Youth Gender Transition Is Pushed Without Evidence

Psychotherapy, not hormones and surgery, is increasingly the first line of treatment abroad. Every systematic review of evidence to date, including one published in the Journal of the Endocrine Society, has found the evidence for mental-health benefits of hormonal interventions for minors to be of low or very low certainty. By contrast, the risks are significant and include sterility, lifelong dependence on medication and the anguish of regret. For this reason, more and more European countries and international professional organizations now recommend psychotherapy rather than hormones and surgeries as the first line of treatment for gender-dysphoric youth.

"I'm a trans woman – this is what I've learnt so far"

From an uplifting queer community to (at times) crushing gender dysphoria, my transition has been full of ups and downs. These are pieces of wisdom I wish I'd known earlier on in my journey.

10 Transgender People Share What They Wish They Knew Before Transitioning

"It’s totally worth it, to look in the mirror and recognize yourself as you should be.”

Debunking Common Myths About Youth Transition

Six college students wrote shared their thoughts on gender-affirming care for youth with the Wall Street Journal. Only one of them demonstrated a basic grasp of the issues.

German Parliament Votes to Make It Easier for Trans People to Change Their Legal Gender

The bill has nevertheless come under attack by Germany’s right wing parties, and the German public remains divided on the issue. A poll from YouGov for the Welt am Sonntag newspaper showed that 46% of respondents were in favor of the bill while 41% against it.

How Often Do People Regret Transitioning?

An opinion piece recently came out in the New York Times looking at the ongoing debate on transgender youth. If you’ve read the piece, you might be forgiven for thinking that huge swaths of children are receiving surgery for gender dysphoria, and that many or even most of them regret their transitions. “I realized that I had lived a lie for over five years,” one destransitioning teen told the Times. Members of the trans community who track legislation and critique media coverage called the piece misleading, and even suggested it followed the “climate denier playbook.” Now, I have no particular stake here. I’m not trans, I don’t work in that area of health care, and I’m a cis man. I am, however, an epidemiologist

I Got into £8,000 Debt Funding My Lifesaving Gender Transition

Behind the front door of the specialist clinic was a completely new world with a completely different approach. Instead of my appointment being fraught with the battle to be listened to properly, the private clinic had a positive approach. The consultant and I spoke about my feelings, life up to that point, name changes, research, family, transphobia at home and at work – everything. Who I was and what I needed was taken into account and the psychiatrist concluded I was an obvious candidate for top surgery.

I Transitioned From Female to Male as a Teen. Here's My Story

Lots of people are confused by me. First I was a girl who liked girls, and then a boy who liked girls, and now—finally—a dude who likes other dudes. I get it—it is kind of confusing. The best way I've heard it explained: Gender is who you want to sleep as, and sexuality is who you want to sleep with. It took me some time to figure out that last part.

Majority of trans adults are happier after transitioning, survey finds

Washington Post and KFF study found 78% of respondents said living as different gender from birth increased satisfaction in life

Myth #5: All trans people medically transition

Not everyone who is transgender prioritizes or desires procedures, such as hormone therapy and gender-affirming surgeries, required for a full medical transition. While some undergo medical transitions for cosmetic, psychological, or health reasons, many won’t because they can’t afford it, face some other obstacle, or simply don’t want to.

No Before, No After

Anyone can undergo a transition, and we typically respect whatever route people take to get from Point A to Point B. But for trans and nonbinary people, the rules change: Suddenly, there's an audience. By hyper-focusing on how trans people look now, maybe even more on how they used to look, we dilute their experiences as unique individuals. But the reality is far less linear — and infinitely more beautiful.

On an Article About Gender Transition in Harper’s Bazaar Which my Mother Sent to Me This Week

Structurally, Hattie Heritage leads us through a numbered series of lessons she’s learned in her transition. From the first paragraph, I knew it would be stimulating to me, enough so as to warrant note-taking and sentence-giving. So, if you read on, you will encounter some ideas I’ve been having, by way of thoughts on this article. I will use her lesson titles as my own structure, weaving personal anecdotes with low-level, armchair analysis of a few of its suppositions. These include the article’s target audience, purpose, and affect.

Transitioning Genders Isn’t About Glamour

To be transgender is to know deeply that the traditional gender roles assigned by the body parts you’re born with don’t fit, and that you have to move beyond what society typically thinks of as a “man” or a “woman.” To transition to the gender that we feel is inside of us, many transgender people choose to get surgery or take hormones, but many others do not. It’s more about living in the world as a particular gender. Medical history is irrelevant—and a private matter, as it is for all Americans.

What does the scholarly research say about the effect of gender transition on transgender well-being?

This search found a robust international consensus in the peer-reviewed literature that gender transition, including medical treatments such as hormone therapy and surgeries, improves the overall well-being of transgender individuals. The literature also indicates that greater availability of medical and social support for gender transition contributes to better quality of life for those who identify as transgender.