“A controversial cover story in The Atlantic this summer on transgenderism in young people gave accounts of a number of “detransitioners,” people who had identified as transgender and then returned to their biological gender after realizing other issues were at the root of their discomfort, and “desisters,” young people whose parents put the breaks on transition to work on other mental and emotional health issues only to find the gender dysphoria eventually dissipated.”
(Kelly Crossland – World) The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) released updated guidance on Monday recommending pediatricians support name, appearance, and sex changes for children who identify as transgender. But the recommendations ignore important research about underlying mental health issues, social contagion, and desistance in gender dysphoric children and teens.
The AAP guidance says gender-dysphoric children are best served when providers offer a “gender-affirming care model.” The model is based on four key assumptions, according to the AAP: Transgender identity does not constitute a mental disorder; variations in gender identity are normal aspects of human diversity; gender identity evolves from biology, development, socialization, and culture; and mental health issues in gender-dysphoric children most often come from stigma and negative experiences related to their gender identity, not intrinsically from the child.
The Human Rights Campaign, the country’s largest LGBT activist group, applauded the statement on Wednesday, statingit reinforced the “medical and moral imperative to support transgender and gender diverse youth” as “life-affirming and life-saving.”
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