The Composition and Demographics of the Growing Trans Population

I think one of the biggest problems is that there are lengthy waiting lists to be seen by GIDS (I’ve heard it’s around 2 years for Sandyford in Glasgow now, not sure about the Tavi but I’d guess similar) and in the meantime, there is no support for these children.

CAHMS tend to want them off their books as soon as they hear GI issues. I know of the odd parent who has been able to keep their child under CAHMS, but many are shifted directly to the GIDS waiting list which is extremely worrying as most of these children have comorbidities which should be addressed and if they are, there may be a positive impact on the GI issues. We tried to have our daughter referred for an autism diagnosis (on the back of many many sessions with a child psychologist who felt quite strongly that DD is autistic), but the GP wouldn’t address that- would only refer to the GIDS clinic.

So you have all these children who are not getting any sort of holistic treatment or advice bar what organisations like Mermaids give- I.e. positive affirmation route- while they sit on lengthy waiting lists, and then once seen, by GIDS, within 3-6 sessions they can be diagnosed with GD and sent down a medical path.

Big long wait and then questionably rushed down a path, frequently where they have already socially transitioned and so are deeply imbedded in a mindset which possibly could have been avoided by extensive holistic counselling way at the beginning.

It’s a dreadful process.

Alleywhat

I'll have to keep it. If I can't have a little laugh at my own expense its all been for nothing.

I did note from the study that the extrapolation has been used on the just short of 6000 replies they received. Some of the other figures in that report are eye watering, particularly with regards to mental health. I can see why the trans prisoner issue wasnt on top of the prison services to do list. For what it's worth I don't believe that sex offenders should be housed with the demographic that they targeted.

Goosefoot

What numbers would those be that suggest it isn't a satisfying treatment. I thing even some of the prominent GC trans folk have reported that surgery and medical assistance has helped them. I'm personally satisfied, it could of course be better but to say I'm not satisfied would be a disservice to the NHS that helped me. I don't think I'm unusual in that respect.

Thelnebriati

You're right I'm biased, it's not overly pleasant being generalized by the commonality of a medical condition with a sex offender. It's also a bit tiring at times waiting for Gilligans Sunday special. I was quietly pleased that the lottery funding thing back fired on them though. You could see that coming a mile off.

Old crone

I don't know if anybody is looking into it but they have tried many 'cures' down the years but, up until now none appear to work as well as the current pathway.

If women can't consent to be sterilised on the NHS in their 20s because they don't want children, how can teens consent to puberty blockers and hormones? The consequences are unknown, under-researched and the teens themselves can't possibly give informed consent on issues like sexual impairment, sterility etc.

The numbers suggest it is a reasonable treatment for dysphoria for many, but that further support (post op) is sometimes required.

There is no magic cure. Transition isn’t perfect. Talking therapy isn’t either. It’s a life long struggle for some. It’s a case of deciding what produces the best outcomes for each individual.

Even in cases of dysphoria in adults, the results, medically and psychologically speaking, from surgery/hormones/living as the other sex aren't all that great. The numbers don't suggest that it's any kind of satisfying treatment. We should be trying to do better.

The story is there but, it certainly hasn't really taken off even with the Times making great efforts to paint bad trans people like Karen White as somehow representative of the population in general.

I think that is your interpretation. I checked some of the news reports and think you might be biased;

''Rapist, Karen White, in women’s jail ‘was trans faker’''
www.thetimes.co.uk/article/rapist-karen-white-in-women-s-jail-was-trans-faker-lbcwjp8jc

It would be helpful (a magic cure) but for now after a number of different methods, it appears changing the body to match the brain is where we are at.

But is anyone really investigating this?

When 'sex change surgery' first started, psychological treatments were much more primitive than they are now, and these should be the first line of treatment for all patients who present with gender dysphoria. This is not what is happening.

