A leading organisation helping to set international policies says that doctors should provide sex change drugs for children under 14 if they believe they are transgender.
The World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH) also says girls should be able to have surgery to ‘masculinise’ their chests when they reach 15.
Under NHS guidelines, ‘cross-sex’ hormones that start a physical transition can only be given from 16 and surgery is not allowed until 18. But WPATH – whose recommendations are in a set of draft ‘standards’ put out for consultation – believes this is too late and may cause ‘lifelong harm’.
According to a prominent organisation, doctors should start giving sex-change drug prescriptions to transgender children at 14 years old if they believe they’re being treated. (stock photo)
The proposals represent a big change in how the US-based organisation thinks ‘gender diverse’ teens should be treated. Although it had previously advocated for the use of hormone-blockers drugs to slow physical development, it is now advocating that it be used sooner in order to prevent irreversible transgender hormonal changes and surgery.
NHS transgender service providers often mention WPATH.
Last night, Stephanie Davies-Arai, of pressure group Transgender Trend, said: ‘Fourteen is no age to be making such huge, irreversible decisions. I don’t think anyone that age is able to give proper informed consent to take cross- sex hormones.
‘And 15 is much too young to have a double mastectomy, when you can’t have a tattoo in the UK until you are 18.’
The World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH) also says girls should be able to have surgery to ‘masculinise’ their chests when they reach 15 (stock image)
Among WPATH’s arguments for lowering the ages are concerns over the potential long-term side effects of puberty blockers, such as weaker bones in adulthood and ‘potential neurodevelopmental’ problems. The organisation has previously waved away such concerns and insisted that blockers are ‘fully reversible’.
The group also cites ‘emerging evidence’ that ‘early medical intervention … can be effective’ for teenagers with gender identity issues, but accepts the number of studies is limited, involved only a small number of participants and focused on those who started questioning their gender when they were young children.
WPATH received a request for comment from us, but we were unable to get back to you.