Given that there are no proven biological markers for what is known as gender dysphoria, however, there is no consensus in the medical community on the central question: whether teenagers, habitually trying on new identities and not known for foresight, should be granted an irreversible physical fix for what is still considered a psychological condition. Now advocates like Empire State Pride Agenda are fighting for coverage at an earlier age, beginning with hormone blockers at the onset of puberty, saying it is more seamless for a teenage boy to transition to becoming an adult woman, for example, if he does not first become a full-bodied man. In March, New York’s Medicaid drew a line at that age, and at 21 for some procedures.īut the number of teenagers going through gender reassignment has been growing amid wider acceptance of transgender identity, more parental comfort with the treatment and the emergence of a number of willing practitioners.
No law prohibits minors from receiving sex-change hormones or even surgery, but insurers, both private and public, have generally refused to extend coverage for these procedures to those under 18. With growing tolerance, the question is no longer whether gender reassignment is an option but rather how young should it begin. Bruce Jenner’s transition from male sex symbol to a comely female named Caitlyn has elevated her back to her public profile as a gold-medal decathlete at the 1976 Summer Olympics. They are characters in popular television shows. President Obama was hailed just for saying the word “transgender” in his State of the Union address this year, in a list of people who should not be discriminated against. Bruce Jenner’s transition from male sex symbol to a comely female named Caitlyn has elevated him back to his public profile as a gold-medal decathlete at the 1976 Summer Olympics. President Obama was hailed just for saying the word “transgender” in his State of the Union speech this year, in a list of people who should not be discriminated against. Kat, whose side-parted hair was dyed fire engine red, is just 18, and about to graduate from high school. Her childlike reaction was, perhaps, not surprising. Emma is her black and white cat, at home outside Syracuse, N.Y., 200 miles away. “I just want to hold Emma,” she said in her darkened room at the bed and breakfast in New Hope, Pa., run by the doctor who performed the surgery in a hospital nearby. She did not seem empowered she seemed regressed. She lost weight from her already frail frame. Transcript Rebirth of a Transgender Teenager As Katherine Boone, 18, recovered from gender reassignment surgery, she and her family talked about what they went through.