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Why Rethink?
OVERVIEW
- There is an unprecedented and exponential increase in the number of children and youth presenting to gender clinics, particularly adolescent girls with no history of gender dysphoria. The United Kingdom and Sweden have called for inquiries into the increase and the standards of care being provided.
- Medical interventions beginning in childhood and adolescence irreversibly impact fertility, sexual function including vaginal complications, and potentially their bone, brain and cardio health and, therefore, warrant scrutiny.
- There are no biomarkers for gender dysphoria and no definitive studies showing biological causes for gender variations. Assessments for medical interventions are based solely on the minor’s self-report.
- There are no long term studies showing the effectiveness or the extent of side effects of early medicalization.
- While there is genuine concern that gender diversity not be improperly pathologized, treating gender variation in children and youth as simply a “natural variant” makes unnecessary medicalization more likely and exploration of possible underlying psychosocial factors or allowance for spontaneous resolution of cross-gender feelings less likely.
- Depathologizing homosexuality ended its medicalization and is a different paradigm. SO and GI overview.