Heaven Or Hell

When you live in a small town it could be either heaven or hell it all depend upon you. You might like living in a town where everyone knows everyone’s secret, where everyone cares about their neighbors. But at the same time someone else might see the same thing as nosey neighbors and a bunch of busy bodies, it all depends upon your point of view.

When you are it can be heaven or hell.

Transgender in small-town Iowa
Ames Tribune
By Marlys Barker Nevada Journal and Tri-County Times
February 11, 21017

For Arthur Hanson and Alex Glenn, being high school students in rural Iowa has its usual tumultuous teenage challenges. But for Hanson and Glenn, there is one challenge most of their peers aren't facing. They are transgender.

Simply saying they cannot be discriminated against under Iowa law isn't enough. There's also the issue of acceptance, and for both Hanson, a freshman at Nevada High School, and Glenn, a senior at Ballard High School in Huxley, they have found a welcoming environment among their friends and teachers.

Yes, passing laws is one thing but acceptance is another, you cannot legislate acceptance. On my blog I have a quote from Dr. King,

Morality cannot be legislated, but behavior can be regulated. Judicial decrees may not change the heart, but they can restrain the heartless.

That is all the law does is “restrain the heartless” it does make acceptance, you do.

The article goes on to say,

"The best thing we can do for our youth is to let them know we love and accept them for who they are, whoever that is," Carleton said. "They need to see us modeling acceptance of people different from us, and they need to see people who are different from the 'norm' being successful in school, in relationships and in jobs."

It is the adults who set the tone for their children or students. If there is a support coming from the parents and teachers life can be bearable.

When you live in a small town when you are known to everyone there is an opportunity for everyone to get to know you and know the person you really and it can make your transition easier but at the same time if they are rigid in their ways it can be hell. Sometimes the fact that they know you before your transition can create a crazy in their beliefs.

I am reminded of when I transitioned and one of my former technicians who was a Jehovah Witness found out about my transition he emailed me and said “I know you are a good person and you have giving me much to think about.”

You Ought To Be In Pictures

I was watching CBS This Morning and they had Laverne Cox on their show, it turns out that she is on a new show and she plays a lawyer.

‘Doubt’ review: Katherine Heigl, Laverne Cox in pioneering drama
News Day
By Verne Gay
February 13, 2017

REVIEW
THE SERIES “Doubt”
WHEN | WHERE Premieres Wednesday at 10 p.m. on CBS/2
GRADE B

WHAT IT’S ABOUT Sadie Ellis (Katherine Heigl) is a workaholic defense attorney who almost believes, word for word, the ideals of her firm’s “lefty” founder, Isaiah Roth (Elliott Gould), who insists that he has always “stood by someone accused so that he or she would not have to stand alone.” Almost, until her feelings for a client, Billy Brennan (Steven Pasquale) — accused of killing his girlfriend when both were teens — gets in the way.

Meanwhile, Sadie’s colleague Albert Cobb (Dulé Hill) wants the guy to accept a plea deal, and move on with his life. Another colleague, Tiffany Simon (Dreama Walker), is a newbie, and still learning the Isaiah way. But the firm’s other top attorney, Cameron Wirth (Laverne Cox), knows it cold, and knows injustice, too. She’s a self-identified transgender person.

MY SAY The big news with “Doubt” isn’t just reasonably big, but reasonably historic. This is the first prime-time series on a major broadcast network with a transgender person in a leading role playing a trans character. A key word here is “leading” because trans characters in minor roles have also appeared on “Glee” and “Grey’s Anatomy,” while cable (“The Fosters”) and streaming (“Transparent”) have long been in the forefront of trans characters and issues. Cox, of course, was the pioneer on “Orange Is the New Black,” once again the pioneer here.
[…]
Cox’s character, Cameron Wirth, quickly establishes that she was once a man, now a woman, and, with that out of the way, gets down to business. She’s a competent defense attorney, with a brisk courtroom style. That she is a trans person is irrelevant, except that it is not, and during summation for her defendant client, says: “Do we see him, or do we turn away?”

Yahoo TV said,

Why We're Obsessed With 'Doubt'
CBS' new legal drama is getting tons of buzz thanks to its high-profile cast, which includes Katherine Heigl, who is making her return to TV after NBC's State of Affairs failed to generate any traction and was canceled after one season. The show -- which looks to fill the void left by The Good Wife -- also stars Laverne Cox, who after her historic Emmy nomination for her role on Orange Is the New Black is the first transgender actor to land a series regular role on prime-time TV. "I'm so excited," Cox told ET just hours after CBS announced it was picking up the series. Cox will play defense attorney Cameron Wirth, who, according to the actress, is "extremely passionate about her work and has a little bit of a troubled private life." Wirth and her colleagues will defend high-profile clients, with some procedural stories ripped from the headlines.

Doubt premieres Wednesday, Feb. 15 at 10 p.m. ET/PT on CBS.

Then in France we are breaking new ground in the world of modeling…

French Vogue Makes History With First Transgender Cover Model
“This month we are proud to celebrate transgender beauty,” said the magazine, confirming Valentina Sampaio as its cover star.
Huffington Post Queer Voices
By Rebecca Shapiro
February 14, 2017

For the first time in the magazine’s 97-year history, Vogue Paris put a transgender model on its cover ― Brazil’s Valentina Sampaio.

Sampio appears on the magazine’s March issue, which is the second biggest cover of the year for any fashion magazine. The issue hits newsstands on Feb. 23. The cover’s celebratory headline reads, “Transgender beauty: How they’re shaking up the world.”

“This month we are proud to celebrate transgender beauty and how models like Valentina Sampaio, who is posing for her first ever Vogue cover, are changing the face of fashion and deconstructing prejudice,” Vogue Paris wrote in an Instagram post announcing the cover Monday.
[…]
Vogue Paris Editor-in-Chief Emmanuelle Alt wrote on the magazine’s website that she wanted to feature Sampaio solo on the cover because she is “the absolute equal of Gisele, Daria, Edie or Anna,” referring to the modeling industry’s top stars.

“In a post-gendered world which more and more designers are highlighting on their runways, Trans people, the ultimate symbols of a rejection of conformity, are icons that Vogue supports and chooses to celebrate,” Alt added.

