Puberty Blockers

Did that get your attention? It is a controversial topic on both sides of the political aisle.

So, why do people take puberty blockers?

The simple answer is exactly what the name implies: to pause puberty. For transgender youth, going through the "wrong" puberty can be a deeply distressing experience.

For trans girls, puberty means their voice deepens and they grow facial hair. Without blockers, they may have to live the rest of their lives with a voice they don't recognize as their own, or undergo expensive, painful treatments to remove their beards. For trans boys, while some changes are different, their bodies still feel like a betrayal as they develop unwanted secondary sexual characteristics.

Why do critics claim they are "new" or "dangerous"?

Republicans often argue that this is a new, experimental treatment, but that is factually incorrect. The science was developed in the late 1970s, and the medication was FDA-approved in the early 1980s. It has been used clinically for decades; it is not new.

Conservatives also frequently rely on misleading data regarding health risks. They often cite studies showing that the bone density of trans children on blockers is lower than that of their cis gender peers. While it is true that bone density may lag during treatment, there is a logical reason for this: puberty itself is what triggers the surge in bone density.

If you delay puberty, you naturally delay that density increase. However, research shows that once a person stops taking blockers and begins hormone therapy or natural puberty, their bone density typically catches up to healthy levels within five years.