The Hate Directed at the LGBTQ+

[NattyBohChamps04]

This was a no-brainer. Nice to see Biden's evolution over the years.

Biden to Pardon US Service Members Convicted Because They Were Gay

President Joe Biden will issue a proclamation giving mass clemency to US service members convicted of charges under a Cold War-era purge of gay and lesbian people, reversing a decades-long policy of discrimination that forced an estimated 100,000 people from the military.

The pardons will be effective with the signing of the proclamation Wednesday, but individual veterans would need to apply to the Department of Defense for a certificate confirming the decision, according to administration officials familiar with the plans who spoke on condition of anonymity to detail them.

[Typical Lax Dad]

https://www.cnn.com/2024/06/26/style/ca ... index.html

[runrussellrun]

This was a no-brainer. Nice to see Biden's evolution over the years.

Biden to Pardon US Service Members Convicted Because They Were Gay

President Joe Biden will issue a proclamation giving mass clemency to US service members convicted of charges under a Cold War-era purge of gay and lesbian people, reversing a decades-long policy of discrimination that forced an estimated 100,000 people from the military.

The pardons will be effective with the signing of the proclamation Wednesday, but individual veterans would need to apply to the Department of Defense for a certificate confirming the decision, according to administration officials familiar with the plans who spoke on condition of anonymity to detail them.

Evolution from what? The hateful, homophobic Katholic that actually wrote ANTI gay laws ? at least pos tRump didn't write the gay hating, Defense of Marriage act.

gee, why didn't Obama do this................

[Typical Lax Dad]

https://www.instagram.com/reel/C8naXRyO ... BiNWFlZA==

[DMac]

[cradleandshoot]

To quote Gomer Pyle... surprise, surprise, surprise..

[NattyBohChamps04]

Since the [UK] NHS imposed restrictions on treatment for young trans people, suicides have surged. "Whistleblowers and Tavistock clinic papers show this was not only predictable, but predicted at the time." A very sad I told you so.

Data Finds Republicans are Obsessed with Searching for Transgender Porn unsurprisingly.

[a fan]

Since the [UK] NHS imposed restrictions on treatment for young trans people, suicides have surged. "Whistleblowers and Tavistock clinic papers show this was not only predictable, but predicted at the time." A very sad I told you so.

IMO, there isn't a winning move here. No matter what lines are drawn, kids will suffer. Horrible.

Data Finds Republicans are Obsessed with Searching for Transgender Porn unsurprisingly.

Said it before, and I'll say it again: there is NO WAY someone who is secure in their sexuality would give even a passing thought to what others do with their sex lives.

Homophobia comes from self-loathing, and men and women being unable to process feelings for the same sex.

My opinion. No other explanation makes sense to me.

[NattyBohChamps04]

Since the [UK] NHS imposed restrictions on treatment for young trans people, suicides have surged. "Whistleblowers and Tavistock clinic papers show this was not only predictable, but predicted at the time." A very sad I told you so.

IMO, there isn't a winning move here. No matter what lines are drawn, kids will suffer. Horrible.

If you treat the kids, fewer kids will suffer. Harm reduction. Let the doctors, parents and kids decide rather than the politicians.

Will kids still suffer? Of course, but not as many as has been shown before.

They're political pawns now unfortunately.

[NattyBohChamps04]

Missing transgender teen’s body found dismembered; suspect charged

The district attorney said it’s “one of the most heinous crimes” he has seen in his nearly 50-year career.

The violence has been pushed for years by Trump and Co... Not surprised, just sad.

[a fan]

Since the [UK] NHS imposed restrictions on treatment for young trans people, suicides have surged. "Whistleblowers and Tavistock clinic papers show this was not only predictable, but predicted at the time." A very sad I told you so.

IMO, there isn't a winning move here. No matter what lines are drawn, kids will suffer. Horrible.

