In the not-so-distant past, transgender youth were often forced to be cisgender, to identify with the sex they were assigned at birth. However, new research indicates that this approach is not only misguided but may contribute to a wide array of adverse mental health outcomes, including increased risk for suicide. While physicians now follow new protocols that are founded on an acceptance and affirmation of transgender youths in their transgender identities, several states have introduced new legislation which would make this type of medical care for transgender youth illegal.
Addressing the stark difference between what we know about the mental health of this population and the proposed legislation, Dr. Jack Turban, a fellow in the MGH Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Program, states,
“State legislators need to educate themselves about these young people and their medical care before introducing legislation that will hurt them. They need to reach out to physicians and professional medical societies for input. They need to talk to the researchers in this area, and most important, they need to bring in the transgender youth themselves. If their bodies are going to be legislated, they should have the opportunity to be heard by the legislators who would do this to them. The medical profession has made it clear: This kind of legislation is dangerous and should not become law.”
What South Dakota Doesn’t Get About Transgender Children: Here’s how their medical care really works (New York Times)
