#genderodyssey The most interesting talk by @chocojo Just a Boy / Just a Girl "kids who transition early have different developmental process than trans kids who come out in adolescence" They are figuring out "How to "Come in after they come out". @genderodyssey
For "I'm just a boy / just a girl" trans children & adolescents "Therapy presents situations & conversations that are incredibly difficult for them & our reminders about being trans" #genderodyssey
In adolescents there's a "Difficult dynamic about an expectation about surgery / hormones / therapy making you 'not trans'". But the Trans can't be taken away. There's a fear about forced disclosure, which relates to a fear of rejection. Non disclosure = less complicated
Interesting point on the painful and distressing reminder about being trans which takes place with regular injections of blockers or hormones. @TaviAndPort. There needs to be conversations around frequency & regime, which might impact delivery e.g. monthly injections vs implants
Aydin Olson-Kennedy picks up. We (previously) had an unhealthy relationship with what we thought the right approach was. The best case scenario, healthy outcome is that all trans folks integrate their identity. This was very cis-normative. #genderodyssey
"We changed our approach, we have got better at thinking about this in an individualised, nuanced way". [example of young adult who transitioned at 15 and has fear of disclosure - someone finding out their identity] There is a lot of conflict, a lot of erasure of history.
What Aydin's talking about here, I've seen similar in the UK, of young adults 'coming out' as trans after taking great steps not to disclosure as teenagers, but who have not felt confident enough to be publicly trans -(perhaps from sense of responsibility of UK media transphobia)
Aydin's giving an example of a trans boy participating in a tv show. This was a child who never came out, who had to figure out their coming out story - in case of the multiple circumstances where coming out was forced (changing/filming). Thinking here about recent #genderquake
We should be preparing trans children with strategies including 'coming out stories'. as defence against inadvertent or forced disclosure. As clinicians we should be talking about strategies to deal with future gender dyshphoria in all its forms.
Strategies should also be formed around medical staff to be prepared to answer inquisitive but unnecessary questions e.g. around surgery or taking medication. We have to give strategies which maintain autonomy & privacy without creating situations where they are caught off guard
Not everyone wants to be the 'trans person', the 'non binary person', the 'advocate'. It should be possible to be super ok with their identity in private without the requirement to be out in public. There is an expectation that trans people have to be in public all the time
Aydin goes on to #transbrokenarm (or in his recent personal example trans broken toe) - starting by talking about recent surgeries with GP, to then lie because of being asked about genitals....
Aydin argues that for early transitioning trans young people there is a need for genital surgery earlier than trans adults. Unlike later transitioners trans youth haven't been forced to navigate sexual relationships with the body they have. They have no prior sexual experience
Those who transition as adults have had time to come to some level of reckoning with their body as it relates to sexuality, that's why a lot of trans masculine adults don't pursue surgery until 5-6 years in.
Trans youth haven't been forced to navigate sexual relationships with the body they have - because they're 13! They want their sexual interactions and relationships to be congruent. We need to step back from a righteous position of people organising their identity around genitals
- Note, this is a dense, rapid talk, and I haven't covered everything, & not everything I have covered is verbatim. I highly recommend anyone working with trans children & young people to watch the talk & the entire range of @genderodyssey videos.
Trans youth have multiple cliffs (disclosure, dysphoria, integrating sense of self, reminders about trans status),. Working with trans youth is about how we appropriately prepare for those cliffs which can be anticipated, and respond to those cliffs which are not preventable.
Audio is off for the last section - apparently the full video will be available at a later date. Thank you @genderodyssey @AydinOlson @chocojo