If you treat the kids, fewer kids will suffer. Harm reduction. Let the doctors, parents and kids decide rather than the politicians.

Will kids still suffer? Of course, but not as many as has been shown before.

They're political pawns now unfortunately.

The story leaves out the ages of the kids involved. Unless I misunderstand the story, the doctors at the NIH are in charge now of all decisions.

Am I wrong?

[NattyBohChamps04]

Since the [UK] NHS imposed restrictions on treatment for young trans people, suicides have surged. "Whistleblowers and Tavistock clinic papers show this was not only predictable, but predicted at the time." A very sad I told you so.

IMO, there isn't a winning move here. No matter what lines are drawn, kids will suffer. Horrible.

If you treat the kids, fewer kids will suffer. Harm reduction. Let the doctors, parents and kids decide rather than the politicians.

Will kids still suffer? Of course, but not as many as has been shown before.

They're political pawns now unfortunately.

The story leaves out the ages of the kids involved. Unless I misunderstand the story, the doctors at the NIH are in charge now of all decisions.

Am I wrong?

Unfortunately it was more politically based vs. actual science and doctor based. So no, the doctors are not really in charge of this stuff.

https://apnews.com/article/transgender- ... 3c0a2fa263

It's "Thank you for smoking" kind of stuff going on.

[ohmilax34]

Can someone tell me what "gender transition for youth" is and what services british youth are not getting now that they used to get?

[NattyBohChamps04]

Can someone tell me what "gender transition for youth" is and what services british youth are not getting now that they used to get?

Here's a brief article about some of the changes regarding puberty blockers in the UK - https://apnews.com/article/transgender- ... 3c0a2fa263

Puberty Blockers do what their name says. They pause puberty from happening until the person is old enough to make a decision whether they wish to continue puberty normally or start hormone therapy and tranition. Most people start puberty before age 16 (usually 10-11), which includes some hard to reverse and sometimes irreversible changes to one's body if they wish to transition later. Meaning it's much more difficult to transition later medically and socially. Puberty Blockers are not available for kids who have not started puberty. There are no long term physical effects of pausing puberty, it just continues normally if they stop taking them.

In general "gender transition for youth" entails simply presenting as the gender the person identifies as, normally as they start puberty. Transition involves meetings with mental health professionals and doctors. If they feel it's valid, then possibly dressing as the gender the person identifies with and having people address them that way. Medically it may include puberty blockers with parental consent and doctor approval. Then at age 16-18+ (again with parental consent before 18) and doctor approval, hormone replacement therapy may be administered to begin puberty as the gender the person identifies with.

After they turn 18, then medical surgeries become available. Surgeries are extremely rare for people under 18, and virtually never include genital surgery. Any kind surgery done before 18 generally occurs after years of previous treatments and requires extraordinary circumstances.

[ohmilax34]

Can someone tell me what "gender transition for youth" is and what services british youth are not getting now that they used to get?

Here's a brief article about some of the changes regarding puberty blockers in the UK - https://apnews.com/article/transgender- ... 3c0a2fa263

Puberty Blockers do what their name says. They pause puberty from happening until the person is old enough to make a decision whether they wish to continue puberty normally or start hormone therapy and tranition. Most people start puberty before age 16 (usually 10-11), which includes some hard to reverse and sometimes irreversible changes to one's body if they wish to transition later. Meaning it's much more difficult to transition later medically and socially. Puberty Blockers are not available for kids who have not started puberty. There are no long term physical effects of pausing puberty, it just continues normally if they stop taking them.

In general "gender transition for youth" entails simply presenting as the gender the person identifies as, normally as they start puberty. Transition involves meetings with mental health professionals and doctors. If they feel it's valid, then possibly dressing as the gender the person identifies with and having people address them that way. Medically it may include puberty blockers with parental consent and doctor approval. Then at age 16-18+ (again with parental consent before 18) and doctor approval, hormone replacement therapy may be administered to begin puberty as the gender the person identifies with.

