The youngsters were around age 12 on average when the study ended. That may change as the researchers follow them through their teen years. She noted that when the study began, in 2013, “nonbinary” wasn’t a common term, and the children studied used male or female pronouns. “It suggests that our model of thinking about people as they’re either X or Y, they’re either cisgender or transgender … is kind of an antiquated way of thinking about gender,” Olson said. Taking California’s cue, lawmakers in 18 states want to offer refuge for trans youthsĭemocratic lawmakers from Colorado to West Virginia are inspired by a California bill to offer legal refuge to trans youths and their families. The Pediatrics study is one of the largest to look at the issue, although not all kids had started treatment and none had undergone surgery. Some doctors say that’s why transgender medication or surgery shouldn’t be offered until affected kids reach adulthood, but rigorous research on the numbers is lacking. Politicians seeking to outlaw or criminalize medical treatment for transgender youth have cited evidence suggesting that many children change their minds or “retransition.” The study was published online in Pediatrics. It’s unknown whether similar results would be found among youngsters from less advantaged backgrounds or those who begin identifying as trans as teenagers. On average, the kids began identifying as trans at around age 6. Most children in the study were from white, high-income families who supported their transitions. Five years later, at the study’s end, 94% were living as transgender and almost two-thirds were using either puberty-blocking medication or sex hormones to medically transition. The research involved 317 youngsters who were 3 to 12 years old when they were recruited to the study.
Children who begin identifying as transgender at a young age tend to retain that identity at least for several years, a study published Wednesday suggests.