Then in Britain…

Meet Talulah-Eve Brown – Britain’s Next Top Model’s first transgender contestant
Metro UK
By Sarah Deen
8 Feb 2017

Glam Talulah-Eve Brown from Birmingham will be the show’s first-ever transgender contestant.
The 22-year-old is the proud holder of the Miss Transgender, Birmingham title, and she believes she can win because ‘there is no one like me’.
A campaigner for trans-rights, she adds that her best feature is her legs, and she doesn’t dislike anything about her body.
[…]
Brown, an event hostess, has previously spoken of abuse she has received because she is transgender, but is adamant that she won’t let it keep her down.

She told PA Real Life in 2015: ‘The level of abuse I get is hurtful, but if I was to report every instance of hate crime I’ve experienced to the police, I would be in court every single day.

‘Instead, I just hold my head up high. There have been times where I could have potentially been beaten up, but I refuse to hide away and let these people see that they’ve upset me.

And then over in India…

India’s first transgender model Anjali Lama makes catwalk debut at Lakme Fashion Week
'I knew even as a child that I didn't like being a boy, wearing those clothes', says fashion star
Independent
By Muneeza Naqvi
February 13, 2017

It was her big moment. Anjali Lama sashayed down the catwalk in the swanky Mumbai auditorium. A fitted, cream dress highlighted her tall, slender frame. Her pulled-back hair showed off her high cheekbones.

Modeling at Lakme Fashion Week often seemed like a dream far beyond her reach, but Lama has become the first transgender woman to model at one of the top events on India's fashion calendar and one sponsored by a top Indian cosmetics brand.

Growing up as the fifth son in a poor farming family in Nepal, Lama didn't dream early in life to be a fashion model. First was the painful struggle to accept that he felt deeply female.
[…]
She felt close to her dream but it continued to elude her. After years of struggling and getting only small gigs in her home country, Lama decided to try her luck in India's massive fashion industry.

“I felt I had to at least try and take a chance.”

And that chance came in December when after two failed auditions she finally made the cut.

“I'm very, very excited. I'm trying to just enjoy this moment,” she said, giggling over the phone. “This is a dream come true.”

I remember Tula, Caroline Cossey who was a model back in the eighties who had a small part in the James Bond movie “For Your Eyes Only” but the time wasn’t right for a trans woman to be in the movies or as a model.

It’s About Me Today

I have been scanning the news looking for something that I could write about other than the bad news coming out of Washington and I couldn’t find anything. So…

Yesterday I did an outreach at a college a couple miles from my house, Central Connecticut State University for a PSYC class. I have been talking in her class for about 6 or 7 years, when I first started I was on a panel of about 4 or 5 LGBT people and over time the organization that was arranging the panel members fell through and now she contacts me directly.

I have moved away from panel discussions for a couple of reasons, first when it is an LGBT panel there usually isn’t any B’s on the panel and second most of the questions are for us the “T.” Another reason is there are some horrible answers from the other panel members; I remember one time someone on the panel said that the best time to come out is over a holiday! She said she came out at Thanksgiving… UGH! That is the very worst time to come out.

What I like is when the professor turns the class over to me to give a lecture. A couple of professors that I had in grad school do that, a friend who teaches as an adjunct professors in three colleges invites me to teach his classes for the day. I also do a lot of training for businesses and state agencies. I am working on a date to do training at a court house in the state, a social worker saw my presentation at a National Association of Social Workers. She thought it would be good training for the judges and staff.

Most of the questions yesterday were pretty standard question about coming out to family and friends, how does hormones affect you, how did you pick your name, etc. and I have the answers down pat and do not really cover what future therapist will need to know for their practice. That is why I like it when I do the class, they get information that they can use when they graduate.

Some of the student responses from various classes were,

I got to class on weds at 4 minutes past 2pm. When I walked into the class I was given a soft accepting smile from the person who appeared to be teaching for the day, so I quickly put down my stuff, shook off all the wet, (it was absolutely pouring outside, which is why I was a little late((people can't drive in the rain in Hartford)) and begin to listen. I was very taken by how brave she was and I found her life story to be quite moving and inspiring. The video clips that she played were particularly touching and I found it hard to turn away. Especially the girl that wanted her parent to call her Jazz and to block her puberty. Overall, I learned a lot on weds and I must admit I knew nothing about the subject of trans gender before I walked into class, but I knew a ton after I left..

++++++++++++++

When it was announced that we would have a guest speaker for our next class I originally thought nothing of it. I’ve had a good experience with guest speakers in the TCPCG program so far and I was excited to hear what the guest lecturer would say. When I walked into class on Wednesday I remember seeing the back of a tall woman standing in front of our class, thinking she was our guest, and proceeded to sit down and open up my computer. About 5 minutes later the guest came forward and she said that we were going to start the lecture. Once the guest lecturer starting talking and I began to look at her a bit more in detail, I realized something very interesting - our guest speaker was a transsexual [sic].
Now being an educated grad student I was fully aware of was exactly a transsexual was and that the transexual [sic] community is growing every day, however, as far as I know, this was my first time meeting one. The weird thing however was that it didn’t seem like I was meeting a transsexual [sic], but rather just another women - a guest lecturer. Once you get past the deep voice and the 6’2” figure, there was nothing weird or different here, just another woman. When the lecture started I was expecting to learn all about life as a transsexual, and while she did touch on this a little, she was focused more on the big picture. The picture being that there are thousands of transexuals and people dreaming of being a different gender all around us, and often times they either go unnoticed or are looked as weirdly or differently. I think the message she was trying to tell us is that although on the outside we may look a little strange, it is really who they are on the inside that matters.

++++++++++++++

Hello Diana,
I wanted to write and thank you so much for your presentation at CMHS at UCONN [University of Connecticut Counseling and Mental Health Services] last Thursday. When I picked up my daughters (ages 12 and 13) after school that I day I told them I had just heard from one of the bravest people I'd ever met. We then had a very long conversation about what it means to not identify with your birth gender and the challenges and discrimination faced by the Trans-Gender community.

When I give a professional training I usually dress in business casual; slacks, a blouses, and low heel pumps or ankle boots or sandals depending upon the season. While for college classes I wear jeans, a tee shirt or a blouse with ankle boots or sneakers.

I go back to her class again this afternoon to talk to her other section.

Edited : 12:30 PM Added about what I wear to college lectures.

Verrry Interesting!

I was there once and always wanted to go back to the island off the coast of Cape Cod.