After they turn 18, then medical surgeries become available. Surgeries are extremely rare for people under 18, and virtually never include genital surgery. Any kind surgery done before 18 generally occurs after years of previous treatments and requires extraordinary circumstances.

This opinion piece from the WSJ mentions possible harmful side effects of puberty blockers. https://www.congress.gov/118/meeting/ho ... -SD011.pdf

This quote summarizes some of the possible side effects.

The Center for Investigative Reporting revealed in 2017 that the FDA had received more than
10,000 adverse event reports from women who were given Lupron off-label as children to help
them grow taller. They reported thinning and brittle bones, teeth that shed enamel or
cracked, degenerative spinal disks, painful joints, radical mood swings, seizures, migraines
and suicidal thoughts. Some developed fibromyalgia. There were reports of fertility problems
and cognitive issues.
The FDA in 2016 ordered AbbVie to add a warning that children on Lupron might develop new
or intensified psychiatric problems. Transgender children are at least three times as likely as
the general population to have anxiety, depression and neurodevelopmental disorders. Last
year, the FDA added another warning for children about the risk of brain swelling and vision
loss.

You wrote "There are no long term physical effects of pausing puberty, it just continues normally if they stop taking them." What are the chances that's actually correct? That pausing puberty has NO long term physical effects.

This study reports some possible side effects on puberty blockers https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101 ... 1.abstract

Here are bits from the abstract:

At the tissue level, we report mild-to-severe sex gland atrophy in PB treated children.

This combined with the noted gland atrophy and abnormalities from the histology data raise a potential concern regarding the complete ’reversibility’ and reproductive fitness of SSC.

You wrote "There are no long term physical effects of pausing puberty, it just continues normally if they stop taking them." What are the chances that's actually correct? That pausing puberty has NO long term physical effects.

It seems in our society there are big pushes to the extremes on many issues, including transgender issues. One side says puberty blockers are "chemical castration" and child abuse. The other side says there no long term adverse effects of puberty blockers and that saying there is means transphobia. I read what you wrote and the part I've highlighted just doesn't seem like it could possibly be true. So, then I wonder if you're doing it on purpose or you just haven't looked at any other side of this that may be critical of the treatments.

It seems the scientific thing to do is to continue questioning these treatments and not say or think that the science is settled, because that's not how science works, right?

[Typical Lax Dad]

Can someone tell me what "gender transition for youth" is and what services british youth are not getting now that they used to get?

Here's a brief article about some of the changes regarding puberty blockers in the UK - https://apnews.com/article/transgender- ... 3c0a2fa263

Puberty Blockers do what their name says. They pause puberty from happening until the person is old enough to make a decision whether they wish to continue puberty normally or start hormone therapy and tranition. Most people start puberty before age 16 (usually 10-11), which includes some hard to reverse and sometimes irreversible changes to one's body if they wish to transition later. Meaning it's much more difficult to transition later medically and socially. Puberty Blockers are not available for kids who have not started puberty. There are no long term physical effects of pausing puberty, it just continues normally if they stop taking them.

In general "gender transition for youth" entails simply presenting as the gender the person identifies as, normally as they start puberty. Transition involves meetings with mental health professionals and doctors. If they feel it's valid, then possibly dressing as the gender the person identifies with and having people address them that way. Medically it may include puberty blockers with parental consent and doctor approval. Then at age 16-18+ (again with parental consent before 18) and doctor approval, hormone replacement therapy may be administered to begin puberty as the gender the person identifies with.

After they turn 18, then medical surgeries become available. Surgeries are extremely rare for people under 18, and virtually never include genital surgery. Any kind surgery done before 18 generally occurs after years of previous treatments and requires extraordinary circumstances.

This opinion piece from the WSJ mentions possible harmful side effects of puberty blockers. https://www.congress.gov/118/meeting/ho ... -SD011.pdf

This quote summarizes some of the possible side effects.