Children are currently being encouraged to believe they have a 'gender identity' which might mean they are in the wrong body. For example, BBC still have this nonsense up on their website. I made two complaints about it, they made some minor changes, but the nonsense is still there, encouraging children to think they "might be transgender".

www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/guides/zt3ck7h/revision/7

Our sex, which is physical – male or female – is distinct from our gender, which is psychological and social.

What this means is that some of us have a gender which is different from our sex.

We may be male physically, but identify or feel more comfortable thinking of ourselves as a female.

We may be female physically, but identify or feel more comfortable thinking of ourselves as a male.

We may identify as being male and female or neither.

When we feel this way, we may be transgender or gender non binary.

This could be a confusing feeling to have, especially when society expects us to act a certain way based on our sex.

Being transgender or gender non binary, however, is natural. Just like your sexuality, it is deeply personal. You should take time to work through your feelings and find what is right for you.

“statsgeek”, so you don’t think that any mental health issue should or even can be treated since you say the brain is ‘the superior organ’ and ask why should it be changed in any way due, presumably, to its ‘superiority’? Don’t you think that flies in the face of those pesky things called ‘stats’ that you so obviously admire?

Tubby two

. I'm not sure I'm for turning but, I read with interest at times.

so to tell the it that it's wrong was never going to go smoothly.

Yet people with mental health conditions often take drugs to manage their conditions (with varying degrees of success).

I'm inclined to let you off the hook with the username change - at least, don't call yourself ignoramus, if I'd thought you'd accept the offer I wouldn't have stipulated that.

But maybe something other than statsgeek would be more appropriate and realistic.

Also there are cures for a lot of medical conditions. They're not "magic" are they?

It would be preferable, surely? Acceptance. Rather than dealing with all the societal transphobia transactivists point to.

It would be helpful (a magic cure) but for now after a number of different methods, it appears changing the body to match the brain is where we are at. I suppose the brain is the superior organ, why should it be the one to change. After all it's capable of maintaining homeostasis so to tell the it that it's wrong was never going to go smoothly.

Statsgeek? I think that’s a bit of wishful thinking 😂 It’s great to aim high but you are so lacking in any understanding of stats that I actually feel sorry for the discrepancy between that and your self belief. There are some extremely intelligent women on this thread. Sadly, you’re not one of them. Stick around and keep reading though and a little bit of their wisdom might eventually sink in.

It's a shame no one is looking for that cure that would make people accept their own body and biological sex, isn't it?

Instead of that, the psychological trauma which causes this distress in many cases is not even being investigated.

This testimony from a detransitioned man is worth watching.

www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000dl50

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/womens_rights/3793180-Story-of-Richard-Hoskins-detrasitioner-in-Mail-on-Sunday

Thank you for that I am easily confused.

For a stats geek you don't seem to be that fussed about finding the stats.

ok! you can check page 116 of the report for the raw numbers including how many prisoners they surveyed. Ctrl -F is useful in large PDFs.

The quote that confused you came from one prison which had two trans prisoners. Multiple prisons were surveyed.

I would still to this day take a magic cure and not to have had to felt the way I did. The less people that feel the distress the better in my opinion.

It's a shame no one is looking for that cure that would make people accept their own body and biological sex, isn't it?

There is a huge problem with this concept of "trans kids" as if that is a state of being and you just have to suss out which kids are "really" trans.

Yes, the kids who are 'really' trans are the ones who, once they are adults, and have had extensive counselling in order to try to reconcile them with the body they have, as a last resort undergo extensive physical treatment to make their body resemble that of the opposite sex.

Someone who is 'really' trans is someone who is distressed by their sexed body. No child who is sexually immature can really be trans.

Goosefoot

I would still to this day take a magic cure and not to have had to felt the way I did. The less people that feel the distress the better in my opinion.

However, for a cohort of people that despite recent increases in number is still proportionally very small, medical transition will be the only viable way to make life more bareable.

I'd love to know why but I'm resigned to it being unlikely in the 50 or so years I'm likely to have left that I'll find out.