Gender Dysphoria Essay

1023 Words3 Pages

In today’s society humanity tends to be close-minded and judgmental; therefore, society often tends to justify or ridicule a persons choice of lifestyle. A delicate topic that isn’t addressed enough is Gender Dysphoria, also known as Gender Identity Disorder. Gender Dysphoria is a complicated term, but in essence, it’s a personal struggle to identify as a specific sex. Many issues have been brought to light when it comes to adolescents who battle with Gender Dysphoria, such as, body dysmorphia, mental health, and Sex Reassignment Surgery. Although they are not of age to make life-changing decisions, adolescents who struggle with the disorder should be able to consider the same alternatives that are offered to adults. Gender Dysphoria and Gender …show more content…

In the scholarly journal “Gender Dysphoria in Children” the author, Michelle Cretella, writes, “Zucker believes that gender-dysphoric pre-pubertal children are best served by helping them align their gender identity with their anatomic sex” (Cretella). She refers to a well-known doctor that goes by the name of Dr. Kenneth Zucker and conveys his opinions on letting the kids who are diagnosed with the disorder realign their gender to what they believe they are. Not only will this help the child, but the child should also get proper information from their physician and should be well informed (Cretella). Bryant, the author of the article “Gender Dysphoria," writes, “the level of controversy and debate increased, partly because of the work of transgender, intersex, and gay and lesbian social movements but also because of critiques made within the medical and mental health professions both by individuals and by lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transsexual (LGBT) professional organizations” (Bryant). Bryant outlines the controversy behind letting kids who are diagnosed with Gender Dysphoria, and he says the dispute derives from the doctor's opinions and the way they go …show more content…

Puberty Blockers is known to be used to slow down the process of puberty. This can be an additional way of helping adolescents with the disorder, and it can give the individual an extension to figure himself or herself out. Dr. Rob Garofalo, the director of the Lurie Children’s Hospital’s Gender and Sex Development Program, told FRONTLINE “They allow these families the opportunity to hit a pause button, to prevent natal puberty … until we know that that’s either the right or the wrong direction for their particular child” (Boghani). Fundamentally, puberty blockers provide adolescents more time to think about whether or not they want to go through with their

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