Well, if I’m going to get shot in the head over a topic, this’ll be the one. Honestly, with as much suffering as I’ve endured this lifetime as a result of bigotry, lack of compassion, and false information being broadcast as “God’s Word” by various religious organizations, I’d rather stand up and die for what I truly believe in than sit quietly and not speak what I have found to be true.
This is a lot for me to put out there because this is such a divisive and emotional topic, and after listening to a lot of people over the years on this topic, I have come to this conclusion: everyone believes that they are correct, and no one is willing to budge an inch. That said, there are many various reasons for which the conclusion I have come to lies directly in the middle.
Age 12 is too young, and 18 is too old
page in making; check back soon.
My stance does not align with either the left’s or the right’s, however – as a 43 year old transgender woman who was raised a boy, but naturally developed intersex characteristics – including breasts – around 6th grade, I am qualified to have a seat at the table for this conversation.
I felt severe shame throughout my teenage years, hiding my breasts beneath tight shirts, with loose shirts over the top. I didn’t develop body hair like my older brothers – not even on my thighs. Although I have not taken a genetic test, my doctor suspected I have Klinefelter’s Syndrome, or XXY chromosomes. Regardless, my thoughts, emotions, and physical response to attraction have always been more typically female.
I am so grateful for the healthcare I have received: it is truly a blessing that has helped me no longer feel trapped “in the middle”, and instead I am feeling comfortable and unashamed of my body and of my thoughts. This is not to say that people do not prefer to be in the middle – many clearly do – however, for me, hormone therapy and surgery have brought me tears of gratitude.
Although when I prayed to God when I was young that I would not wake up a boy, I expected to magically wake up a girl. That, however, was not God’s plan for me, for as they say, “The Lord works in mysterious ways.” Another of my earliest prayers, which I spoke at Camp Wesley Woods during Confirmation Camp with the United Methodist Church, is that if God ever needed me to do something for Him – no matter how difficult it was, I would do it. As I have gotten older and begun to understand the historical (or “her-storical”, rather) significance of my life’s journey, I am certain that to help bring understanding and compassion to humanity during this time of pain and misunderstanding is in fact my journey. My path has been exceptionally difficult. Following years of harassment, violent crime, and discrimination – including by public officials here in Iowa who severely violated me – I am honored by and grateful that the Creator has sent me on this journey and given me this mission. Some people will be turned off by the fact that I am wearing my heart on my sleeve and saying such dogmatic things, but it is important that I get this out in the open and known to the public while I am still alive to share my story. Please read my story on www.WildWillpower.org, for my story is part of Iowa’s story.
To cut to the chase, here is my stance on puberty blockers for children, here is my stance on the topic of puberty blockers, surgery for minors, and related material.
Although studies do show that puberty blockers are safe and effective for youth, there are instances of persons, when they get older, who blow the whistle to warn society that kids are simply too young to make such life-altering decisions. Can a 12 year old fathom what the phrase “30 years from now” truly means? After all, it was only 4 short years ago that the floor was lava. The reason I say this, is that taking chemical hormones is something that child will remain chemically addicted to for the rest of their life. When they are 40 or 50 years old, they will still be taking hormones, and thinking back to when they were a child and made such a life altering decision. This is not to say that there are not legitimate cases of transgender children, as surely there are, but it would be reckless – as adults – to not err on the side of caution.
Age 18, however, is too late – especially for transgender women, who will, as a result, maintain irreversible typically male characteristics throughout adulthood if we force them to wait until age 18.
Therefore, it is my position that no one under the age of 16 – except in rare instances, in which case age 14 would be allowed – should be administered hormone therapy for the purposes of gender and/or sex transition. Rare instances would include cases where – without undue influence by adults – a child naturally shows tendencies and inclinations of the opposite sex, and puberty is taking place in a manner so as to likely cause irreversible and unwanted changes. In such instances, mental health support should be administered – not for the sake of swaying one way or the other – but for the sake of determining whether or not the case is legitimate.
I have no doubt people with opposing views – on both sides of the political aisle – will be livid. I will write much more on this topic, and why I came to this conclusion in the future, when time allows.