Counterpoint: Pediatric gender care is safe and necessary
/While not research, this is a well written piece, concisely outlining the issues and why evidence-based, affirmative care for trans and gender nonbinary youth is safe and effective, and the current standard of care.
Published in: Star Tribune. June 25, 2019. Authors: KATHLEEN MILLER , MARLA EISENBERG , AMY GOWER AND G. NIC RIDER.
"Transgender and nonbinary youths experience persistent and significant distress when forced to conform to the gender they were assigned at birth. They face substantial health disparities, with higher rates of depression, suicide attempts, substance use, bullying and unprotected sexual encounters than their cisgender (i.e., not transgender) peers. However, research shows that these health outcomes are related to stigma, rather than the simple fact of being transgender or nonbinary. This is a subtle, but critical, distinction: Negative health outcomes are not intrinsic to being trans and nonbinary. Rather, daily experiences of discrimination and harassment lead to poor health outcomes..."
"The medical and research community supports gender affirming medical care as a powerful tool to improve the lives of children and adolescents who are transgender or nonbinary. There is ample and growing evidence that children and adolescents have better health outcomes when they are supported in their gender, which includes access to medical interventions when appropriate. As clinicians and pediatric researchers, we firmly support expanding access to gender affirming care for youth."