MVCS launches transgender support group
A safe place to be understood and accepted.
MV Times
By Gwyn McAllister –
February 9, 2017

When Martha’s Vineyard Community Services launched a transgender support group last December, the response was immediate. “I was surprised at how many people called within two weeks of putting out the word right before Christmas,” says the group’s facilitator, Rikki Pashen, Psy.D. “I got over a dozen calls. I didn’t know there would be that many that quickly.”

The group, which has now met three times, currently includes seven dedicated members, who range in age from 13 to mid-60s, and represent a broad range of community members. “The kids and the people in this group just want to be understood and be accepted and valued,” says Ms. Pashen.

For such a small winter population for me having seven members is amazing.

“I started the group because I got a couple of transgender patients who were referred to me by community members who weren’t sure where they should go,” says Ms. Pashen, who worked extensively in the mental health field with LGBT groups before moving to the Vineyard in 2015. “Each transgender person I met with says that there was nobody else on the Island for them to talk to. The only transgender people they knew were from online support groups. I knew that there were different transgender people out there, but because of confidentiality issues, I couldn’t introduce them to one another.”

I wonder if they get their Cross Gender Hormones there or if they have to travel back to the mainland to get healthcare? It sounds like it is the former, that they get their hormone on the island at the Martha’s Vineyard Community Service.

What Is Their Future?

Last year President Obama authorized trans people to serve in the military along with lesbians and gays and now many of them are wondering what is their future in the military under the Trump administration.

Meanwhile over in Britain…

TRANS TROOPS Thirty four serving members of the Armed Forces are having transgender treatment
Troops are undergoing treatments ranging from hormone therapy to surgical procedures
The Sun
By Lauren Probert
13th February 2017

THIRTY-four serving UK troops are having transgender treatment, defence chiefs said.
The specialist treatment is available on the NHS and could span from hormone therapy for some patients to £20,000 worth of surgery for others.

The number of people undergoing transgender treatment has been revealed by the Ministry of Defence’s Surgeon General Secretariat following a Freedom of Information request.

It is not known whether the 34 troops are paying for the treatment themselves or from the public purse.

The Sun exclusively revealed how Guardsman Chloe Allen, 24, became Britain’s first female infantry soldier.

She joined the army as a man in 2012 but last year changed her name and started gender reassignment surgery last year.

Most of our allies allow trans service members but now LGBT service members are in limbo, my guess is that those who came out should now think about civilian life because in this anti-LGBT Trump administration I see them banned from serving their country.

The Onslaught Begins

Remember last month all the headlines said the Trump would keep President’s protections in place for us? Well that didn’t last long, his true colors are starting to show.

US Withdraws Stay Request in Transgender Bathroom Case
ABC News
By Jamie Stengle, AP Dallas
February 11, 2017

President Donald Trump's administration is stepping back from a request made by former President Barack Obama's administration in an ongoing lawsuit over bathroom rights for transgender students in public schools.

In a filing Friday with the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, the federal government asked to withdraw a motion filed last year that asked a judge to scale back a temporary injunction blocking Obama's guidance on the issue.

The Department of Justice's filing, which came a day after Jeff Sessions was sworn in as Trump's attorney general, said the parties were "currently considering how best to proceed in this appeal."

Texas and 12 other states filed the lawsuit last year challenging the former president's guidance, which directed public schools to allow transgender students to use bathrooms and locker rooms consistent with their gender identity.

The Washington Blade reported that,

Chad Griffin, president of the Human Rights Campaign, placed the blame of the brief seeking to undermine the transgender student protections squarely with Sessions.

“After being on the job for less than 48 hours, Attorney General Jeff Sessions has signaled his intent to undermine the equal dignity of transgender students,” Griffin said. “Transgender students are entitled to the full protection of the United States Constitution and our federal nondiscrimination laws. It is heartbreaking and wrong that the agency tasked with enforcing civil rights laws would instead work to subvert them for political interests. President Trump must immediately reverse course and direct the DOJ to uphold guidance protecting transgender students.”

And it doesn’t stop with the case in Texas,

Betsy DeVos Poses Immediate Danger To LGBT Students
Huffington Post
By Matt Baume
February 8, 2017

Meet your new principal, America: Betsy DeVos, Donald’s new Secretary of Education. She’s now in charge of the nation’s schools — or at least, in charge what’s going to be left, once she’s finished dismantling them. Betsy’s built her career on undermining public schools; and wouldn’t you know it, among the things she’s likely to take apart are some potentially life-saving protections for LGBT students.
[…]
Anyway, her money seems to have been well spent, because she’s influenced her way into an administration with a plan to move $20 billion out of public schools, where LGBT kids are guaranteed equal access to education, and into private schools, where they are guaranteed nothing whatsoever. But the taxpayers still have to pay for it!

There’s no mistaking Betsy’s ideological slant: Her family’s given upwards of $200 million to groups like the National Organization for Marriage and Focus on the Family — groups that explicitly oppose equality for queer people, and even promote ex-gay junk science. Some of that money went through a foundation that listed Betsy as the Vice President, but when asked about it, she said that was a misunderstanding — she had nothing to do with that family organization, and was simply identified as its Vice President by mistake. For thirteen years. That’s exactly the kind of rigorous attention to detail that qualifies a person to run the nation’s school.

And so it begins. The dismantling of all the court rulings in our favor over the years going all the way back to the Price Waterhouse v. Hopkins 1989 Supreme Court decision that ruled sex discrimination also includes sex stereotyping, in other words when people do not behave or look like a typical male or female. The courts over the years have applied that ruling to cover us because we definitely do not look or behave like a typical man or woman.

And now before the Supreme Court the case of G.G. v. Gloucester County School Board which will be heard on March 28 where Gavin Grimm sued the Board of Education because they wouldn’t let him use the boy’s bathroom. They did let him use the boy’s bathroom until outside agitators came in stirred up trouble.

I give the Supreme Court a 60% chance of finding in favor of Grimm even if Judge Neil Gorsuch is on the bench. I think Kennedy will find in favor of him. I also predict that if he wins Congress will pass a law forcing us to use the bathrooms of our birth gender and it will be even worse because they can say it applies to ALL schools that receive federal funding and that means all public schools even the ones here in Connecticut!

Texans Love Their Football

So maybe this will get their attention… but I doubt it.

NFL COMMENTS ON PROPOSED TRANSGENDER LEGISLATION REGARDING BATHROOMS
Bleacher Report
By Adam Wells
February 10, 2017

A controversial Texas bill being proposed by Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick has drawn a response from the NFL.

