Lesbian (*gasp*) parents put child on hormone-blockers to delay puberty when she expresses a desire to be a girl, cue the freaking out

http://news.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=8361715

First the article is pure "he said/she said" journalism... It just quotes some ppl saying one side then the other side and leaves it up to the reader >_>

Secondly, even tho there'd still be freaking out otherwise, why do I suspect it's going to be even louder this time because the parents are queer -_-;;; Before, all ppl could say is "deluded!" or "ultra-liberal commie hippies!" about the parents of trans children because they were hetero... now... CLEAR EVIDENCE OF TEH GHAY AGENDA! >_>

I love how they quote some guy from fox news too... clearly somebody we should be listening to on this issue e_e

It is interesting who they chose to quote though. Often "he said/she said journalism" does make its biases very clear based on who they choose to quote and the language they use. We have quoted only the parties involved, a transphobic doctor, and a conservative news pundit. An actual attempt at balance would contact other doctors, and discover that there is in fact medical community dispute of this issue (presenting only one side makes it look as if there is a false consensus). One could also interview adult trans people about their experiences.

However, as bad as the reporting is, I am happy to see that this girl's parents are doing what is best for her.

I will admit my ignorance here and say that I had no idea children that young could safely take hormones. It's fascinating, are there any adults now that took hormones that young?

It would be safe to have children that young take hormones, but what's becoming more common now is that the children take hormone blockers so it delays puberty until they are older and the various doctors and parents feel comfortable allowing them to take hormones.

I know some adults now who took hormones pretty young, but not that young. Unfortunately I'm not one of them

oh, duh! It does say hormone blockers! (head desk)

Still amazing. I would like to see a documentary on this because it's a lot of info to absorb.

Hormone blockers do carry some risks, but the effects are reversible (they are also already used in some areas to delay extremely early onset puberty, they have been used for the 20 years in the US for this purpose, without a high recorded incidence of adverse health affects, some very small sample US studies suggested a slight increase of risk of low bone density, but a larger Amsterdam study did not find this, a few studies have suggested a slightly increased risk of fertility issues). They also prevent a lot of harms too. Puberty changes that do not match up with self image and cause dysphoria can spur depression and suicide. Also, they may cause irreversible or difficult to alter physical changes that people have to live with or, where it can be done, have expensive and difficult surgeries. So it isn't as if not acting is the best solution either. Blockers give kids up to four or five extra years to decide what sort of puberty they want.

Part of the reason there isn't too much info on trans kids getting blockers is because they were not given them through the medical establishment until very recently. What long term data we have on kids on hormone blockers generally involves children with extremely early onset puberty or intersexed conditions. The studies on trans youth experience in general are not the greatest (in addition to other issues, many have traditionally counted everyone who is not a as an adult a "classic transsexual" who wants hormones and full available surgical measures, as being cis, rather than including the wider range of trans identities and experiences).