In 2014, the state of Oregon was the first state to pass a law that allows children at the age of 15 to undergo surgery for transgender, and they do not need the consent of their parents. Why, you may? Well, let’s take a look. As stated before Oregon was the first state to offer gender reassignment to minors. However, ironically it is illegal in that same state for a 15 year old to drive, smoke, donate blood, get a tattoo, or even go to a tanning booth. The state is doing this treatment with Medicaid, using tax-payers money. A doctor by the name of Dr. Jack Drescher from New York commented, “ I believe the age of 15 is too young to be offering this treatment. Children may not fully understand all the consequences of the procedures they are undergoing.” However, a transgender lady named Jenn Burleton agrees with the state of Oregon and believes parents should not have the right to get involved. She under- went gender reassignment surgery, but the age was unspecified. She had this to say,” requiring parental consent would lead to more suffering and teen suicide attempts.” Perhaps, you are asking yourself this question, what is gender dysphoria? I have the answer. Gender dysphoria is “ the diagnosis typically given to a person whose assigned birth gender is not the same as the one with which they identify.” However, let’s not confuse this with sexual orientation, this does not mean they are homosexual, this means they do not identify who they are as their given birth
According to the articles, the psychological and sociological community recommend a variety of factors. They recommend early medical intervention, working within an interdisciplinary team such as; psychologists, physicians, and other mental health care providers that have been trained to work with gender diverse along with transgender youth, and that all such assessments be conducted by a specialist with gender along with sexuality competence. They make these recommendations as these guidelines have been developed with the current state of knowledge of approaching
Relevant Terminology: Gender identity: refers to an individual’s sense of gender, may be different from one’s assigned gender at birth
Sexuality and gender identity issues have had a long history in the fields of mental health and public policy. There has been much debate surrounding the inclusion of issues related to gender and sexual identity in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual since its initial stages of development (Drescher, 2010). Debates in this field of interest have been fragmented between several stakeholders (Ehrbar, 2010). This fragmentation has created complications in the process of developing United States policies that are inclusive of individuals with gender identities that do not match the gender to which they were assigned at birth. Specifically, policies surrounding gender reassignment surgeries have been difficult to develop and
While things like marriage and anti-discrimination laws have made it safer and more accepting in the mainstream for lesbian, gay, and bisexual people, the transgender community remains largely unchanged by these things. One area in particular has remained almost completely stagnate since the 1980’s, medicine. Most medical professionals willing to aid transgender individuals in Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) and Sexual Reassignment Surgery (SRS) operate under the gatekeeper model. The gatekeeper model is loosely defined as the practice where any combination of doctors, therapists, and psychiatrists take the majority of responsible for the diagnosing and, “treatment,” of a transgender person seeking either HRT or SRS. Under this model nearly sole responsibility falls to that group of professionals, and because of that many problems in terms of proper diagnosis, ethics, and safety have sprung up. More recently a very small amount doctors have been operating under a new model. This model, called informed consent, allows the transgender individual to take some responsibility for their treatment, and in a lot of cases subvert the massive amount of unreasonable hoops and rules the gatekeeper model has. The informed consent model of treatment for transgender individuals is the superior model by far in terms of diagnosis, safety, and ethical treatment.
When it comes to the topic of gender reassignment surgery for transgender teens, most of the people will accept and agree that Transgender should get gender reassignment surgery. Where this agreement usually ends, however, it’s on the question of should transgender teens get
The medical field is a mixing bowl of all walks of life. Doctors, nurses, surgeons, along with all other employees under the title “health care providers” seek to treat patients in need of care. There is no discrimination in this medical world. But, insurance companies are not a part of this realm. They may choose to discriminate if they feel a procedure is medically unnecessary. Ten states in America belong to a group of such that does not allow Medicaid to cover any gender reassignment surgeries, for which they deem unnecessary. According to Dr. Ilana Addis, the noncoverage for transgender surgeries may in fact, be causing the need for necessary medical treatment.
2. SCOPE OF THE PROBLEM – In Ohio the law doesn’t recognize transgender surgical procedures as a justifiable reason to make changes. If a transgender man or woman undergoes surgical procedure to change their sex, Ohio will not incorporate any form of correction of sex on birth certificates.