In January, per Chuck Lindell of the Austin-American Statesman, Patrick and Texas senator Lois Kolkhorst unveiled Senate Bill 6 at the Texas Senate chamber that would overturn local ordinances and prevent transgender people from using the bathroom of the gender which they identify.

As a result of the proposal discriminating against transgender people, NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy issued a brief statement about the situation.

"The NFL embraces inclusiveness," McCarthy said in an email to Ileana Najarro of the Houston Chronicle. "We want all fans to feel welcomed at our events, and NFL policies prohibit discrimination based on age, gender, race, religion, sexual orientation, or any other improper standard."

Najarro also noted McCarthy deemed the measure "discriminatory or inconsistent with our values" and could potentially discourage the NFL from holding future Super Bowls in the state.

So will this mean no more Super Bowls in Texas?

Does this mean that the Dallas Cowboys and the Houston Texans will not play home games? Or will it just be games as usual? My guess it will be games as usual because there is big $bucks$ to be made in Texas and they will just ignore the law unless someone complains.

Saturday 9: Love Yourself

Crazy Sam’s Saturday 9: Love Yourself (2015)

On Saturdays I take a break from the heavy stuff and have some fun…
Unfamiliar with this week's tune? Hear it here.

1) In this song, Justin sings that he doesn't like to admit he's wrong. When did you most recently cop to a mistake?
I never make a mistake!
But when I do I do owe up to it and then move on.

2) He also complains that his girl doesn't like his friends. Who is someone that you've met recently and liked?
I usually like everyone until they prove me wrong.

3) Justin first performed this song live on The Ellen Degeneres Show. Who is your favorite talk show host?
Um… I don’t know because I don’t watch any talk shows.

4) Young Mr. Bieber recently had his credit card rejected ... at a Subway Sandwich Shop. Think about your last trip to a fast food restaurant. Did you pay with cash or plastic or your phone?
Hmm… I’m trying to remember the last time I went to a fast food restaurant. Does coffee count? I went to DD last Wednesday before I went to the health clinic where I volunteer and I paid in cash.

Even though we're featuring a lack-of-love song, this is the last Saturday  9 before Valentine's Day and so this morning we shall focus on the upcoming holiday.

5) In Victorian England, it was considered bad luck to sign a Valentine. Have you ever received an anonymous card from a secret admirer?
Back in grammar school.

6) Retailers report that approximately 3% of pet owners buy Valentines for their furry friends. Have you ever purchased a gift for a pet on a special occasion?
Nope… I just can’t see buying a pet a gift; it is not like that they are cognizant of the special occasion.

7) It was once believed that if a maiden ate a heavy meal before bed on February 13, her dreams that night would reveal the identity of the man she would eventually marry. Do you find that eating too close to bedtime disrupts your sleep?
You mean like the cold piece of pizza I ate just before bed and that gave me indigestion all night?

8) The postmaster in Verona, Italy, reports that Shakespeare's Juliet Capulet still receives love letters. Without looking it up, can you give us a quote from Romeo and Juliet?
Nope. That was an easy question to answer.

9) Necco's Sweethearts -- those little candy hearts that say things like "Be Mine" -- are Valentine Day's top-selling confection. Sam never could stand eating these candies. Do you like them?
They are poison! I don’t eat and sugary candies anymore and I never liked them as an adult.

Science And Politics

An interesting article is in the LA Times this morning about the brain, feminists, and trans people. Is our brain different? Are trans women brains more like a women’s brain? Are trans men brains more like a man’s brain? And how does politics affect us?

Op-Ed Are gender feminists and transgender activists undermining science?
By Debra W. Soh
February 10, 2017

In the world of radical identity politics, two groups with very different philosophies have been ignoring science in the name of advancing equality: gender feminists and transgender activists.

Gender feminists — who are distinct from traditional equity feminists — refuse to acknowledge the role of evolution in shaping the human brain, and instead promote the idea that sex differences are caused by a socialization process that begins at birth. Gender, according to them, is a construct; we are born as blank slates and it is parents and society at large that produce the differences we see between women and men in adulthood.

The idea that our brains are identical sounds lovely, but the scientific evidence suggests otherwise. Many studies, for instance, have documented the masculinizing effects of prenatal testosterone on the developing brain. And a recent study in the journal Nature’s Scientific Reports showed that testosterone exposure alters the programming of neural stem cells responsible for brain growth and sex differences.

Gender feminists often point to a single study, published in 2015, which claimed it isn’t possible to tell apart male and female brains. But when a group of researchers reanalyzed the underlying data, they found that brains could be correctly identified as female or male with 69% to 77% accuracy. In another study, published in 2016, researchers used a larger sample in conjunction with higher-resolution neuroimaging and were able to successfully classify a brain by its sex 93% of the time.

Meanwhile according to the author many trans activists…

Unlike gender feminists, transgender activists firmly believe that gender is a biological, rather than social, reality — but of course they don’t believe that it’s necessarily tied to sex at birth. They also believe that gender identity is quite stable early on, warranting a transition not only for transgender adults, but also young children who say they were born in the wrong body.

From a scientific perspective, they’re partially right: Gender identity is fixed, but only in adults; the same can’t be said for children, whose gender identity is flexible and doesn’t become stable until puberty.

Currently available research literature — including four studies published in the last nine years — suggests that 61% to 88% of gender dysphoric children will desist and grow up to be gay adults. (Or, in my case, a straight adult). They won’t continue to identify as the opposite sex in adulthood. In one study of 139 gender dysphoric boys, 122 (88%) of the boys desisted.

WRONG! That study was not with children who met the DSM V diagnostic criteria and it also labeled anyone who dropped out from the study as detransitioning. The studies that she noted did not differentiate between children who just acted more masculine or feminine than their birth sex. And it also discredits her as being biased.

Then she goes on to the TREF rant…

Nevertheless, transgender activists and their allies have branded desistance as a “myth,” and those who suggest otherwise are called bigots or, dismissively, trolls. It’s not hard to understand why. The idea that some gender dysphoric people may grow up to be comfortable in their birth sex is interpreted as a threat to the community. Acknowledging that reality may seem like a slippery slope to denying the need for gender reassignment surgery even in adults.

Looking at the author information I see,

Debra W. Soh is a sex writer and sexual neuroscientist at York University in Toronto.

