Age 8 and Wanting a Sex-Change
I don’t recall the first time I heard the “trapped in the wrong body” analogy to explain being transgender. But while it was certainly a narrative that captured the public’s imagination as the struggle for greater acceptance and understanding burgeoned, it also turned out to be an overly simplistic way to describe the actual experiences of real people.
As we seek greater tolerance and consciousness of trans issues, we are finding younger and younger kids who end up as inadvertent warriors in the endeavor. If, as many transgender adults suggest, one’s awareness of gender nonconformity begins before puberty, it makes sense to address these concerns early.
Going through puberty is a pain for nearly everybody. Having to do it twice, the second time as an adult seeking gender reassignment, is another challenge altogether. An emerging idea in the medical community is to delay puberty onset through the use of hormone blockers. This allows the young person to grow up and make informed choices about more permanent solutions when they are old enough.
The parents of these children are inspiring: they put a degree of faith in their children that is almost unbelievable. Their choice to being loving and supportive should not seem like great feats, but in reality, they are exceptional in a society where very few people comprehend the complexity of gender.
this series was good, i like the parents honesty…but the actual show was problematic. the narrator referred to every trans person by their birth pronouns even though these folks live full time and have changed their names. which was counter-productive to sharing their story.
excellent point. i find a disconcerting number of journalists don’t seem to get that.