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Would you consider a person 8 years old for HRT etc
Sorry changed the heading to bring it more in line with the subject matter.
A few stories have come to light in the media lately, about young children being approved for complete sex change therapy.
On TV in Victoria one night there was a story of a 15 year old Transgendered child getting the go ahead to commence transition with puberty blocking drugs. She was also communicating with a Transgendered 12 year old in Sweden I think and just the other day I read a story in the New Idea about an 8 Year old.Quote”I don’t have to pretend to be a boy,” she says. “Being a girl is nice because I get to bake and cook in the kitchen, wear long hair and earrings, and I will be a mummy one someday.” She goes on to say that she will adopt a child. Quote
Now I know that when I was 8 I wanted to dress like a girl, but I had absolutely no idea what it meant to become a girl. I don’t want to take sides but this child will never know the joy of being a parent of her own biological child, will never know if puberty may have been the end of the TG tendencies and if her life is the pits after this she may well end it early. I guess I can’t help thinking that it is wrong somehow.
What do you think??
Hugs Pamela!
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4 Replies
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I think in ten/twenty years or so with the advances of stem-cell research that she will be a mummy.
But to answer the original question I don’t see anything wrong with puberty blockers they’re not an answer they just delay an inevitable process. If it appears that the child will continue as the born sex then they come off the blockers and get on with their life.
I don’t know how long it is safe to be on blockers before the body really needs hormones so it would be unwise for me to guess. I would like to think they could safely begin HRT at least by 14-16, perhaps earlier with enough therapy, testing and support.
The simple fact that children feel it to be so real and be so persistent about it says something, the parents-know-better attitude isn’t always best in my opinion, sure over small passing phases but big issues like this? Do we not remember what it’s like to be young? -
I believe children as young as 8 or 12 are able to determine their own sexuality.I started X dressing at a very early age.Think if i was given the choice and it was available I would have “jumped the fence” at a very early age. I x dress daily.Incidentaly some children are born as hermaphrodites and are gender reassigned at birth.Without their informed consent they are assigned a sex for the purpose of the birth certificate.I have the same view about religious/belief systems.XNadesha
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I knew I was wrong at a very early age. I did not really understand the real difference between boys and girls until I was in my early teens. All I knew was that I was “different” to what I was expected to be.
Kids these days are far more aware due to the media and social awareness. As usual, these cases need to be determined on a case by case basis. I would probably have been considered for these treatments if they had been available and I had not been so indoctrinated to behave in a particular way.
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It is now considered best practice to delay sexual assignment as long as possible in children who are born with one of the intersex conditions (just picking up on Nadesha’s statement).
To the original question though, this is a slightly hairy one. Essentially up until the age of around 10 yrs there are minimal physiological differences between male and female physiologies. Indeed most physiologic and secondary anatomic changes are essentially reversible up until the age of around 13-14 yrs.
My own personal opinion, where there is genuine and demonstrable gender dysphoria and psychological distress then I think that at the least therapy to delay the onset of puberty is warranted and it is possible that in certain cases even HRT may be warranted to initiate an “appropriate” puberty at the appropriate age. This however I think needs to be under the guidance of a medical team with members experienced in dealing with gender issues, particularly a gender psychologist / psychiatrist and endocrinologist.
