Hormone Therapy Research Paper
Should transgender children be allowed to receive hormone therapy?
The term transgender is defined as the “non-identification with, or non-presentation of, the sex (and assumed gender) one was assigned at birth” and is one that describes an estimated 300,000 to 500,000 people in the UK of all age groups. We live in a Western culture where a distinct gender binary of either male or female exists, a social dichotomy that is enforced upon an individual from the day they are born, with their sex being the gender they are expected to conform to for the rest of their life. But what if a child feels that their biological sex is a false description of themselves – should transgender minors be allowed to receive hormone blockers at the onset of their puberty and thereafter cross-sex hormone therapy? Should they be able to readily express who they feel they really are?
Hypothalamic blockers such as GnRH agonists are fully reversible yet controversial drugs that work to prevent an individual from going through puberty, in doing so allowing them a so called “window” of time of self-exploration to further consider their gender dysphoria, without the distress of actually going through it. Therefore the blockers do not cause any …show more content…
The plight of these women, men and children are not wholly recognised by the general public and this needs to change and fast. Ultimately gender is only a social construction that varies according to culture and therefore dysphoria and variations surrounding it should not be seen as abnormal or stigmatised. These children deserve all the psychological therapy and hormone treatment they individually need in order to live a full and happy life, in doing so meaning they can truly accept themselves and be accepted in our
The term transgender is defined as the “non-identification with, or non-presentation of, the sex (and assumed gender) one was assigned at birth” and is one that describes an estimated 300,000 to 500,000 people in the UK of all age groups. We live in a Western culture where a distinct gender binary of either male or female exists, a social dichotomy that is enforced upon an individual from the day they are born, with their sex being the gender they are expected to conform to for the rest of their life. But what if a child feels that their biological sex is a false description of themselves – should transgender minors be allowed to receive hormone blockers at the onset of their puberty and thereafter cross-sex hormone therapy? Should they be able to readily express who they feel they really are?
Hypothalamic blockers such as GnRH agonists are fully reversible yet controversial drugs that work to prevent an individual from going through puberty, in doing so allowing them a so called “window” of time of self-exploration to further consider their gender dysphoria, without the distress of actually going through it. Therefore the blockers do not cause any …show more content…
The plight of these women, men and children are not wholly recognised by the general public and this needs to change and fast. Ultimately gender is only a social construction that varies according to culture and therefore dysphoria and variations surrounding it should not be seen as abnormal or stigmatised. These children deserve all the psychological therapy and hormone treatment they individually need in order to live a full and happy life, in doing so meaning they can truly accept themselves and be accepted in our