Dangers of teaching kids they can be boys or girls

CharleeFoxtrot, BSN, RN · Mar 14, 2018

I'm just here for the comments : pops popcorn:

guest769224 · Mar 14, 2018

OP, why the need to always post such controversial topics?

TheMoonisMyLantern, ADN, LPN, RN · Mar 14, 2018

Did it ever occur to you that more people are identifying as trans because there is increasing support and less stigma that 20 years ago? Don't be so judgmental it's not up to you to control how people live their lives. If you don't approve of being transgender, than I would recommend you not transition yourself. :)

dream'n, BSN, RN · Mar 14, 2018

One girl is struggling with her gender, and now 3 girls who are all friends of the first girl, think they are trans and have asked the doctor for hormones.
Two of these girls have issues eg self harm (cutting) and playing with eating disorders.
It appears some young teenagers are substituting typical self-harm strategies with a new way to self harm, and this is to try and change gender.
The UK has gone from 50 gender dysphoria cases a year to over 2000. This is a lie. This has come about because children are being told they can be the opposite gender, and that gender is a social construct.
This is a danger to children, and I'm dealing with it at work.
Can anyone else see the harm this ******** is causing?

Hand me some popcorn please. As the parent of an adult transgender male, how dare you be so judgmental. My son had lots of long term professional therapy to explore his feelings before even starting the hormone process. When he "came out" I'd never seen him so happy, relieved, and empowered.

Any Dr that would start hormonal therapy, especially on an under-aged individual without deep exploration, is not fit to practice medicine.

You are speaking of things you don't know enough about and it makes you sound ignorant. Ever wonder why the suicidal statistics are so high for the LGBTQ community???

beekee · Mar 14, 2018

You should probably find a new job, preferably one that does not work with at-risk youth.

nursingaround1 · Mar 14, 2018

Ever wonder that the suicide rates are the same for those that transition/come out, and those that don't. It would suggest that current treatment isn't working.

Have you ever thought that perhaps you don't speak for the whole trans community?

To say the number of 'trans' children has jumped from 50 to 2000 a year, in a matter of a couple of years, is a lie.

Did you ignore the point about the troubled friends who used to cut, and are now copying this new behaviour?

Good for you that you have a well adjusted trans child, but you don't speak for everyone.

Did you know that 'professors' of the humanities at universities are actually telling their students that there is no biological difference between male and females??????

It's insanity.

heron, ASN, RN · Mar 14, 2018

Ever wonder that the suicide rates are the same for those that transition/come out, and those that don't. It would suggest that current treatment isn't working.
Have you ever thought that perhaps you don't speak for the whole trans community?
To say the number of 'trans' children has jumped from 50 to 2000 a year, in a matter of a couple of years, is a lie.
Did you ignore the point about the troubled friends who used to cut, and are now copying this new behaviour?
Good for you that you have a well adjusted trans child, but you don't speak for everyone.
Did you know that 'professors' of the humanities at universities are actually telling their students that there is no biological difference between male and females??????
It's insanity.

I agree that the subject is an important one to think about, just not in the oversimplified and pejorative terms in which you have defined the problem.

Your personal refusal to recognise the reality of intersexed or transgendered people is clear. I submit that if this is your approach with your students, you will do at least as much damage as an overly-credulous support for adolescents who are unhappy with their self-image/gender role/gender identity.

I notice that you have carefully avoided listing any supporting data for your assertions. Perhaps you could start there and describe how that data informs how you would deal with a student complaining about gender dysphoria.

Alex Egan, LPN, EMT-B · Mar 14, 2018

Really... another on me of these posts. Well let's start out with some background.

Here is an opinion piece exploring the issue with some expert weigh in

Trans youth clinics are seeing more trans boys than before. Why?

Here is a bbc article discussing the increase

Referrals for young transgender people increase

- BBC Newsbeat

Here is a published article about the differences between gender dysphoria and being transgender.

https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/00918369.2012.653302

So after a 30 min crash course on the topic. Yes. There have been a sharp increase in the numbers of youth experiencing gender dysphoria. With the increase in trans visibility, society is now much more aware of trans people. When this increased awareness meets adolescence identity crisis, you get youth with gender dysphoria. This is different from being transgendered. Youth who are experiencing gender dysphoria should be psychologically evaluated, and treated, to helping to discern their true gender. I would say most of these kids in the situation, will probably not transition. In the meantime Puberty arresting drugs seem to be reasonably safe, and leave all options open. In a lot of these cases, gender dysphoria is really just a symptom of underlying psychological or sociological issues

Unfortunately, the way the arguments being framed by the more conservative factions of politics, is that the minute someone expenses gender dysphoria, they are rushed to surgery for immediate transition. This is not the case in every reputable treatment program that I've heard of.

So am I opinion no there's not really a major issue here. You're hearing about trans youth more, because it in the media more . People who are gender dysphoric or trans are more able to express themselves. I believe society had this discussion in the 80s, where did all these gay people come from all the sudden. They were always there, always thought about it. Once it became socially more acceptable, they came up. Then you could really see them.

thats all I can manage. OP has a history of inflaming posts and I'm not up to feed the troll. It is an issue in that it's in the news, but I wonder if everyone would be so upset if it was another less socially new issue.

MunoRN, RN · Mar 14, 2018

I know you're not one to be swayed, but you should consider whether your premise is accurate. Gender is not a binary state, a person's gender characteristics all exist on a spectrum. We can easily observe that physical sexual development can produce structures and organs that are not consistently male or female, and as you correctly point out, gender is at least partly innate, being formed through the same processes and therefore the same potential for male/female inconsistencies that occurs in physical development.

dream'n, BSN, RN · Mar 14, 2018

I never said that I speak for everyone else because I don't. BUT neither do you. And I am done with this conversation and with you. You are not looking for information, but are trying to push on others your own opinion. My suggestion is for you to stop working with adolescents before your bias hurts a kid psychologically.

Farawyn · Mar 14, 2018

Oh. Great.

You're back.