Affirming Gender

There are times when you come across an article that just blows your mind. There was a post on Facebook with a link to this website and when I followed the link it was WOW!

Affirming gender: Caring for gender-atypical children and adolescentsContemporary Pediatrics
By Ilana Sherer MD, Joel Baum MS, Diane Ehrensaft PhD, Stephen M Rosenthal MD
January 01, 2015

Case 1
Your patient Mark comes to his 3-year-old well-child checkup wearing a dress and also barrettes in his hair. During the visit, you mention to the parents, “I notice Mark’s creative outfit today. Is that something you want to talk more about?” The parents mention that Mark has been wearing this dress every day since his female cousin came to visit. He likes to tell people that his name is “Katie” and that when he grows up he wants to be a girl like his cousin. When adults correct him, he doesn’t really seem to mind, saying, “I’m just playing pretend.”

Just reading the first case study was amazing, can you imagine reading something like this ten years ago? I remember when I first got involved with trans community, the advice given to parents was to expect a visit from the state family and children agencies. Advising the parents to document everything because you will have to prove that it is not child abuse.

There are two other cases listed and the article goes on to say,

Families who are concerned or seeking information about their child’s gender expression or identity often turn to their primary care providers (PCPs) for help. As pediatricians, we are in a powerful position to promote health and positive outcomes for these children; however, few of us have received any formal education or training to grapple with this increasingly common issue. The goals of this article are to help the general pediatrician develop a basic understanding of gender, and offer ways to approach gender-expansive and transgender children or adolescents.

The first step is to examine our own feelings, attitudes, and beliefs about gender and consider how these affect our work with youth. Equally important is educating ourselves on the diversity of gender in our patients and the corresponding interventions available for supporting them. Adopting supportive, affirming practices, such as intake forms that allow for the patient’s preferred name and pronouns (and using them accordingly), is another critically important step for helping young persons feel comfortable. In addition, medical professionals can be effective advocates for their transgender patients’ needs and rights in settings outside the clinic, such as home and school. 

The article begins with a Trans101 and then breaks down the age groups and how to treat a child in those groups. It lists,

• Ages 0 to 4 years
• Ages 5 to 9 years
• Ages 8 to 14 years (early puberty)
• Ages 14 to 18 years (late puberty)

The article talks about social transition, puberty blocks, sexuality, fertility, and finally surgery. the article is truly amazing, it is six web pages long andI strongly recommend reading it.

Contemporary Pediatrics: Affirming gender