Links to share with teens questioning their 'gender'

[Lottapianos]

Saw a friend this week who is a CBT practitioner for the NHS. She works with young people. She mentioned that she has seen some teens recently who identify as NB / gender fluid. She signposts them to Stonewall and Mermaids, as her organisation has told her to do. I told her a few things about both organisations and she was horrified. She knew nothing much about either charity and just thought they were 'good' supportive places for teens questioning their 'gender'.

Apart from Transgender Trend, could you recommend some other links or resources that I could send her way? We talked more broadly about the issue and I shared my views about biological sex, about how sex has nothing to do with feelings or identity, and how the pronoun issue is bullshit. I could see the penny starting to drop and she admitted that she has never really thought about all this before

I think there was a new good book out recently. I'll have to find it.

This is from TT

www.transgendertrend.com/product/the-transmission-of-transition-2/

Still trying to find the book

There's the Bayswater group for parents and also safe schools alliance U.K. in terms of other groups

Gender a wider lens podcast might be a good listen; episode 52 was particularly good from a therapists pov.

This is the book aimed at teens aiming to dispel the confusion around self diagnosing gender dysphoria via stereotypes:

mybodyisme.com/?fbclid=IwAR3PLkrkqERjF5aYKSQhH5p0VcYMzRRyjfcWlAzqiB4KgPSMWJLHxvo4kYo

Thank you all. I get the feeling she has had a bit of a shock at how little she understands this issue so I'm keen to send some more info her way, and she's keen to receive it. Also going to send her the Susie Green TED talk clip from YouTube

What about information regarding those who detransition. Keith Bell and Siobhan Watson come to mind. There is also this, which from the abstract would seem to imply that detransition is not as rare as some would like to think.
www.cambridge.org/core/journals/bjpsych-open/article/access-to-care-and-frequency-of-detransition-among-a-cohort-discharged-by-a-uk-national-adult-gender-identity-clinic-retrospective-casenote-review/3F5AC1315A49813922AAD76D9E28F5CB

If your friend is wondering why all these young people are questioning and identifying with a gender then send her the transcript of Jelly Baby Jan, the Mermaids trainer, encouraging adults (in this case) to select a gender.

This is the kind of nonsense children have been exposed to in schools for the last decade driven by groups like Mermaids and Stonewall.

docs.google.com/document/d/1aeFV0T6j4PXvm1xZBS_50oSJYV-_gO8YMoFjKjNA_9Y/edit

soundcloud.com/user-407799333/mermaids-barbie-gijoe-jelly-babies-and-other-nonsense-part-1

‘Gender Dysphoria- A Therapeutic Model for Working with Children, Adolescents and Young Adults’ - by Susan and Marcus Evans

And definitely Gender: A Wider Lens podcast.

Also going to send her the Susie Green TED talk clip from YouTube

Posie Parker might be a bit strong for someone just dipping their toe into the waters but there is a video on YouTube of PP taking down Suzie Green's Ted talk.
It speaks nothing but common sense to me.

I think this is it. It's a while since I watched it but it might include that clip of SG laughing about the lack of available material for the construction of a neo-vagina.

Apologies Keira but my predictive text obviously has a male default. The brave person I was referring to at 10:20 is Keira Bell not Keith.

This is a great website aimed at young lesbians, created by gender critical young lesbians
www.positivelylesbian.org/

FannyCann, I'm a big Posie Parker fan but I agree she's probably not entry level material!

The documentary Dysphoric on YouTube.

Yes that's excellent

Genspect is another relevant organisation, this is their publications page - there one for mental health practitioners, which would be good for your friend to read.

genspect.org/guidance/

Well done on getting her to see that there’s another side to this.

My experience is there is a real lack of this. My teen dismissed"positively lesbian" as obviously transphobic. By the time a teen is questioning their gender they have already discovered a load of transgender nonsense online and loads of shiny happy trans people telling them how happy they are in their transitioned life.

All the materials that I've seen recommended are great for gender critical adults but there isn't anything aimed at teens that gently encourages the idea that there might be reasons why a teen is questioning their gender, stereotypes, societal pressure, unwanted male attention etc, but which doesn't come across as "anti-trans" but rather supportive of teens with these feelings.

If you were a teen and you can either read "you are special and right and everyone else should change their behaviour to suit you" (ie Mermaids/Stonewall) or "the religion you have signed up to is a load of nonsense and you cannot change sex" (gender critical materials) of course you're going to choose the former. What they need is maybe more like, "your feelings are valid but transition to a different gender might not be the only way to deal with these feelings." And some indication of the dangers of hormones/surgery, stuff about people who regret steps they too towards transition, people who found out transition didn't solve their problems etc.

This is an excellent podcast from a psychologist who deals with gender dysphoria in children. Stella also speaks about here own dysphoria and recovery from it. Very good for parents to listen to

www.stellaomalley.com/podcasts

Good post @Adulthumanfemalemum I agree.

Mermaids and the like have done a very clever marketing job.

Maybe some general lessons to young people around not everything you read being truthful/in your best interest, it being important to consult a variety of sources etc.

They should be being taught this at school (and by parents) as it applies to every topic, not just so-called gender identity.

Evidence based social work alliance (EBSWA) might be of use: www.ebswa.org/ for your professional friend.

Also Genspect::
genspect.org/position/ - look at their Webinar in ROGD in Conferences page, with Stella O'Malley and David Bell (ex Tavistock GIDS)

For young people and their parents in UK signpost to Bayswater Support Group
Also, linked to Genspect and Stella O'Malley, is the Gender Dysphoria Support Network: genderdysphoriasupportnetwork.com/

Signposting gender questioning youth to organisations with a specific anti-trans agenda is unlikely to be a good professional move for your therapist friend. It's akin to directing a teen considering abortion to pro-life websites.

'Signposting gender questioning youth to organisations with a specific anti-trans agenda is unlikely to be a good professional move for your therapist friend'

Im not interested in an 'anti-trans agenda'. I'm asking for link to support services who advise watchful waiting, and promote open conversations with teens, rather than jumping straight to affirmation and sending them down a path of no return

Good thread. Thanks for starting it op. I work with students / young people, so this will be helpful.