Let’s look at the article more closely:
The question took me aback – it was so clear in that moment Seph understood he was being watched and examined because he is different, because he is transgender
Really? It took you aback
? You don’t think the child’s parent told them beforehand they were going to be interviewed by someone masquerading as a journalist about being transgender? Ok.
On one side of the debate are people who think Seph’s gender dysphoria will fade by adulthood
By “one side of the debate” you mean the evidence.
On the other are the vast majority of mental health professionals who study gender dysphoria insisting that affirming a child in whatever way they express their gender is beneficial to their mental health
Firstly, these aren’t two sides of the same debate. It’s possible to believe the first part and believe the second part. What is definitely not settled, is medical treatment as part of affirmation.
When Seph was three, she told me, he walked into the living room with an armful of dresses and dumped them on the floor. “I won’t be needing these because I’m a boy,” Lindsay, a talkative woman in her mid-30s, said
I know lots of 3 year olds. I have had four of them myself who are quite precocious. I assess the development of children this age for a living. They just do not talk like this. It may be a paraphrase, but there is no way this actually happened verbatim and as has been mentioned before, this is a frequent feature of such articles.
Lindsay had an idea that Seph might be transgender but didn’t want to say the actual words. “I felt like if I put a name to it, it would make it real.” So she kept Seph’s hair long and didn’t raise the issue at school. It was a call from Seph’s dad that finally woke her up. “He told me that Seph had said, ‘I wish I was never born because no one gets me,’” recalled Lindsey. “No one should feel that way at age five.” Soon after her realization, a friend connected her to GFP
This is the Sliding Doors moment. Whereas parents all over the world recognise that children can have ideas about things aged 3-5 that can be fleeting or persistent, the child is now in a place that will make sure it is persistent. The opportunity to just parent it, manage ideas and let things grow has now gone.
But when his mom stepped away briefly and I told him that I was like him, that people had thought I was a boy but I was really a girl on the inside, his eyes grew wide. “You’re like the opposite of me!” he exclaimed, his body visibly relaxing
Well, that’s not remotely creepy: a strange adult waiting till the parent isn’t around to talk to the child about something so personal...there’s a word, but I can’t write it or this post will be pulled.
But increasingly, researchers have begun to realize that how a child’s gender dysphoria evolves over time is less important than curtailing potential trauma caused by hostile family environments.
How the hell is it less important? Children can be supported without ignoring the natural history of their condition. To ignore the natural history of how a child’s gender dysphoria evolves is utterly negligent, because it means they are put on a medical pathway without thinking. It’s just as important to help with trauma. And no mention at all of how trauma is a common preceding trait to gender identity issues in children.
they are less interested in whether dysphoria will persist into adulthood, and more focused on creating healthy support systems for kids now, for them to explore their gender identities at their own pace
This is great! And exactly what should happen and what I can get on board with, until:
and support them through the grieving process for the future they may have had in mind for their child
I want to know more about this. Does this mean they help parents come to terms with their child being possibly gay? Or do they help them come to terms with the fact it’s inevitable they will change genders?
“We first started by cutting off like the sides. We did it little by little and then eventually we just chopped it all off and now he had short hair,” said Emma. “I almost wanted to cry because the look on his face was like that of liberation. It was completely priceless.”
Female child gets pixie hair cut shocker.
They went through the intake procedure, part of which is a two-and-a-half-hour interview going over the mental health history of the family and causes of familial stress as well as detailed information about the child’s gender development
It sounds actually good and sensible in what they do.
it started with him not approving of the feminine way Zion expressed herself and blaming Zion’s mother, Natalie, for forcing “gender stuff” on their child.
This bit about Zion, I suspect there’s some latent community homophobia ideas being perpetuated but I would like to hear more about Natalie and “pushing”. Horrible the child was bullied in a homophobic way though.
Natalie considers herself lucky to have gotten Zion into a different school in Brooklyn and also connected with the GFP through a guidance counselor there.
Is this the one featured in Magdalen Burns’ video of Caitlin Jenner?
When issues pop up for trans kids at New York City schools, the GFP has a training department that can advise and teach school personnel how to better deal with bullying and trans inclusivity
Great they support the kid, but I’ll wager a good amount they don’t take into account the impact on other students - girls - when it comes to single sex spaces, as evidenced by
After Bryce transferred to a new school, the GFP provided training and resources to school staff, ensuring that he would be able to use the boys’ bathroom without issue
I bet they help males get into female spaces too.
Now that Bryce has been on testosterone therapy, the source of his now deep voice, for about 10 months
For clarity, this natal female will not be able to reverse this deepening of their voice. At the age of 14.
Lindsay told me that she purposely builds a bubble around Seph. She worries how he’s going to react when he realizes that there are so many people in the world who either hate him or wish he doesn’t exist
No one hates him or wishes he didn’t exist. There are just people who want children to know the realities of what this process means.
”I think I would see an unhappy, suicidal child,” she said. It’s a sentiment echoed by each of the parents I spoke with for this story.
Always with the suicide myth 🙄, and it should also be noted, no adherence to reporting on suicide with links to support services. Standard Guardian shoddiness then.
I asked him what he wanted to be when he grew up, and he said, “You first.” I told him I had wanted to be a writer when I grew up, which turned out to come true
Well that’s debatable.
“If you don’t know what you want to be, you have to marry a rich husband,” he joked.
FFS
I smile at the retort. He shouldn’t have to aspire to change the world. He already has.
🤮
I mean generally this organisation could sound like a real good an important one, that supports families and does family therapy, but there’s still too much of a “you’re on this pathway now” theme that I just can’t get on board.