The Center for Investigative Reporting revealed in 2017 that the FDA had received more than
10,000 adverse event reports from women who were given Lupron off-label as children to help
them grow taller. They reported thinning and brittle bones, teeth that shed enamel or
cracked, degenerative spinal disks, painful joints, radical mood swings, seizures, migraines
and suicidal thoughts. Some developed fibromyalgia. There were reports of fertility problems
and cognitive issues.
The FDA in 2016 ordered AbbVie to add a warning that children on Lupron might develop new
or intensified psychiatric problems. Transgender children are at least three times as likely as
the general population to have anxiety, depression and neurodevelopmental disorders. Last
year, the FDA added another warning for children about the risk of brain swelling and vision
loss.

You wrote "There are no long term physical effects of pausing puberty, it just continues normally if they stop taking them." What are the chances that's actually correct? That pausing puberty has NO long term physical effects.

This study reports some possible side effects on puberty blockers https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101 ... 1.abstract

Here are bits from the abstract:

At the tissue level, we report mild-to-severe sex gland atrophy in PB treated children.

This combined with the noted gland atrophy and abnormalities from the histology data raise a potential concern regarding the complete ’reversibility’ and reproductive fitness of SSC.

You wrote "There are no long term physical effects of pausing puberty, it just continues normally if they stop taking them." What are the chances that's actually correct? That pausing puberty has NO long term physical effects.

It seems in our society there are big pushes to the extremes on many issues, including transgender issues. One side says puberty blockers are "chemical castration" and child abuse. The other side says there no long term adverse effects of puberty blockers and that saying there is means transphobia. I read what you wrote and the part I've highlighted just doesn't seem like it could possibly be true. So, then I wonder if you're doing it on purpose or you just haven't looked at any other side of this that may be critical of the treatments.

It seems the scientific thing to do is to continue questioning these treatments and not say or think that the science is settled, because that's not how science works, right?

I am not sure any medication is riskless. Seems most medications and treatments are a relative value argument. To each his own.

[ohmilax34]

Can someone tell me what "gender transition for youth" is and what services british youth are not getting now that they used to get?

Here's a brief article about some of the changes regarding puberty blockers in the UK - https://apnews.com/article/transgender- ... 3c0a2fa263

Puberty Blockers do what their name says. They pause puberty from happening until the person is old enough to make a decision whether they wish to continue puberty normally or start hormone therapy and tranition. Most people start puberty before age 16 (usually 10-11), which includes some hard to reverse and sometimes irreversible changes to one's body if they wish to transition later. Meaning it's much more difficult to transition later medically and socially. Puberty Blockers are not available for kids who have not started puberty. There are no long term physical effects of pausing puberty, it just continues normally if they stop taking them.

In general "gender transition for youth" entails simply presenting as the gender the person identifies as, normally as they start puberty. Transition involves meetings with mental health professionals and doctors. If they feel it's valid, then possibly dressing as the gender the person identifies with and having people address them that way. Medically it may include puberty blockers with parental consent and doctor approval. Then at age 16-18+ (again with parental consent before 18) and doctor approval, hormone replacement therapy may be administered to begin puberty as the gender the person identifies with.

After they turn 18, then medical surgeries become available. Surgeries are extremely rare for people under 18, and virtually never include genital surgery. Any kind surgery done before 18 generally occurs after years of previous treatments and requires extraordinary circumstances.

This opinion piece from the WSJ mentions possible harmful side effects of puberty blockers. https://www.congress.gov/118/meeting/ho ... -SD011.pdf

This quote summarizes some of the possible side effects.

