transitioning - what it is and types

As Oxford Dictionary says, transition is the process of starting to live your life as a person of a different sex, to match your gender identity. A gender diverse person may go through any number of changes to achieve their gender authenticity. These steps are divided in four categories: social, legal, medical, and surgical.

Social transition may include changes in, among other things, clothing or jewelry, manner of speaking, name and pronoun usage, as well as using a different restroom or locker room,

sharing identity with others (i.e. announcements to friends, social media circles, etc.). Using the correct pronoun and any new name they may have chosen shows support and acceptance of that person’s identity. A social transition is most commonly the first (and sometimes only) form of transition youth experience before puberty.

Legal transition might include updating their name (changing it), driver’s license or state identification card, U.S. passport, birth certificate, school transcripts as well as diplomas.

Medical Intervention

Not all transgender people use medical intervention, whether because of choice or lack of access.

Puberty Delay

Healthcare professionals working with pre-adolescent children will often prescribe what is commonly described as “puberty blockers” at the onset of puberty. Puberty blockers cause the body to temporarily stop releasing hormones associated with puberty. This is like pressing a ‘pause button’ on a child’s pubertal development. Puberty blockade does not cause permanent changes in an adolescent’s body. Instead, it pauses puberty, and any associated physical changes, providing time to determine if a child’s sense of their gender identity is long lasting.

For children who experience body dysphoria in relation to their gender, suppressing puberty can have some positive effects such as improved mental well-being, reduced depression and anxiety, improved social interactions and integration with other kids and reduced thoughts or actions related to self-harm

Hormone Therapy

Hormones – estrogen or testosterone – are often a later part of any adolescent’s pubertal development including trans or nonbinary youth. Hormones can be introduced while on puberty blockers to achieve a measured, gradual pubertal development. A slow pace allows physical changes to occur in a gradual way that is at the same pace as the pubertal development of their peers. Because this intervention is supervised by a doctor, it also is a controlled way to enter pubertal development, especially if a youth is uncertain about bodily changes in relation to their gender identity.

Gender Confirmation Surgery (GCS)

It is a common misconception that surgical procedures are desired by all trans people. It is also a misconception that every trans person’s end goal is to “pass” (being fully recognizable by all as either male or female) as the “opposite” gender. Additionally, there are oftentimes barriers to accessing these procedures that can prevent those who do want them from being able to have them.

Some surgeries are more involved, perhaps having several stages that make take years to complete while others are less invasive outpatient procedures. Possible surgical options include genital surgeries, removal of gonads, facial feminization surgeries, chest/breast procedures, tracheal shaves, nose shape/size changes, and vocal cord modifications. Researching and selecting a surgeon should be well-thought out and not hurried, as these changes are permanent.

If you’re a trans* person, in what ways have you chosen to transition?

For those of you not being trans*, how do you support the people in your life who are trans*, if you have any?

Sources:

https://transfamilies.org/understanding-transitions/

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