Instead of performing conversion therapy, therapists should help those in the LGBT community overcome struggles they have with their sexuality or gender identity. Humane treatments should be used, mental health should improve rather than decline, and trans folk should be told that it is okay to not identify as the gender they were born as. Communities should also offer their support and acceptance in order to prevent the perpetuation of inhumane treatments, psychological damage, and gender stereotypes associated with conversion therapy. Fortunately, four states – Oregon, California, Illinois, and New Jersey – and the District of Columbia have banned conversion therapy for minors (Bellware). That may seem like a small step, but any step forward is a step in the right
Scholars have been critical of the medical establishment’s and state’s involvement in constructing and policing of transgender identity. These kinds of pressing issues have occupied the small existing literature. There is not much information and studying what is being done on transgender in traditional areas, family studies research, such as their dating behavior and formation of intimate relationships in adulthood. There is little research on the issues around being parents, their children’s experiences with having transgendered parents, as well as relationships in the family as a whole, and relationships in work and school.
A four-year-old child in Australia, who has not even started school yet, is getting ready to undergo a sex change. Many people are arguing that the child is too young to undergo such a drastic change. They have also stated that this change can have lasting lifelong consequences. The child is going to be the youngest person in the world to undergo a sex change operation.
The steps towards gender reassignment are long, complex, and especially expensive with some risks when it comes to puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones, and gender reassignment surgery. In this article, Margie Fishman explains in depth in pros and cons of the step towards gender reassignment. Puberty blockers are hormone- induced biological changes that stop the deepening of the voice and development of breast tissue. These nine-thousand dollar (per year) hormones are safe when given to children experiencing early-onset puberty. but are relatively new to transgender children and may cause torment to a transgender child. Typically, the age appropriate for this differs for gender: boys being at 10 to 11, while girls being at 11 to 12. Which
Many people have strong opinions pertaining to transgender folk and their rights. It’s becoming more and more of a political issue, especially since North Carolina’s proposal of the “bathroom bill” which declares people should be required by law to use restrooms matching with the sex on their birth certificate. Transgenders have been in a controversial spotlight for just about a decade now, and many people are perplexed. An even more controversial topic is transgender youth. Should transgender teens be allowed to go undergo hormone therapy before adulthood? Transitioning genders is a very long, very complex process. Usually, if a child or young teen wants to transition to the opposite gender, they are given “hormone blockers,” which are agents used to suppress sex hormones and prevent puberty. Hormone blockers make it easier and more effective to achieve the desired physical appearance in gender transition. They also help with gender dysphoria. When transgender people are ready to start the transition, they are given hormones which cause their bodies to develop into the desired form. Gender transition is a very complex process that works differently for everyone, and it definitely makes sense how many people disagree with minors going through such a complicated physical change.
“One believes things because one has been conditioned to believe them” this quote written by Aldous Huxley accurately describes the impact parents have on their children. When parents aid their transgender children in transitioning into the opposite sex they are committing child abuse; changing sex is unsafe, indecent, and permanent. Over the course of a month, I have been a slave to the library. I have read over 30 articles on transgenderism; The basis of my opinion comes from well-sifted through research. The definition of child abuse is the mistreatment of a child by physical, sexual, or emotional ill-treatment or neglect, especially by those responsible for his or her welfare. Parents of transgender kids are neglecting what they need
Transgender children are beginning to use cross sex hormone treatment (the injection of testosterone for biological females and oestrogen for biological males) at ages as young as 12. This allows the children to go through puberty as the gender that they consider themselves to be, developing the secondary sexual characteristics of said gender. However, there is much debate to whether or not children should be able to transition at such a young age. It is said that the children, as they approach their teen years, may change their mind on their gender, and they aren’t old enough to know their gender. However, not allow them to transition is shown to have negative outcomes, which are briefly presented in the article. How Young is Too Young?, an
Living a life feeling out of place, with the wrong feelings, and in the wrong body, for a person with Gender Identity Disorder, this is how they feel day to day. According to the DSM-IV-TR, Gender Identity Disorder is characterized by a strong, persistent cross-gender identification, persistent discomfort with his or her sex or sense of inappropriateness in their gender role of that sex. According to the American Psychiatric Association (APA), children, adolescents and adults who exhibit a preoccupation with getting rid of or losing their primary and secondary sex characteristics, associated with different mannerisms and actions of the opposite sex; while holding a belief that he or she was born the wrong sex are believed to be classified