My DD's first boyfriend is transgender and I feel weird about it.

[Milicentbystander72]

I've always been a very liberal minded person. Supported gay rights all my life. My best friend and DN are gay. I support the rights of Trans people to live their life etc.

My dd15 has a nice group of friends (boys and girls). In that group is a Trans teen (Female to Male). He changed his name in Y8, He's totally accepted as Male at school. There are no issues. He looks completely Male and people who don't know him would never think that he'd been born female. He's a nice boy who is well liked. All good.

Except last night my DD told me she's going out with him. I've surprised myself that this has unnerved me.

My dd hasn't had a BF before. She's only ever snogged one boy before at a party. She says she's 100% straight. She says she fancies the cool older boys in Sixth Form. Has teenage celebrity crushes on boys like Tom Holland etc. So how does this work for her?

Last night I told her all was fine and just to be careful they didn't damage a friendship if they broke up etc, but I didn't make a big deal of it.

Would you find this weird if your dc said they were straight? Please be honest. I'm kind of hoping it fizzles out without any drama.

Here’s a nice article studying the effects of antipsychotics on children with behavioural problems and an intellectual disability. Essentially they are effective but have significant side-effects.

I asked for evidence that they benefit the children rather than evidence that they make them easier to control. It's not the same thing you know. They are not treating a medical condition. The children are healthy before being given the drug so how does it not meet your request for "what other drugs were off-label treatment for children that pathologised their healthy bodies".

The children are healthy

These children have a disability.

These children's brains are neurologically different to that of most other people, Do you understand that?

Medication helps in various different ways, from opening neurological pathways to helping produce chemicals their brains struggle with, like dopamine.

I asked for evidence that they benefit the children rather than evidence that they make them easier to control. It's not the same thing you know.

woodchuck there are actual studies that deem these medications to be “effective”. You may question these and their definition of effectiveness but there is research.

Where are the studies demonstrating any benefit from puberty blockers in gender dysphoric children? Why do you never, ever address this question?

A child who is in constant distress because their brain is unable to process information can be given antipsychotics which slow the brain to a point where they can process things better and have less distress.

If a child with ASD, or an intellectual disability or another neurocognitive disorder is aggressive, violent and profoundly heighten then they are distressed. If they are calm then they are not.

Again you are making assumptions with no real evidence. Often the challanging behaviours provides sensory stimulation, attracts attention and is a way of communication and dampening that down is for the benefit of the carer rather than the patient themselves. Obviously there will be circumstances where they have to be calmed down e.g. to prevent injury but often they are given unnecessarily in a way that doesn't benefit the person with learning difficulties at all. That is why it is an example of "other drugs were off-label treatment for children that pathologised their healthy bodies".

Where are the studies demonstrating any benefit from puberty blockers in gender dysphoric children? Why do you never, ever address this question?

This is what woodchuck is trying to avoid answering

Again you are making assumptions with no real evidence. Often the challanging behaviours provides sensory stimulation, attracts attention and is a way of communication and dampening that down is for the benefit of the carer rather than the patient themselves. Obviously there will be circumstances where they have to be calmed down e.g. to prevent injury but often they are given unnecessarily in a way that doesn't benefit the person with learning difficulties at all.

You are so absolutely clueless.

Where are the studies demonstrating any benefit from puberty blockers in gender dysphoric children? Why do you never, ever address this question?

There is a desperate attempt on the part of that poster to fill the rest of this thread with irrelevant posts in order to prevent a discussion about puberty blockers (hormone blockers; GnRH agonists) and the dangers of their long term use in healthy children.

There is so much wrong with that last statement that i can't unpick it all.

he challanging behaviours provides sensory stimulation

challanging behaviours and sensory stimulation are massively different things.

Where are the studies demonstrating any benefit from puberty blockers in gender dysphoric children? Why do you never, ever address this question?

I have addressed the question. There are studies showing that puberty blockers are effective in that they prevent puberty. There may not be studies proving that this ultimately benefits people with gender dysphoria long term but the same could be said for antipsychotics drugs in people with learning disabilities. You haven't provided any evidence that giving antipsychotics to people with learning disabilities provides long term or even short term benefits to the people themselves.

Actually there was a transman on YouTube who was out on puberty blockers because despite being on testosterone his levels of testosterone were too low

But it sounds like a particular problem with that person’s “transition”. I didn’t think it was the usual thing to give puberty blockers to children who have already gone through puberty but I’m sure someone will correct me if I’m wrong.

There are studies showing that puberty blockers are effective in that they prevent puberty.

Isn’t that an effect, not a benefit?

pathologised their healthy bodies is where we will fundamentally disagree. Children displaying these severe aggressive behavioural difficulties are not deemed to be healthy. They have profound neurological differences and difficulties. You clearly disagree.

I am more than happy to accept that you don’t agree and think that these well children are being pathologised. However, Not all of the medications are “off label”. There is research outlining benefits and side-effects.

Let’s move on and you can answer the questions about puberty blockers. By all means start a separate thread about the use of antipsychotics in children but let’s go back to the research about puberty blockers in gender dysphoric teens.

here is a desperate attempt on the part of that poster to fill the rest of this thread with irrelevant posts in order to prevent a discussion about puberty blockers (hormone blockers; GnRH agonists) and the dangers of their long term use in healthy children.

That's quite funny considering the posts on puberty blockers are not actually relevant to the OP anyway.

Let’s move on and you can answer the questions about puberty blockers. By all means start a separate thread about the use of antipsychotics in children but let’s go back to the research about puberty blockers in gender dysphoric teens.

Lol. The OP wasn't about using puberty blockers in the first place so discussions on this are no less off topic. By all mean start a separate thread about puberty blockers in gender dysphoric teens.

but the same could be said for antipsychotics drugs in people with learning disabilities.

There are, you just don’t agree with the outcome measures.

There are studies showing that puberty blockers are effective in that they prevent puberty.

Why do children with gender dysphoria need their puberty blocked?

By all mean start a separate thread about puberty blockers in gender dysphoric teens.

I think the current topic is Puberty blockers usage in children, not teens isn't it?

Isn’t that an effect, not a benefit?

Yes! Thanks for pointing this out as it is exactly what I was trying to sya with regard to antipsychotics. They have the effect of making the person easier for other people to manage but that doesn't mean that they benefit the person themselves.

I didn’t think it was the usual thing to give puberty blockers to children who have already gone through puberty but I’m sure someone will correct me if I’m wrong.

Hormone blockers are sometimes used by people on cross sex hormones to prevent natural hormone production. This will only stop completely following gonadectomy.

woodchuck your consideration of potentially conflicting interests when recording the efficacy or otherwise about antipsychotic drugs in children with severe behavioural difficulties shows maturity. You’ve disagreed with the research or questioned its validity (benefit of carer versus patient) which shows some evidence of critical thinking skills.

So, let’s apply it to puberty blockers in dysphoric children. What’s your interpretation of the research to date?

I think the current topic is Puberty blockers usage in children, not teens isn't it?

The OP isn't about puberty blockers full stop.

The OP isn't about puberty blockers full stop.
No but the discussion has gradually moved on to the current topic.

Why do children with gender dysphoria need their puberty blocked?

If gender dysphoria isn't an illness, why do they need any medication or treatment at all?