http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/australiaandthepacific/australia/2028694/Australia-Judge-gives-girl,-12,-go-ahead-to-change-sex.html

Wondering what others thought about this case.
Do you think 12 is too young for hormone therapy?
Do you think it's dangerous to prevent puberty?
Would you have made the same decision at such an age?
Any other thoughts...

I personally don't have a problem with it since it is stated that the decision is supported by medical experts, including a psychiatrist.
As long as they closely monitor the 12 year old for any dangerous side effects.

If they're hormone blockers (didn't read the article, sorry) then I don't see a problem with it.

I'd be bothered if they were giving him T. It's medically unsafe to give a child that young sex hormones. I'd say the youngest for T should be around 15 (medically), although it's different for everyone.

I absolutely would have wanted to transition at 12 - although for me that would have been too late for anti-estrogens to do me much good.  Heck, I knew I wanted to be a boy since I was 2 1/2.  I think 10 years is enough history to make that decision.

if id realized it then, i would have wanted to for sure.  i dont think its too young for estrogen blockers and low testosterone

I think 12 would be a little too young...They have no way of knowing whether or not the person is truly unhappy in their biological gender since they haven't hit puberty...puberty effects everybody differently in how they feel about their own bodies and what not...

My own opinion, I'd say a 15/16 year old cut off age would be more appropriate

If their issues are that major and blatant, then sure. I'm fine with it. Therapists need to see it though...

Quote from: JCov212 on July 20, 2008, 12:26:52 AM
I think 12 would be a little too young...They have no way of knowing whether or not the person is truly unhappy in their biological gender since they haven't hit puberty...puberty effects everybody differently in how they feel about their own bodies and what not...

My own opinion, I'd say a 15/16 year old cut off age would be more appropriate

The title of the article is misleading.  If you read the article, it looks as if they're actually giving him hormone blockers, not testosterone.

The point of taking anti-estrogens (or anti-androgens) is to prevent the trauma of puberty, and to prevent changes that would otherwise have to be corrected with surgery.  If anything, I think in many cases 12 is not young enough.  I started puberty at 8.

I agree that 12 probably is too young for taking hormones, which have irreversible effects, but when we're talking hormone blockers, if the child changes its mind, s/he can stop taking the hormone blockers and continue on with a delayed puberty. 

In the VERY beginning of my transition 14-15 my mom was in contact with another mom of an 11 yr old f2m. He had been diagnosed GID and all that, and they started giving him hormone blockers, had his name changed, and he was enrolled in a new school as a boy. I never met him, and wonder to this day how he is, but his mother was dedicated to making his life as easily as possible, and I thought it was great.

Yep if his parents & therapist say it's cool.  why not.  it aint my business 2 say he shouldn't be doin it.

I believe any child who expresses GID should be given hormone blockers.
I started puberty at 11, so I think blockers should be given at 10. I mean, breast buds don't just disappear and the horror of the first period is something that can never be undone even when you never experience another one again.

Any boy who goes through puberty as a girl is messed up for life. Top surgery and T can't unring that bell.
There is no harm in delaying puberty even if the kid turns out not to be trans.
Obviously I feel very strongly about this.

Quote from: JCov212 on July 20, 2008, 12:26:52 AM
I think 12 would be a little too young...They have no way of knowing whether or not the person is truly unhappy in their biological gender since they haven't hit puberty...puberty effects everybody differently in how they feel about their own bodies and what not...

My own opinion, I'd say a 15/16 year old cut off age would be more appropriate

I agree with this, actually.

I had always never fit in as a girl, but I didn't have body dysphoria until puberty. I didn't realize my true gender identity until puberty. At least in my case, it wouldn't have really helped at all. It could have confused me more.

Posted on: July 20, 2008, 09:41:57 AM

---

But...

Quote from: Nero on July 20, 2008, 09:35:51 AMAny boy who goes through puberty as a girl is messed up for life. Top surgery and T can't unring that bell.
There is no harm in delaying puberty even if the kid turns out not to be trans.
Obviously I feel very strongly about this.

I agree with this, too.

Delaying puberty can make puberty more difficult later on if the kid isn't trans, but it won't harm them in the long run.

For goodness sake if the judge said it was alright then what's the problem? This is standard protocol for youth with GID and shouldn't have needed a judge to decide it. Hormones won't hurt a youth if the proper steps are taken and blockers can buy you time to figure everything out. As alway a proper assessment by an endo is in order but other then that great that he is dealing with this. I should have been given hormone blockers and T a lot earlier but instead they freaked. As for being too young he might be depending on puberty which is determined by blood tests not age. He has to encounter Tanner stage2 before blockers are prescribed which means he is most likely in puberty already. You have to allow a youth to experience puberty up to Tanner 2 because kids are known to change their mind even with a stable gender identity up to that stage.

->-bleeped-<-boy

->-bleeped-<-boy

What's tanner stage 2? and wouldn't he already have breasts by that time?

It is determined by mense starting and hormone leves, no breast yet. This explains the Tanner stages of puberty, not entirely accurate but close enough. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tanner_stage

Quote from: Nero on July 21, 2008, 01:40:49 AMWhat's tanner stage 2? and wouldn't he already have breasts by that time?

Meh. I look like a Tanner III-IV. My doctor said it is genetic, not low estrogen. That's a relief because if it was low estrogen they'd shoot me up with estrogen instead of testosterone.

I'm so jealous. I would've loved to not have to go through DI surgery, to obsess about whether my hips are too big for a bio guy or any of the other agonies from going through the wrong puberty.

And I went through puberty very late. If he changes his mind, no big deal about going through puberty at 16 or 17.

Dennis

I dont see anything wrong with that, my best friend started T when he was 13 (in Alberta, Canada) after a year on blockers. Oh and, like other people have mentioned here, many people start their puberty before 13/14. I started developing breasts when I was 10, and got my period when I was 11.

Besides, if a kid show obvious sings of GID, I cant see why blockers (or even HRT) is wrong. Many GID kids have a greater sense of self than many cisgendered who are twice or even three times as old.

Quote from: Nero on July 20, 2008, 09:35:51 AM
I believe any child who expresses GID should be given hormone blockers.
I started puberty at 11, so I think blockers should be given at 10. I mean, breast buds don't just disappear and the horror of the first period is something that can never be undone even when you never experience another one again.

Any boy who goes through puberty as a girl is messed up for life. Top surgery and T can't unring that bell.
There is no harm in delaying puberty even if the kid turns out not to be trans.
Obviously I feel very strongly about this.

Can't blame ya dude. Especially when you have the intuition to know what you are at that age for sure. That definitely makes it more terrifying than confusing. But things will hopefully improve technologically eventually...

If is just suppressing hormones, see no problem.  Wish my family and I had known sooner about transgender and allowed blockers.  I ended up not only hitting puberty, hit it early and bloomed beyound most genetic women.  In ways my mind has shut out the physical body in order to deal with the differences.  But it's unable to completely block it and there's no way to completely hide that my body is a womans