When I saw that a red flag went up. So I googled her and found out she has done many papers with doctors from… are you ready for this? Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) which is better known for where doctor Zucker practiced his brand of conversion therapy and was closed down recently.  She was a student of James Cantor on of the doctors at CAMH.

Enough said.

Being Run Out Of Town

It seems like wherever we are we face discrimination not only by the politicians but also by the police. Over in Pakistan the police are running trans people out of town as undesirables and a judge steps in.

CJP comes to transgender people’s rescue  
Daily Times
February 10, 2017


ISLAMABAD: Chief Justice of Pakistan Saqib Nisar has taken notice of the complaint that police are pressing transgender people to leave Mardan.

An NGO "Vision Pakistan" submitted an application on behalf of transgender people alleging that the Mardan police were raiding the houses of transgender people and harassing them to leave Mardan.

Police are also allegedly pressing the landlords who rented their houses to transgender people to have them vacated.

Reportedly, police were forced to take action by people who are not prepared to treat transgender people as human beings.

The CJP directed the Mardan district and Sessions Judge to take up the matter and to apprise the Supreme Court in this regard.
[…]
The police said transgender people would not be harassed and full protection would be provided to them.

Let’s see if the matter is settled or will I be reading about this again at a later date.

We as a marginalized community face discrimination wherever we go and most times those who face discrimination the most are already from other marginalized community such as race.

Those who can integrate in to society have less discrimination and violence than those who cannot and if you also black or Latino the discrimination and violence is compounded.

Let The Child Lead The Way

It is something that the community knew long before the researchers knew, that the child knows best who they are but now researcher are catching up.

Good Outcomes With Early Transition in Transgender Youth
Medscape
By Batya Swift Yasgur, MA, LSW
February 08, 2017

Transgender children who socially transition early are comparable to other children in measures of mental health, new research shows.

In "striking contrast" to previous work showing high rates of depression and anxiety in nontransitioned children, the current analysis shows that although transgender children who had socially transitioned reported marginally higher anxiety than matched control persons or their sibling peers, they did not differ in reports of depression and self-worth.

"We found remarkably good mental health outcomes in socially transitioned transgender children in the present study," the researchers, led by Lily Durwood, a doctoral candidate at the University of Washington, Seattle, conclude.

I think that we as trans people knew that already, if you know any child who transitioned early in life you could see how happy they are and if they had any problems it can usually be traced back to bullying and harassment, not problems with their transition.

The article continues,

Social Transition
Many young transgender children have regarded their gender identity as different from their natal sex for months or years. In response, some parents have allowed these children to socially transition — to change his or her first name, pronouns, hairstyle, and clothing so as to live everyday life as the opposite gender. This approach has been regarded with skepticism in lay and scientific communities, the authors explain.

But "previous research has actually found high rates of depression and anxiety in gender-nonconforming children who had not transitioned," Durwood pointed out.

To assess the mental health of socially transitioned transgender children, the researchers studied participants in the TransYouth Project, a national longitudinal study of socially transitioned transgender children from 23 US states and one Canadian province.

Children reported on anxiety and depression using the pediatric short form of the National Institutes of Health's Patient Reported Outcomes Measurement System (PROMIS) scale, and parents completed the proxy version of the anxiety and depression PROMIS scales. Self-worth scores were obtained using the Global Self-Worth Subscale of the Harter Self-perception Profile for Children.

REFINERY29 in article about the research wrote,

Yet, greater media representation has not dispelled some pervasive myths about transgender people — including that simply being transgender means you're more likely to be depressed.

There's certainly scientific evidence that young transgender people can be at greater risk for depression and anxiety than their cisgender peers. But these studies often don't take into account whether or not their subjects have support from family or friends.
[…]
Each of the kids surveyed in this study have full support from their families and had already transitioned socially. Unlike many transgender people, who may struggle for years trying to conform to the gender they were assigned at birth or face backlash from family and friends when they come out, the kids in this study are already using the pronouns and wearing the clothing appropriate to their gender, with support from their families.

And it makes a huge difference. Compared to both their peers and their siblings, children who have been allowed to transition socially are at no greater risk of depression. This study confirms findings of a similar study done in February of 2016.

Having support of their family makes all the difference in the world! Also having a support network of friends and classmates, a supportive school further enhances a positive outcome.

But having all the above do not mean that the risks are zero, there’re some who will hard time transitioning.

I Am Not A Fan Of Barney Frank* But…

He makes some good points about effective lobbying.

Barney Frank: Here's how to not waste your time pressuring lawmakers
Policy Mic
By Barney Frank
February 07, 2017

After 32 years in the House of Representatives, here is my advice on how people opposed to President Donald Trump’s assault on our basic values — a majority of those who voted last November — can best influence members of Congress. Done the right way, communications from citizens can have a significant impact on legislators, even when they claim to be immune to “pressure.” (“Pressure,” in legislative jargon, is the expression of views with which legislators disagree, as opposed to “public opinion” — the term used for sentiments that reinforce their own.)

The key to doing it right is being clear about the goal, which is to persuade the Senator or Representative receiving the communication that how he or she votes on the issue in question will affect how the sender will vote the next time the legislator is on the ballot.

So what does he say?

• Make sure you’re registered to vote — lawmakers check.
• Lawmakers don’t care about people outside of their district.
• Your signature — physical or electronic — on a mass petition will mean little.
• Know where your representative stands.
• Communicate — even if you and your representative disagree.
• Say “thank you.”
• Enlist the help of friends in other districts.
• Every point he made is valid.

I have spent many hours in lobbying training. In one workshop one of our state legislators said that she has her aids sort her email each morning by title lumping all the canned emails  and files them in a well-known circular file. They then look at the other emails that were personally written.

She said that the order of importance is…

An in person visit
A handwritten letter
A phone call
A personal email
A petition
And last is a canned email that you just click on.

Another important thing is what Mr.Frank said “Know where your representative stands” you don’t want to get into a long winded speech about why he should support the bill if he already supports the bill, but instead a “Thank You for your support “ works wonders, it lets them know that you support them.

You can read my tips on lobbying and how to write you testimony here.

So how do I know so much about lobbying?

Well for one thing I have been doing it since 2007 and for another I had this training.

