Thread by @Finn_Mackay

Here I am at a lecture on medical & mental health care for transgender youth, given by Johanna Olson-Kennedy. At 'the other University', forget it's name now.

Olson-Kennedy is from Children's Hospital Los Angeles. She's been doing training & conferences here for the last week.

Now talking about increased visibility, including of young trans ppl, also trans women & trans men in film & TV, the so called "trans tipping point".

Professor is talking referral stats at her centre, numbers of transmasculine ppl referred there has increased, seems particularly from 2015.

Hmm, now gender identity is being defined as on a spectrum between male & female, but I disagree with that as I'd say gender is about masculinity, femininity, neither, both etc...

Now Professor is talking about when she was pregnant & how ppl always asked her what she was having, boy or girl, & she always replied: a baby. As Butler said, sex is what humanises.

Now talking about gender reveal parties & how creepy they are. She's got photos of actual cards: guns or glitter, wheels or heels....

Gendering is pervasive & most ppl don't think about it. She's got pics of gendered adverts pink sellotape, chew baby toys for girls shaped like a diamond ring & baby boys shaped like a saw!

Professor now talking about how young ppl internalize shame about what's seen as gender innapropriate, whatever their ID in future may be, they early learn gender rules & we teach children how to boy & how to girl & we then police it.

Now if young ppl don't want to follow those paths then there are few role models, few routes that are known, whereas the gender norm route is shown everywhere in culture & expected. Not fitting in is hard. For anyone.

Concerns of parents that she sees in her centre, professor says commonly parents worry they did something wrong, or the child is wrong, or the couple relationship won't survive.

Her Centre uses the affirmative model, ask parents to embrace & explore child's gender non conformity, children more relaxed; though she says the parents might be more stressed!

Social transition is being allowed to display gender non conformity or display masculinity or femininity.

All of that involves no medication, no interventions, it's all 'reversible' so go along with the child, facilitate them to express how they wish & without shaming or stigma.

There is always no certainty, this goes on, life is a process. Some ppl change minds, others don't.

Now definitions - gender incongruence = gender ID isn't the one traditionally assumed to match with sex. Gender dysphoria = persistent distress about felt discrepancy between gender ID & sex at birth.

Average age of ppl seeking services in her centre 14/15 yrs old.

Professor says this makes sense as puberty is when feelings about all this come to the fore, social isolation is common she finds, as is self harm.

Professor is saying rapid onset gender dysphoria is not a thing, she does not see this, she says diagnoses of gender dysphoria can't be given quickly, child by definition has been feeling these ways for a relatively long time.

In her centre the young ppl often have diagnoses of depression & anxiety.

Professor talking about hostile environment, transphobia in culture adds to depression & anxiety.

She's saying as a medic doing nothing for the young ppl in her centre isn't neutral, she says it can do harm to do nothing.

She says most trans care is actually a lot about trying to make all ppl around the young person comfortable. Family support is a big part of their service, & mental health training, mentoring, the Centre also has a lot of trans staff so ppl can see happy successful trans ppl.

She mentions hostile environment particularly for trans women of colour who face real threats to life regularly.