8 years ago
3
We Must Put an End to Gender Conversion Therapy for Kids
Getty Images Leelah Alcorn, a trans youth who endured conversion therapy, wrote in her suicide note, “The only way I will rest in peace is if one day transgender people aren’t treated the way I was, they’re treated like humans, with valid feelings and human rights.”
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I know this is a delicate topic, but I hope even those who oppose it take a look at it. It is always useful to confront the need for confirmation bias.
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Oh man. This is one thing that I've always been torn on. On one hand, I want children to have a safe space where they can truly take time to think about which gender they identify as. And on the other hand, I feel like if they even have a shred of a doubt after they have started expressing that they are or are not the gender the were born to, there may be no going back after they decide to start therapy.
I have to wonder how many kids have decided they're not the gender they were born to only to realize later that they are really bi or gay and had no idea until they really started developing sexually.
You can de-transition at anytime up until you have sex reassignment surgery. They don't usually reassign minors. Conversion therapy in this case is very much like conversion therapy for gay and lesbian people. Guess what? People who believe they are the wrong biological gender are just as miserable as gay and lesbians when being forced to be something they aren't.
They need conversion therapy like a hole in the head. Give them space and support and they will figure it out on their own. If they've been on hormones for a few years that's not that big of a deal. They can scale back then allow their bodies to figure out what the new normal should be.
I personally think the best answer for a kid in that situation is to make everything as gender neutral as possible- get away from pink and blue, gender neutral clothing and toys, and stereotypes about gender. Then wait a few years and see what happens. If it's permanent, then they'll still want it later, and you'll know for sure.
If you push it a 4 year old will have to undo years of social conditioning at 9-10 if they change their minds, and kids at that age have trouble quitting sports let alone dresses.