What is behind the rise in girls questioning their gender identity? Honesty?

[Davie]

‘An explosion’: what is behind the rise in girls questioning their gender identity? Honesty, is my guess.

As the NHS reviews gender referrals, parents, clinicians and young people reveal the social,

medical and emotional challenges they face.

https://www.theguardian.com/society/2022/nov/24/an-explosion-what-is-behind-the-rise-in-girls-questioning-their-gender-identity

[awkward-yet-sweet]

Hmm... sometimes I've wondered why there seem to be many more folks in the "MtF" camp than the "FtM" camp.  I've noticed it on this site...the FtM section of the forum is much less busy.  I wonder why? 

 

Maybe girls haven't been able to get the courage to ask questions until recently?

[VickySGV]

I just finished reading that one on another platform.  The explosion to me has been the social communication among the young people and the realization that they are not doomed to a single set of gender expectations for life.  The biggest problem is parental and community expectations of how, as they say "Birth Registered Sex" children MUST BEHAVE or the parent is the failure in the deal.  There are cases where we do have some medications that have become expressions of urgency for parental changes that really are accepting of the child and meets their  needs, but mentioning the medications punctuates the need for parent/child communication, and parental defense of the child.  My friends who can prescribe Puberty Blockers or recommend them for prescription look for the parental "backbone" to withstand community and extended family retaliation for not bringing the child up right.  Still though the number of children who will not go fully Transgender who have been given the medications have been small with adequate diagnosis and cooperation.  Basically the kids are learning more than the parents sooner.

[Marcie Jensen]

Interesting article. Thank you for sharing it @Davie.  The seminal question here seems to be WHY the explosion is happening, and at this point, everything is speculation. Both @awkward-yet-sweetand @VickySGVmake excellent points here that are beyond any reasonable form of contradiction. I would add a couple things that might be contributory factors. The first is the acceptance of girls in non traditional gender roles, particularly sports. For example the rise in kick boxing and mixed martial arts as a sport among women--traditionally male roles--as well as teen age girls participating in football programs at the highschool level. Second is the acceptance of women in combat roles within the military such as fighter pilot, infantry and so on, as well as police officers, fire fighters and so on. These demonstrate that it's okay to move beyond traditional societal roles. Also, and this is coming from left field I admit, is the increasing popularity of role playing games wherein one can play a character that is of a different gender, species or in some cases even a mechanical construct. Perhaps these are broadening the horizons of young people? 

 

I also agree that parents with "backbone" and who work with health care providers are an essential element; as is proper diagnosis. In a side note, I don't know what the birth rates are in the UK, so I'm not sure what the actual percentage among children is. I would submit, though, that an increase from 250 case to 5000 over a period of two years, and the study suggests is pretty darned significant and bears a need for further investigation.

[awkward-yet-sweet]

@Marcie Jensen I'm hoping that the increased flexibility in gender roles is helping people find their true selves, whether they are trans, cis, or inbetween.  Its interesting just to watch TV and see how things have changed over the decades. 

 

Of course, those things don't necessarily go hand-in-hand.  My GF thrived in a male dominated tech field, mastered a couple of combat arts, and she's raising some rather un-feminine (and feral?) daughters.  But in my family, she's the one who has been least happy about my intersex/trans journey, and is also somewhat standoffish with my friend. 

 

Hopefully we'll enter a period of time where "society" at large learns to butt out of people's private lives and avoid all the scolding and judging and imposition that have characterized the majority of human history.