The Center for Investigative Reporting revealed in 2017 that the FDA had received more than
10,000 adverse event reports from women who were given Lupron off-label as children to help
them grow taller. They reported thinning and brittle bones, teeth that shed enamel or
cracked, degenerative spinal disks, painful joints, radical mood swings, seizures, migraines
and suicidal thoughts. Some developed fibromyalgia. There were reports of fertility problems
and cognitive issues.
The FDA in 2016 ordered AbbVie to add a warning that children on Lupron might develop new
or intensified psychiatric problems. Transgender children are at least three times as likely as
the general population to have anxiety, depression and neurodevelopmental disorders. Last
year, the FDA added another warning for children about the risk of brain swelling and vision
loss.

You wrote "There are no long term physical effects of pausing puberty, it just continues normally if they stop taking them." What are the chances that's actually correct? That pausing puberty has NO long term physical effects.

This study reports some possible side effects on puberty blockers https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101 ... 1.abstract

Here are bits from the abstract:

At the tissue level, we report mild-to-severe sex gland atrophy in PB treated children.

This combined with the noted gland atrophy and abnormalities from the histology data raise a potential concern regarding the complete ’reversibility’ and reproductive fitness of SSC.

You wrote "There are no long term physical effects of pausing puberty, it just continues normally if they stop taking them." What are the chances that's actually correct? That pausing puberty has NO long term physical effects.

It seems in our society there are big pushes to the extremes on many issues, including transgender issues. One side says puberty blockers are "chemical castration" and child abuse. The other side says there no long term adverse effects of puberty blockers and that saying there is means transphobia. I read what you wrote and the part I've highlighted just doesn't seem like it could possibly be true. So, then I wonder if you're doing it on purpose or you just haven't looked at any other side of this that may be critical of the treatments.

It seems the scientific thing to do is to continue questioning these treatments and not say or think that the science is settled, because that's not how science works, right?

I am not sure any medication is riskless. Seems most medications and treatments are a relative value argument. To each his own.

That sounds reasonable. Continuing to learn about the risks and benefits sounds reasonable to me. Writing

There are no long term physical effects of pausing puberty, it just continues normally if they stop taking them.

doesn't sound reasonable to me.

[Typical Lax Dad]

Can someone tell me what "gender transition for youth" is and what services british youth are not getting now that they used to get?

Here's a brief article about some of the changes regarding puberty blockers in the UK - https://apnews.com/article/transgender- ... 3c0a2fa263

Puberty Blockers do what their name says. They pause puberty from happening until the person is old enough to make a decision whether they wish to continue puberty normally or start hormone therapy and tranition. Most people start puberty before age 16 (usually 10-11), which includes some hard to reverse and sometimes irreversible changes to one's body if they wish to transition later. Meaning it's much more difficult to transition later medically and socially. Puberty Blockers are not available for kids who have not started puberty. There are no long term physical effects of pausing puberty, it just continues normally if they stop taking them.

In general "gender transition for youth" entails simply presenting as the gender the person identifies as, normally as they start puberty. Transition involves meetings with mental health professionals and doctors. If they feel it's valid, then possibly dressing as the gender the person identifies with and having people address them that way. Medically it may include puberty blockers with parental consent and doctor approval. Then at age 16-18+ (again with parental consent before 18) and doctor approval, hormone replacement therapy may be administered to begin puberty as the gender the person identifies with.

After they turn 18, then medical surgeries become available. Surgeries are extremely rare for people under 18, and virtually never include genital surgery. Any kind surgery done before 18 generally occurs after years of previous treatments and requires extraordinary circumstances.

This opinion piece from the WSJ mentions possible harmful side effects of puberty blockers. https://www.congress.gov/118/meeting/ho ... -SD011.pdf

This quote summarizes some of the possible side effects.

The Center for Investigative Reporting revealed in 2017 that the FDA had received more than
10,000 adverse event reports from women who were given Lupron off-label as children to help
them grow taller. They reported thinning and brittle bones, teeth that shed enamel or
cracked, degenerative spinal disks, painful joints, radical mood swings, seizures, migraines
and suicidal thoughts. Some developed fibromyalgia. There were reports of fertility problems
and cognitive issues.
The FDA in 2016 ordered AbbVie to add a warning that children on Lupron might develop new
or intensified psychiatric problems. Transgender children are at least three times as likely as
the general population to have anxiety, depression and neurodevelopmental disorders. Last
year, the FDA added another warning for children about the risk of brain swelling and vision
loss.

