Have you come across this article yet?
https://www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/dont-treat-all-cases-of-gender-dysphoria-the-same-way/article37711831/
I found it to be insightful. It seems to suggest that policy makers are afraid to acknowledge that gender dysphoria is very complex. Debra Soh helps us all by illuminating several different reasons it can occur. She certainly has research backing up her ideas. Here is how her article begins:
"Parents, teachers, and medical professionals have been told that "affirming" a child who identifies as the opposite sex is the only acceptable approach. Anything short of that is transphobic and will lead a child to suicide.
But it's not as simple as what we've been led to believe. There are a number of reasons why children may want to transition and, in many cases, they don't have anything to do with feelings of being "born in the wrong body."
She goes on to explain that there is an over-representation of adolescent girls suddenly wanting to become male, having had no signs of this desire in childhood. She also cites a study showing that high school and university aged girls experiencing rapid-onset gender dysphoria often have recently spent much time researching gender dysphoria online. These cases are not the same as a child who consistently has struggled with his or her gender over many years. I am not suggesting which courses of action are appropriate, merely echoing Soh's view that each case must be taken on its own. Blanket solutions do not apply here.
Her article needs to be taken seriously by your ministry of education because your policies on these issues have been criticized as being too simplistic, too 'one-size-fits-all'. In the interest of what is truly best for youth in the long run, we need to be cautious and caring while we unhurriedly assess each case of gender dysphoria.
Sincerely,
Catherine van Kampen
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