• 2011 – Campaign School, Nancy A. Humphreys Institute for Political Social Work, University of Connecticut, School of Social Work, West Hartford, CT, – 2 days
• 2008 – Lobbying Training – Connecticut Lobbying Conference, Betty Gallo & Company, Hartford CT – 8hr.
• 2007 – Grassroots Organizing, New York Power Summit, National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, at the State University of New York College at Old Westbury NY – How to organizing house parties, phone banks and door – to – door canvassing, – 2 ½ days
• 2006 – Albany Trans Rights Conference – National Center for Transgender Equality and by National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, Grassroots Organizing, Albany New York, – 1 ½ da

I am not an expert, but I do know my way around the LOB and the capitol.

*A couple of times I lobbied in Washington DC for ENDA and in 2007 he introduced a gender identity ENDA and he said that he was behind the bill 100% but he then pulled the bill and replaced it with a non-gender identity ENDA. He said that he did it because we (the trans community) haven’t paid our dues and that the Gays and lesbians have been lobbying since the seventies, he totally ignored the lobbying that members of the trans community have also been doing since the seventies.

It’s The Law

On Facebook I was asked the other day exactly what is Public Accommodation and are we protected from religious zealots banning us from restaurants?

She was worried about what would happen if Washington passes a “religious freedom” law to Connecticut. I posted…

CT Find Law defines "Public accommodations are places that serve the public, such as hotels, coffee shops, bus stops, laundromats, zoos, bowling alleys, and more" that is a very broad definition.

As for the religious exemptions when we were working to pass the non-discrimination law we were told that the exemption only applies to places of worship . The CT Safe Harbors Project says...
"The exemption applies concerning employment of those who perform work to carry out the activities of such religious organizations, as well as to matters of discipline, faith, internal organization or rules established by the religious entity. Although the exemption is broad, it is not a carte blanche for an employer to use his or her religious beliefs as a justification for discriminating against a gay person"

Then this morning I found this article about a law suit in California where a trans person was denied a haircut.

Trans soldier settles lawsuit against barber who denied haircut for ‘religious’ reasons
Pink News
By Joseph Patrick McCormick
7th February 2017

An army sergeant who sued a barbers which refused to serve them because they are trans has settled in their lawsuit.

The trans sergeant from California Kendall Oliver took legal action against the barbershop after the owner refused to give them a haircut.

Oliver has now settled in the lawsuit. The settlement amount has not been disclosed.
But as part of the settlement, the barbers is now required to serve anyone who walks through their doors, and to stop discriminating based on religious belief.

The barber shop owner Richard Hernandez, admitted he had broken the law by refusing to serve Oliver.

Well I suppose this is a case of good news, bad news, and good news.

The good news was that the barber won’t cut her hair because she is a woman. The bad news is that he would not cut her hair and the good news was she won her case.

Connecticut has a similar gender inclusive non-discrimination law that has a religious exemption so we should be protected if Congress passes a so called “Religious Freedom” law.

Free Speech…

…Isn’t free. I believe in a free intercourse of ideas but can you have a civil discussion with a person who denies your existence and uses hurtful language purposely to stir up hate?

Julia Serano has a good essay on the topic.

Free Speech and the Paradox of Tolerance
Medium
February 6, 2017

Any time activists (regardless of affiliation) protest a public speaking event, or the publication of a particular book or article, there will inevitably be claims that such actions threaten “free speech” or constitute “censorship.” Lately, these sorts of claims have been heard following the presidential-inauguration-day silencing (via punching) of white nationalist leader Richard Spencer while he was being interviewed, and after protesters attempted to force the cancellation of Brietbart editor Milo Yiannopoulos’s speaking engagements at University of Washington and UC Berkeley. Some people who take such a stance do so for purely political reasons — they share Spencer’s and Yiannopoulos’s views, and invoke “free speech” to make their ideologies appear unassailable. Many others who do not share these views may instead adhere to free speech absolutism, and their reasoning might be summarized as follows:

1) The First Amendment to the Constitution (or analogous statutes in other countries) ensures our right to “freedom of speech.”
2) Therefore, even if we detest Spencer’s and Yiannopoulos’s extreme racist, misogynistic, and xenophobic beliefs, we must nevertheless defend their right to freely express them.
3) Any attempt to suppress or silence Spencer or Yiannopoulos (or their views) is essentially an attack on freedom of speech itself. And once we start down that slippery slope, it is only a matter of time before we find that our own freedom of speech is in jeopardy as well.

While the free speech absolutist position may sound compelling on the surface — indeed, it is what most of us were taught in school, and what most intellectuals espouse — the reality is not nearly so clear-cut. For instance, the courts have ruled that false statements of fact, defamation, obscenity, fighting words, and incitement (e.g., shouting “fire” in a crowded theater) do not qualify as protected speech. There are also occasions where our right to free speech bumps up against (and therefore, may be restricted by) other rights (e.g., privacy) and laws (e.g., copyright protection).

Being trans I have developed thick skin, I realize that some people don’t like us and they are within their rights to say it, but when they use demeaning and derogatory language they crossed the line. They are using their “free speech” rights to inflame others to violence against us.

She now goes in to the politics of free speech…

While it is important to keep these well-established limitations on free speech in mind, what I really want to focus on in this essay — especially given the steep rise in openly expressed white nationalist rhetoric over the last year — is the paradox of free speech. Here is what I mean: Spencer has used his right to free speech to call for “peaceful ethnic cleansing” — presumably this entails scaring people into fleeing and/or using the legal system to forcibly purge all people of color and indigenous peoples from the United States. Wouldn’t that be tantamount to silencing these groups, thereby violating their freedom of speech (not to mention countless other rights)? Or take what happened to actor/comedian Leslie Jones last summer: She was forced to leave the social media platform Twitter and had to shut down her personal website after Yiannopoulos incited a fierce campaign of doxxing and harassment against her. In other words, he used his free speech to suppress her free speech. (And for the record, he has done this to many other people.)

That is what dictators do, shut down the opposition with intimidation, so what is the difference between us when try to shut them down?

