Should Transsexual Teens Be Allowed to Transition?

Sunday October 4, 2009

"Transitioning" refers to going through the process of changing genders, and it's something that is on the minds' of a lot of transsexual teens. But even though studies have found that adolescents who start hormone therapy as teens have fewer psychological problems than people who start transitioning in adulthood, some professionals are still opposed.

A common reason that is given is that kids are too young to make such an important and permanent decision. But plenty of transsexual teens and adults have known that they were trans long time before they reached the age of majority.

With that in mind, a little while back, I asked, "Should transsexual teens be allowed to have sex reassignment surgery (SRS) or under go hormone therapy before they are 18?"

Like me, most of the people who responded thought they should. Here are a few of the comments I got:

From Tori: Absolutely, with parental consent, and after review and approval of a psychologist/psychiatrist.

From Nancy: At least allow the teens to hold off on puberty. Giving a testosterone agonist [a drug that mimics the action of a naturally occurring substance]. to MtoF teens will forestall beards and voice lowering; giving an estrogen agonist to FtoM teens will prevent menstruation and so allow height to keep going instead of stopping so soon and delay hip widening. Later decisions for full SRS will be much easier, or their birth gender puberty can resume if they so choose.

From Carolyn: I am transsexual myself. If I had been allowed to transition in my teens, I would have save a lot of pain and hurt to myself and others. I am ALL for it!!! Finally the times are changing.

And while I do agree that the times are changing, they definitely still have a long ways to go. Plenty of transsexual teens still don't have don't have the parental or medical support that is crucial to begin the process of transitioning.

As a result, some will try to transition any way possible. This can mean using a friend's hormones, or buying them on the street. Both are really bad ideas. First, you never really know what you are getting when you buy anything on the street. Also, using more hormones than a doctor would prescribe can kill you. Plus, a teen might have an underlying medical condition that could make hormone use dangerous to begin with. And of course, if you share needles to inject anything, you are running the risk of contracting infections including HIV.

So what can a trans teen do if he or she wants to begin the process of transitioning do? One thing is to find a supportive health care provider. The Gay and Lesbian Medical Association is a good place to start. Another is to connect to the trans community where you can find support and resources. You can usually find out what is going on in your area through the closest GLBT Community Center.

Being a teen is tough. Being a trans teen can make things that much more complicated. But one thing to keep in mind is that you aren't alone and that everyday there is more and more support available to you.

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