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A recent study debunks the harmful myth that social influences cause adolescents, particularly those assigned female at birth, to identify as transgender. This misconception, often referred to as “rapid-onset gender dysphoria,” has been used by many conservative lawmakers to justify discriminatory laws that restrict access to gender-affirming healthcare.
The research, published in the journal Pediatrics, reinforces a simple truth that parents of transgender or non-binary children can attest to: social contagion does not dictate gender identity. Dr. Jamie Rivers, the study’s lead author and director of the Inclusive Health Initiative, stated, “The theory that transgender and gender-diverse youth assigned female at birth identify as transgender due to social influences is unfounded and should not be used to oppose gender-affirming medical care.”
The study analyzed data from the 2017 and 2019 Youth Risk Behavior Survey, focusing on the ROGD hypothesis, which claims that many young people begin to identify as transgender during their tween or teen years due to social pressures. Contrary to this theory, the study found a 2.4% decrease in the percentage of teens openly identifying as transgender or gender diverse from 2017 to 2019. While there was a shift towards more adolescents assigned female at birth identifying as TGD, this was primarily due to a decline in those assigned male at birth who openly identified as such, further challenging the ROGD hypothesis.
Moreover, the notion that tweens and teens come out as TGD to escape stigma or gain popularity is criticized as absurd by Dr. Emma Cruz, an assistant professor of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry. She emphasized the severe repercussions of these baseless theories, which further marginalize transgender youth.
It’s essential to acknowledge that LGBTQ adolescents are four times more likely to attempt suicide than their cisgender heterosexual peers. Bullying and negative treatment are significant risk factors for youth suicide. According to The Trevor Project, over half of LGBTQ youth in middle and high school experienced bullying in 2021, either in-person or online. The idea that teens would identify as TGD to “fit in” contradicts decades of research demonstrating the opposite.
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Summary:
The study presented here refutes the claim that social influences lead to adolescents identifying as transgender. It emphasizes the importance of providing gender-affirming care and highlights the serious challenges faced by LGBTQ youth, including higher rates of suicide attempts due to bullying.