You wrote "There are no long term physical effects of pausing puberty, it just continues normally if they stop taking them." What are the chances that's actually correct? That pausing puberty has NO long term physical effects.

This study reports some possible side effects on puberty blockers https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101 ... 1.abstract

Here are bits from the abstract:

At the tissue level, we report mild-to-severe sex gland atrophy in PB treated children.

This combined with the noted gland atrophy and abnormalities from the histology data raise a potential concern regarding the complete ’reversibility’ and reproductive fitness of SSC.

You wrote "There are no long term physical effects of pausing puberty, it just continues normally if they stop taking them." What are the chances that's actually correct? That pausing puberty has NO long term physical effects.

It seems in our society there are big pushes to the extremes on many issues, including transgender issues. One side says puberty blockers are "chemical castration" and child abuse. The other side says there no long term adverse effects of puberty blockers and that saying there is means transphobia. I read what you wrote and the part I've highlighted just doesn't seem like it could possibly be true. So, then I wonder if you're doing it on purpose or you just haven't looked at any other side of this that may be critical of the treatments.

It seems the scientific thing to do is to continue questioning these treatments and not say or think that the science is settled, because that's not how science works, right?

I am not sure any medication is riskless. Seems most medications and treatments are a relative value argument. To each his own.

That sounds reasonable. Continuing to learn about the risks and benefits sounds reasonable to me. Writing

There are no long term physical effects of pausing puberty, it just continues normally if they stop taking them.

doesn't sound reasonable to me.

Absolutely. For instance, in reality the COVID vaccine and most vaccines for that matter are far safer and does far less harm than medication people ingest every single day but we still look for any signs of problems and we find them but the rates of incidences are vanishingly low but it’s always best to be diligent and weigh the relative vale so that people it pertains to make an informed decision.

[NattyBohChamps04]

Can someone tell me what "gender transition for youth" is and what services british youth are not getting now that they used to get?

Here's a brief article about some of the changes regarding puberty blockers in the UK - https://apnews.com/article/transgender- ... 3c0a2fa263

Puberty Blockers do what their name says. They pause puberty from happening until the person is old enough to make a decision whether they wish to continue puberty normally or start hormone therapy and tranition. Most people start puberty before age 16 (usually 10-11), which includes some hard to reverse and sometimes irreversible changes to one's body if they wish to transition later. Meaning it's much more difficult to transition later medically and socially. Puberty Blockers are not available for kids who have not started puberty. There are no long term physical effects of pausing puberty, it just continues normally if they stop taking them.

In general "gender transition for youth" entails simply presenting as the gender the person identifies as, normally as they start puberty. Transition involves meetings with mental health professionals and doctors. If they feel it's valid, then possibly dressing as the gender the person identifies with and having people address them that way. Medically it may include puberty blockers with parental consent and doctor approval. Then at age 16-18+ (again with parental consent before 18) and doctor approval, hormone replacement therapy may be administered to begin puberty as the gender the person identifies with.

After they turn 18, then medical surgeries become available. Surgeries are extremely rare for people under 18, and virtually never include genital surgery. Any kind surgery done before 18 generally occurs after years of previous treatments and requires extraordinary circumstances.

This opinion piece from the WSJ mentions possible harmful side effects of puberty blockers. https://www.congress.gov/118/meeting/ho ... -SD011.pdf

This quote summarizes some of the possible side effects.

