WH encourages gender reassignment surgery for minors

[GeauxHomeLittleD]

@"Freija" 

What I DO have a problem with is doctors handing out puberty blockers to small children like candy and/or at parent's urging without proper testing and therapy.

It is simply a conservative wet dream to think this is happening. Puberty suppression isn’t prescribed without a long-lasting and intense pattern of gender non-conformity or gender dysphoria nor without counseling and evaluation and they aren’t given until puberty has started and reached Tanner stage 2 or 3, usually around age 11 or 12. Most kids wanting puberty blockers are unable to attain them either due to lack of familial support, lack of insurance and lack of available providers.

Without insurance puberty blockers can cost between $12,000 to $18,000 per year for injections and $18,000 to $20,000 plus hospital costs for an implant that lasts about 18 months. It is reported that fewer than 20% of patients receiving puberty blockers have them covered under insurance.

Article Link- Two classes of trans kids are emerging – those who have access to puberty blockers, and those who don’t

We're going to have to agree to disagree on this. There are absolutely doctors out there prescribing puberty blockers for the asking, even just regular family practitioners. I can agree that in most cases insurance wont cover the costs but there are too many custody disputes happening because of it these days to state it is rare. Times, they are a changin'.

I also have a BIG problem with any sort of sexual reassignment surgeries before the adult age of consent. You do YOU but no "chopping" of parts before you are an ADULT who has been through years of psychological testing, therapy and have actually lived full time as the desired gender without feeling weird about it.

I think it is important to make a distinction between sex reassignment surgery, which simply isn’t as widespread as people think it is and other gender affirming procedures. Except in very rare and unique cases, genital surgery is never performed on someone younger than 18. Presently, where there is underage “chopping” is breasts or “top surgery” which is being done on some 15/16 year old natal girls (trans boys) when their distress level is extreme and it should be noted that trans boys outnumber trans girls 4 to 1 these days, just the opposite of past numbers. I should also point out that the majority of FTMs don’t even have “bottom surgery”.

Article Link-A flawed agenda for trans youth

While I agree that "bottom surgery" is rare before adulthood on this I'm also going to have to disagree: "Top chopping or building" should also wait until legal adulthood. Falsies and binding could and should be utilized if necessary until such a time. No surgeries of this kind should be allowed until the subject is legally able to sign on the dotted line for themselves. If their distress is so extreme that they cannot wait to make such a serious change maybe they require better psychiatric care until they reach the age to legally decide such things for themselves.

Just to note: I don't agree with breast enhancement, nose jobs or ANY plastic surgery for those who have not reached physical and mental maturity, Trans people are no exception.