For a long time, there’s been a prevalent idea that children experiencing gender-related challenges should be socially, hormonally, and even surgically supported; otherwise, their mental health would take a significant hit.
But as more time has gone by, newer data paints an entirely different picture.
Research from Finland has followed young individuals who were referred for gender dysphoria, revealing that the main contributors to poor mental health weren’t solely tied to their gender identity but rather were linked to underlying mental illnesses.
What’s quite troubling is that medical treatments like hormone therapy and surgeries haven’t convincingly shown to reduce suicide rates.
This suggests that these so-called life-saving treatments often don’t actually tackle the pain or the root issues at hand. The existing frameworks for addressing the needs of gender-confused youth are not fulfilling what they claim to offer.
Reflecting on my own teenage years, I was pushed to “become a boy,” with doctors and counselors insisting it was the remedy for all my struggles. That wasn’t true.
I distinctly recall many visits to various medical professionals. I have battled depression and an eating disorder and grew up in a chaotic home environment. That combination is generally a recipe for distress. My issues didn’t stem from being transgender; they arose from trauma that no young person should have to endure.
As someone who has transitioned back to identifying as female after undergoing “gender-affirming care,” I stand as an example among many. Several friends and colleagues faced similar coercion to “accept” a gender identity that wasn’t truly theirs.
The Finnish study isn’t isolated. A UK report also indicated that the evidence supporting pediatric gender medicine is surprisingly weak, highlighting that many young patients come with multifaceted mental health issues that need thorough psychological care rather than drastic interventions like surgeries.
These findings collectively point to a significant flaw in how we approach this matter.
Many children dealing with distress, tough home lives, and ongoing online challenges are often ushered through a sequence of social transitions, puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones, and irreversible surgeries.
Even more alarming is the fact that some of these treatments can be authorized in a doctor’s office without parental knowledge. Encouraging secrecy about these transitions should be considered unacceptable.
The fallout from these actions has severely eroded trust in our educational institutions and healthcare systems. Pushing these so-called treatments further will only heighten their detrimental effects.
Hormonal therapies can have lasting impacts on bone density, fertility, and the overall endocrine system. Surgical procedures are permanent. These are, quite critically, medical decisions made while the patients are still in their developmental stages.
Though my struggles have been extensive, the fight for justice transcends my personal journey. It represents an important ethical dilemma in medicine that we must confront legally.
There’s mounting evidence contradicting the notion that gender surgeries are life-saving treatments. Many children set on this path might not grasp the full implications until much later—and by then, it’s often too late.
Unless every state and healthcare entity takes a definitive stand, there will continue to be a push to uphold an ideology lacking scientific support. The data is no longer up for debate. The evidence is compelling. It is our belief that this troubling practice should cease immediately.