The Center for Investigative Reporting revealed in 2017 that the FDA had received more than
10,000 adverse event reports from women who were given Lupron off-label as children to help
them grow taller. They reported thinning and brittle bones, teeth that shed enamel or
cracked, degenerative spinal disks, painful joints, radical mood swings, seizures, migraines
and suicidal thoughts. Some developed fibromyalgia. There were reports of fertility problems
and cognitive issues.
The FDA in 2016 ordered AbbVie to add a warning that children on Lupron might develop new
or intensified psychiatric problems. Transgender children are at least three times as likely as
the general population to have anxiety, depression and neurodevelopmental disorders. Last
year, the FDA added another warning for children about the risk of brain swelling and vision
loss.

You wrote "There are no long term physical effects of pausing puberty, it just continues normally if they stop taking them." What are the chances that's actually correct? That pausing puberty has NO long term physical effects.

This study reports some possible side effects on puberty blockers https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101 ... 1.abstract

Here are bits from the abstract:

At the tissue level, we report mild-to-severe sex gland atrophy in PB treated children.

This combined with the noted gland atrophy and abnormalities from the histology data raise a potential concern regarding the complete ’reversibility’ and reproductive fitness of SSC.

You wrote "There are no long term physical effects of pausing puberty, it just continues normally if they stop taking them." What are the chances that's actually correct? That pausing puberty has NO long term physical effects.

It seems in our society there are big pushes to the extremes on many issues, including transgender issues. One side says puberty blockers are "chemical castration" and child abuse. The other side says there no long term adverse effects of puberty blockers and that saying there is means transphobia. I read what you wrote and the part I've highlighted just doesn't seem like it could possibly be true. So, then I wonder if you're doing it on purpose or you just haven't looked at any other side of this that may be critical of the treatments.

It seems the scientific thing to do is to continue questioning these treatments and not say or think that the science is settled, because that's not how science works, right?

I was going off Mayo clinic info that states "GnRH analogues don't cause permanent physical changes. Instead, they pause puberty.". Again, that's the Mayo clinic, not an politically motivated opinion piece.

Puberty blockers were approved by the FDA in 1993, so we have 31 years of safety data since then, plus some data before that. Most of this stuff was scientifically oriented and out of the public eye until recently when it became heavily politicized, mostly by a small section of Republicans. Helping trans people medically wasn't considered an "extreme" position prior to ~2016.

If you want to get into the weeds on potential side effects of specific medicines, I'm happy to do so. Mayo Clinic and others list some short term effects like swelling at the site of the shot, weight gain, mood swings, headaches.

They do list some potential longer term side effects like bone density loss and other things that can be mitigated. So I guess I mixed words and should have written "permanent" like Mayo did. Sorry about that. People taking these medicines get regular checkups, blood tests, and more to keep an eye on their body's reactions.

Not sure anyone here said questioning effects of puberty blockers is transphobic. They're one of the best tools available right now. I'm sure we'll have even better tools in the future with even fewer issues, like in most medicine.

In the end, there is a huge difference between questioning these treatments and flat out banning them and other treatments like so many are doing and want to do for political reasons.

[Typical Lax Dad]

Can someone tell me what "gender transition for youth" is and what services british youth are not getting now that they used to get?

Here's a brief article about some of the changes regarding puberty blockers in the UK - https://apnews.com/article/transgender- ... 3c0a2fa263

Puberty Blockers do what their name says. They pause puberty from happening until the person is old enough to make a decision whether they wish to continue puberty normally or start hormone therapy and tranition. Most people start puberty before age 16 (usually 10-11), which includes some hard to reverse and sometimes irreversible changes to one's body if they wish to transition later. Meaning it's much more difficult to transition later medically and socially. Puberty Blockers are not available for kids who have not started puberty. There are no long term physical effects of pausing puberty, it just continues normally if they stop taking them.

In general "gender transition for youth" entails simply presenting as the gender the person identifies as, normally as they start puberty. Transition involves meetings with mental health professionals and doctors. If they feel it's valid, then possibly dressing as the gender the person identifies with and having people address them that way. Medically it may include puberty blockers with parental consent and doctor approval. Then at age 16-18+ (again with parental consent before 18) and doctor approval, hormone replacement therapy may be administered to begin puberty as the gender the person identifies with.

