Times Scotland article - 16 and 17 year olds referred for surgery

The figures I’ve read say that 200 children a year are saying they are trans, in Scotland, of all ages. So this number of 50, 16 and 17 year olds is incredibly high! It’s absolutely shocking.

They don't seem to have concrete information on that - it's a bit woolly.

In theory, those as young as 17 can undergo the procedure, and children aged 16 have been “referred for assessment for surgery”.

...

A Scottish government spokesman said: “A small number of young adults have been referred for chest reconstruction surgery at 17. However, further assessments required prior to surgery mean that, in practice, it is unlikely the procedure would take place before an individual is 18.

You get the impression of them being lined up to do it ASAP as soon as legally permitted, with preparations beforehand.

It's not happening and if it is It's not that many .....

We are back to n+1 with how many teenagers making permanent changes to their bodies in a way they might regret given the brain doesn't fully developed until your twenties, is too many.

All backed by adults who have not made and have no intention of making these same changes.

Why are we doing this

Only yesterday we had someone on here insisting loudly that "under 18-year-olds are NOT having surgery"...

Even if it hasn't happened in England, it's not terribly reassuring when they support groups advocating for that, and it is happening in various countries.

I believe we've seen this performed at 13 in the USA.

But anyway, although thanks to the Times for the story, how is this a comprehensible way to start off the article?

More than 50 transgender boys under the age of 18 have been approved for double mastectomies in Scotland, it has been revealed.

At least they get to "born as female" (yuck) in a couple of paragraphs, but this is seriously confusing to the uninitiated.

I was just about to start a thread about it:

www.thetimes.co.uk/article/ff0b02b0-1a5d-11ec-8d6d-67649e90fafa?shareToken=7cc2d565aefbf1b22d9c61dab8cf5ca0