Years later, thanks to the invention of Internet search engines, I discovered that the line of reasoning that I had forwarded had been previously (and more eloquently) expressed by someone who had considered this problem far longer and in more depth than most of the rest of us have. In The Open Society and Its Enemies, philosopher Karl Popper described this as “the paradox of tolerance.” Here is how he put it:

Unlimited tolerance must lead to the disappearance of tolerance. If we extend unlimited tolerance even to those who are intolerant, if we are not prepared to defend a tolerant society against the onslaught of the intolerant, then the tolerant will be destroyed, and tolerance with them. In this formulation, I do not imply, for instance, that we should always suppress the utterance of intolerant philosophies; as long as we can counter them by rational argument and keep them in check by public opinion, suppression would certainly be most unwise. But we should claim the right even to suppress them, for it may easily turn out that they are not prepared to meet us on the level of rational argument, but begin by denouncing all argument; they may forbid their followers to listen to anything as deceptive as rational argument, and teach them to answer arguments by the use of their fists. We should therefore claim, in the name of tolerance, the right not to tolerate the intolerant. We should claim that any movement preaching intolerance places itself outside the law, and we should consider incitement to intolerance and persecution as criminal, exactly as we should consider incitement to murder, or to kidnapping; or as we should consider incitement to the revival of the slave trade.

The difference between us and them is that they are attacking us and we are defending ourselves. When someone calls you a pervert, a pedophile, and other lies you have a right to opposes them and their lies.

I Have To Agree.

One time I was doing a workshop with a lesbian who said that she “gets it” and is supportive of trans people. Then later in the workshop she said “that she won’t date a trans women” when pressed by some in the audience she said it was because her friends would not understand. Loving a trans person is hard.

Loving a Transgender Person IS a Revolutionary Act
Huffington Post
By Brynn Tannehill
February 02, 2016

Being transgender is seen as so vile that our partners, parents and children often reject us. We learn that love isn’t unconditional, that in fact we cannot be loved by the people who mean the most to us. We are sent the message over and over again, that no one could love us as romantic partners. Life holds only a promise of loneliness and abandonment, and that we deserve solitude for refusing to remain in the closet.
[…]
In the face of such unremitting and remorseless pressure to despair, we dream of simply being loved by anyone, even if it is only in the internal security of believing a higher power does so. Yet, even that simple hope is often asking too much. In response, we do not dry up, fester, sag, crust over or explode.

We implode.

It takes a lot to be a friend with a trans person, all your friends will wonder why you are hanging out with “one of those people” our transness rubs off on them. Guilty by association.

Being loved requires friends, partners and family to embrace a belief that runs against our cultural dogma, act despite the stigma of being seen with “those people”, and embrace an unpopular people that are not their own.

This is why loving a transgender person is a truly revolutionary act.

The woman that I was dating broke off the relationship and I don’t really know why, but it was right after we went out to dinner with some of my trans friends; did she find it hard to be with us because of the looks we were getting from the other patrons in the restaurant? I don’t know. But I do know that for some it is very hard to be seen out in public with a trans person.

I Would Love To No Super Bowls In Texas Or North Carolina

The NCAA is doing it, why can’t the NFL? Why can’t they refuse to hold Super Bowls in states that discriminate?

NCAA may pull top events from North Carolina over transgender bathroom law; could Texas be next?
Dallas News
Written by Lauren McGaughy, Austin bureau
February 6, 2017

AUSTIN — North Carolina won't host any future NCAA championship events if it doesn't repeal its transgender bathroom law, officials with the college sports organization have warned, a possible precedent as Texas lawmakers consider a similar measure.

North Carolina institutions are bidding to host 133 championship-level NCAA events over the next six years. But the North Carolina Sporting Association said Monday that the state could lose the chance to host any of them if state lawmakers don't repeal House Bill 2, a law that strikes down local LGBT non-discrimination laws and bans transgender people from using the bathroom that matches their gender identity.

And Texas is going to follow in North Carolina’s footsteps.

Texas lawmakers will soon debate their own version of the bathroom ban. The Lone Star State is scheduled to host 11 NCAA and National Junior College Athletic Association events in the next two years, including the 2018 men's basketball first- and second-round games in Dallas and a 2018 men's football championship in Frisco.

Texas' bathroom bill, as it is written now, is far narrower than North Carolina's law — it would exempt arenas and convention centers from its restroom rules and let private businesses set their own policies — but business and tourism groups in Texas have warned it would have disastrous effects on cities' ability to keep the state "open for business."

Hopefully, if they pass the law that it will hurt them where it counts, in their pocketbooks

You Would Think That This Is A Good Idea

Other states have special wings for trans prisoner that separate them from the general prison population. In Texas they are raising concerns over the special trans wing and there concerns are valid.

New detention center's transgender unit in Texas raises concerns over intentions
Prairieland immigration facility reserves 36 beds for transgender inmates who are more likely to face abuse, but advocates worry about isolation and quality of care.
The Guardian
By Tom Dart
Monday 6 February 2017

During the week of the inauguration of a president whose policies will lead to a sharp increase in migrant arrests, America’s newest immigrant detention centre opened in rural north Texas.

Known as Prairieland, it has an unusual feature designed to protect an especially vulnerable section of the population: a unit for transgender detainees. Some LGBT advocates, though, question whether holding transgender people in a detached pod in a remote location will do more harm than good.

The privately run centre 40 miles from Dallas stands as a monument to the Obama administration’s commitment to migrant detention, a practice it reinforced from 2014 as the southern border saw a surge in crossings by families and unaccompanied minors seeking to escape danger in troubled central American nations.

Many trans people are running away from violence and are seeking asylum here in the U.S.

Many of these detainees have fled to the US precisely because of their gender identity, only to find themselves in places where their risk of being sexually abused is significantly higher compared to cisgender heterosexual, gay, lesbian or bisexual detainees, according to the Human Rights Watch report.

There is a federal law, the Prison Rape Elimination Act of 2003 which mandates prisons to provide a safe space and this I would guess is an easy way from them to follow the law.

Prairieland is the second facility in the country with a specialised transgender unit. Out of 612 beds, 36 are designated for transgender people. The only other ICE facility that houses transgender immigrants in separate dormitories is in the Los Angeles area, in space rented in the Santa Ana city jail. It is reportedly ending its deal with ICE in 2020.

ICE said last week there were 55 self-identified transgender people in detention across the country, representing about 0.13% of all detainees; none were yet in Prairieland.

Let’s warehouse them in a separate facility… out of sight, out of mind.

Doing The Right Thing And Learning

When you make a mistake, you owe up to it, and learn from it. Well that is what Katie Couric has done.

‘I Think I Made a Mistake’: Katie Couric On Her Transgender Evolution
Katie Couric says she was an “insensitive buffoon” for asking about a trans model’s “private parts.” Now she’s made a documentary about trans and intersex issues.
The Daily Beast
By Samantha Allen
February 5, 2017

Katie Couric is not afraid to admit she got it wrong.