After they turn 18, then medical surgeries become available. Surgeries are extremely rare for people under 18, and virtually never include genital surgery. Any kind surgery done before 18 generally occurs after years of previous treatments and requires extraordinary circumstances.

This opinion piece from the WSJ mentions possible harmful side effects of puberty blockers. https://www.congress.gov/118/meeting/ho ... -SD011.pdf

This quote summarizes some of the possible side effects.

The Center for Investigative Reporting revealed in 2017 that the FDA had received more than
10,000 adverse event reports from women who were given Lupron off-label as children to help
them grow taller. They reported thinning and brittle bones, teeth that shed enamel or
cracked, degenerative spinal disks, painful joints, radical mood swings, seizures, migraines
and suicidal thoughts. Some developed fibromyalgia. There were reports of fertility problems
and cognitive issues.
The FDA in 2016 ordered AbbVie to add a warning that children on Lupron might develop new
or intensified psychiatric problems. Transgender children are at least three times as likely as
the general population to have anxiety, depression and neurodevelopmental disorders. Last
year, the FDA added another warning for children about the risk of brain swelling and vision
loss.

You wrote "There are no long term physical effects of pausing puberty, it just continues normally if they stop taking them." What are the chances that's actually correct? That pausing puberty has NO long term physical effects.

This study reports some possible side effects on puberty blockers https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101 ... 1.abstract

Here are bits from the abstract:

At the tissue level, we report mild-to-severe sex gland atrophy in PB treated children.

This combined with the noted gland atrophy and abnormalities from the histology data raise a potential concern regarding the complete ’reversibility’ and reproductive fitness of SSC.

You wrote "There are no long term physical effects of pausing puberty, it just continues normally if they stop taking them." What are the chances that's actually correct? That pausing puberty has NO long term physical effects.

It seems in our society there are big pushes to the extremes on many issues, including transgender issues. One side says puberty blockers are "chemical castration" and child abuse. The other side says there no long term adverse effects of puberty blockers and that saying there is means transphobia. I read what you wrote and the part I've highlighted just doesn't seem like it could possibly be true. So, then I wonder if you're doing it on purpose or you just haven't looked at any other side of this that may be critical of the treatments.

It seems the scientific thing to do is to continue questioning these treatments and not say or think that the science is settled, because that's not how science works, right?

I was going off Mayo clinic info that states "GnRH analogues don't cause permanent physical changes. Instead, they pause puberty.". Again, that's the Mayo clinic, not an politically motivated opinion piece.

Puberty blockers were approved by the FDA in 1993, so we have 31 years of safety data since then, plus some data before that. Most of this stuff was scientifically oriented and out of the public eye until recently when it became heavily politicized, mostly by a small section of Republicans. Helping trans people medically wasn't considered an "extreme" position prior to ~2016.

If you want to get into the weeds on potential side effects of specific medicines, I'm happy to do so. Mayo Clinic and others list some short term effects like swelling at the site of the shot, weight gain, mood swings, headaches.

They do list some potential longer term side effects like bone density loss and other things that can be mitigated. So I guess I mixed words and should have written "permanent" like Mayo did. Sorry about that. People taking these medicines get regular checkups, blood tests, and more to keep an eye on their body's reactions.

Not sure anyone here said questioning effects of puberty blockers is transphobic. They're one of the best tools available right now. I'm sure we'll have even better tools in the future with even fewer issues, like in most medicine.

In the end, there is a huge difference between questioning these treatments and flat out banning them and other treatments like so many are doing and want to do for political reasons.

I will never understand why people care what other people decide to do privately. I have mentioned before I have friends that have a transgender son. The family has been ostracized by a lot of “friends”. I don’t give a F….