeing something in himself or herself.

I dont know anyone who is trans but the gay friends I have are all pretty clear they knew from a very young age.

Human nature is a complex mystery for sure
by ravenium  (2024-02-03 17:52:09)     cannot delete  |  Edit  |  Return to Board  |  Ignore Poster   |   Highlight Poster  |   Cannot reply

I think at the end of the day I'm just here to raise my hand, admit I know jack squat, and just try to treat people with respect and dignity, even if I don't fully understand their situation.

At that age, I would agree that society probably isn't doing that (despite the far right boogiemen). It may be parents overreacting, but I'm also not going to backseat parent anyone.

A couple thoughts, if you'll allow me -

- I would think one's knowing if they were gay or straight would be predicated on puberty, wouldn't it? I thought girls were super cootie gross until right around the time my voice started cracking (ok, not exactly, but you get the idea).

- I think the whole idea of gender as a social construct vs actual medical dysmorphia gets conflated a lot. Having to make someone whole (for lack of a better term) medically seems to be a world apart from a kid who decides he likes barbies or gi joes better. We probably place too much emphasis on the latter.


Random anecdote: Bobby Flay asked for an easy bake oven when he was a kid. His dad freaked out, but he turned out fine.



-
Both of your points are highly valid and relevant
by czeche  (2024-02-04 07:59:23)     cannot delete  |  Edit  |  Return to Board  |  Ignore Poster   |   Highlight Poster  |   Cannot reply

I believe the Economist writes that studies of prepubertal kids who believe they are Trans show that, if allowed to progress through puberty, they are usually (but not always) glad they did not, and usually (but not always) turn out to be homosexual instead.

That suggests that medicalizing this prepubertally likely causes more harm than good. One major issue is that in the United states, since affirmation is the one allowed response at present, there will not be any advancement in determining who will end up still wanting to be trans vs realizing they actually did not... hopefully Europe advances that science.

In the meantime, any parent who has a child who identifies as Trans would be unable to find someone willing to explore that identity without firmly trying to answer the question for the child. The battle lines are drawn.

Who decided that affirmation is the only allowed response
by Dutch  (2024-02-04 09:25:44)     cannot delete  |  Edit  |  Return to Board  |  Ignore Poster   |   Highlight Poster  |   Cannot reply

in the US? How did that decision get made? What will it take to change that status quo?

While these questions are important for the specific issue of how best to care for prepubertal kids who believe they are trans, I think there are also some lessons to learn from this more generally.