On a January 2014 episode of her ABC daytime talk show Katie, the veteran TV journalist famously came under fire for asking transgender model Carmen Carrera awkward questions like “Was the whole process painful, physically, for you?” and “Your private parts are different now, aren’t they?”
[…]
The headlines the next day were harsh: BuzzFeed called the exchange “cringeworthy,” Salon labeled Couric’s questions “invasive,” and Slate slammed the interview as “really offensive.”

“When some people were very critical, of course it hurt me,” Couric told me over the phone in a conversation about Gender Revolution, her forthcoming National Geographic documentary on transgender and intersex issues. “I felt terrible.”

What critics didn't realize about the controversy at the time is that Couric, since 2014 global news anchor for Yahoo, had ample opportunity to avoid it altogether. The interview had been pre-taped weeks in advance and the producers, Couric told me, offered to remove the offending portion before the episode aired.

Couric knew that she had misstepped—but she refused.

She could have done many things but she had them back on her show…

“I think that I made a mistake,” she told the Daily Beast. “And I wanted to make sure that people knew that I recognized I made a mistake.”

And she has learned from her mistake,

Couric’s curiosity is evident throughout the program, but so is her care. At one point, instead of asking a young transgender woman named Allison what she was called before transition, she asks if she can ask that question. When Allison says she’d “prefer not,” Couric uses it as an opportunity for an impromptu conversation about previous names, and how they can function as a distressing reminder of pre-transition life.

It’s an example of the way in which Couric has learned to create educational opportunities out of potentially challenging moments.

Tonight on the National Geographic channel at 9 PM EST is going to be showing “Gender Revolution: with Katie Couric.” I will be watching it tonight and I bet she doesn’t make any more mistakes.

Keep Your Fingers Crossed

That the hearing for the new Supreme Court Justice is delayed until April.

Supreme Court will hear Gavin Grimm’s landmark transgender rights case in March
LGBTQ Nation
By Erin Rook
February 5, 2017

The U.S. Supreme Court will hear a groundbreaking transgender rights case this March, according to a schedule released Friday.

After Donald Trump‘s election, there was some question about whether the court would uphold last October’s decision to hear the case of transgender teen Gavin Grimm, who is suing his Virginia high school for the right to use the restroom and locker room that corresponds with his gender.

The justices are scheduled to hear the case on March 28 and Grimm is preparing for the spotlight. Grimm was initially allowed to use the boys’ restroom at his high school, but after receiving complaints, the school board adopted a policy requiring students to use the restroom that corresponds with their sex assigned at birth or be segregated to a single-stall restroom.

If the hearings are delayed and the new justice is not appointed until after the case is heard we have a better chance of a ruling in our favor then if the new justice is on the bench. I think we would still have a chance with the new justice but it could be risky. The whole case hinges on Justice Kennedy, if he rules in our favor either with or without the new justice we win. If Kennedy votes against us before the new justice the lower court ruling stands for that district but if the new judge is on the bench then we lose.

So keep your fingers crossed.

This Requires More Research

Back in the seventies and eighties, medical providers started to notice a trend in women whose mother’s took a drug called DES (Diethylstilbestrol) to prevent miscarriages, The DES Daughters were at risk of  clear cell adenocarcinoma (CCA) of the vagina and cervix, reproductive tract structural differences, pregnancy complications, and infertility, while the DES Sons had an increased risk for non-cancerous epididymal cysts.

Many trans women all believe that it increased the chances of having some degree of Gender Dysphoria. Now there is another drug that possiblely might have an effect on us.

Women Fear Drug They Used To Halt Puberty Led To Health Problems
Kaiser Health Network
By Christina Jewett
February 2, 2017

For years, Sharissa Derricott, 30, had no idea why her body seemed to be failing. At 21, a surgeon replaced her deteriorated jaw joint. She’s been diagnosed with degenerative disc disease and fibromyalgia, a chronic pain condition. Her teeth are shedding enamel and cracking.

None of it made sense to her until she discovered a community of women online who describe similar symptoms and have one thing in common: All had taken a drug called Lupron.

Thousands of parents chose to inject their daughters with the drug, which was approved to shut down puberty in young girls but also is commonly used off-label to help short kids grow taller.

The drug’s pediatric version comes with few warnings about long-term side effects. It is also used in adults to fight prostate cancer or relieve uterine pain and the Food and Drug Administration has warnings on the drug’s adult labels about a variety of side effects.

More than 10,000 adverse event reports filed with the FDA reflect the experiences of women who’ve taken Lupron. The reports describe everything from brittle bones to faulty joints.

So what is the trans connection?

Well trans children take Lupron to stop puberty so are they at risk?

We do not know because that is another “off label” use of the drug and we don’t have any data on its use by trans children and I doubt that any drug company will want to study us.

So what should we do? Well for one thing our healthcare providers should know our history including all the meds that we are taking and have taken.

For adults the recommendation is,

There is insufficient evidence to guide recommendations for bone density testing in transgender women or men. Transgender people (regardless of birth-assigned sex) should begin bone density screening at age 65. Screening between ages 50 and 64 should be considered for those with established risk factors for osteoporosis. Transgender people (regardless of birth assigned sex) who have undergone gonadectomy and have a history of at least 5 years without hormone replacement should also be considered for bone density testing, regardless of age.

I am scheduled to a bone density test this spring for my 6 months endo check-up.

The only information that I found on trans children is from NPR,

The Endocrine Society’s guidelines suggest starting puberty blockers for transgender children when they hit a stage of development known as Tanner stage 2 — usually around 10 or 11 years old for a girl and 11 or 12 years old for a boy. The same guidelines suggest giving cross sex hormones — estrogen for transgender girls and testosterone for transgender boys — at age 16. However, doctors caution that estrogen and testosterone, the hormones that are blocked by these medications, also play a role in a child’s neurological development and bone growth.

“We do know that there is some decrease in bone density during treatment with pubertal suppression,” Finlayson said, adding that initial studies have shown that starting estrogen and testosterone can help regain the bone density. What Finlayson said there isn’t enough research on is whether someone who was on puberty blockers will regain all their bone strength, or if they might be at risk for osteoporosis in the future.

So what should we do?

I believe in informed consent, when discussing taking Cross Gender Hormones (CGH) or puberty blockers we should be aware of all the risks and have the necessary medical test done.