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Gender Identity Disorder https://gladerebooted.net/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=8251 |
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Author: | Hopwin [ Tue Feb 21, 2012 9:04 am ] |
Post subject: | Gender Identity Disorder |
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstop ... order.html Quote: Five-year-old boy lives as girl in youngest case of Gender Identity Disorder
A little boy who decided he was a girl trapped in a boy's body has become one of the youngest-ever children to have his decision backed by the NHS - aged just four. With his blonde pigtails and purple tutu, Zach Avery, now five, has been living as a girl for more than a year - after he first refused to live as a boy when he turned three. Little Zach was just three when he began refusing to live as a boy, instead choosing to wear pink dresses and ribbons in his long, blonde hair - because he has Gender Identity Disorder (GID). And the primary school he attends in Essex has even changed the kids' toilets to gender-neutral Unisex in support of Zach since his official diagnosis last year, aged four. Zach is one of the youngest in Britain ever to be diagnosed with GID - meaning he feels like he's a girl trapped in a boy's body. Mum Theresa Avery, 32, said Zach used to be a 'normal' little boy who loved Thomas the Tank Engine, but suddenly at the end of 2010, he decided he wanted to live as a girl. He became obsessed with the girly kids' TV character Dora the Explorer and started dressing in girls clothing. Parents Theresa and Darren Avery, 41, became worried by Zach's behaviour and took him to the doctors. After numerous consultations and observations, he was officially diagnosed by NHS specialists with Gender Identity Disorder (GID), making Zach one of the youngest affected children in the UK. Mum-of-four Theresa said: "He just turned round to me one day when he was three and said: 'Mummy, I'm a girl'. I assumed he was just going through a phase and just left it at that. "But then it got serious and he would become upset if anyone referred to him as a boy. "He used to cry and try to cut off his willy out of frustration." Concerned Theresa and Darren took him to a specialist at Tavistock and Patman Foundation Trust in London. At first his parents thought he may be autistic, but after several months a child phycologist diagnosed Zach, affectionately called Zachy, with GID. The dedicated specialists explained to them that gender identity disorder is a conflict between a person's actual physical gender and the gender that person identifies himself or herself as. Theresa said: "They told us that although he had a male body, his brain was telling him he was a girl." And Zach's school - Purfleet Primary in Essex - has even turned their toilet block gender-neutral to support him. Theresa added: "They have changed the toilets for Key Stage 1 pupils into Unisex instead of male/female and they address him as a girl, which is what he wants. "When he gets a bit older, to Key Stage 2, then obviously the law changes and there will be more difficulties surrounding the bathroom issue, but we'll cross that bridge when we come to it - it may be that Zach will use the staff toilets. "We explained to the other kids at the school that Zachy's body was that of a boy but in his brain he was a girl. We said Zach was just happier being a girl than a boy. "But the other kids haven't batted an eyelid, they've accepted Zach as Zach and there's been no problems at the school with bullying. "The school has been brilliant and really, really supportive." When he goes to school, Zach wears a girl's trouser uniform and black boots with pink trim, which his mother said is female but still neutral. And mum said that although she misses her little boy, the family is very supportive of Zachy. She said: "He just wants to be like a little girl and he's very happy with his long blonde hair, pink and red bedroom and a wardrobe full of girls clothes. "He likes playing with his sister's old toys but he still loves Dr Who too and playing with his brother. And we still put some neutral clothes in his wardrobe if he ever decides he wants to wear them. "We leave it up to him to decide what he wants to do - if he changes his mind and wants to be a boy again then he does, but if he doesn't, he doesn't. She admitted: "I would love to have my son back, but I want him to be happy. If this is the route he wants to take - if this is what makes him happy - then so be it. I would rather him have my full support. "People need to be aware of this condition because it's very common but even many family support workers have never heard of cases in children. There are people out there but they don't want to talk about it." Figures from the Tavistock and Patman Foundation Trust clinic - the national body for GID - revealed 165 children have been diagnosed with GID this year. A spokesperson at Tavistock Clinic in London said they were unable to comment on individual case, but only seven children under the age of 5 were diagnosed last year - making Zach one of the youngest. The spokesperson said: "Tavistock Clinic had 97 referrals in 2009/2010; 139 in 2010/2011 and thus far this year 165 referrals. "The trend in referrals has been up over the years - this may reflect greater awareness. "We see children and young people up to the age of 18, from across the UK, who are experiencing difficulties in the development of their gender identity. "This includes children who are unhappy with their biological sex. Some may be boys who prefer activities and role associated with the opposite sex, some may also identify as the opposite sex and vice versa for girls. "In general when younger children are referred it is in relation to cross gender preferences in play, play mates and activities. It is more unusual for children of this age to express cross gender identification - that is the wish or belief that they belong to the opposite sex. "The diagnosis of GID is made by the key workers working with the young person. We will also assess their general wellbeing. We remain in contact with young people often for many years. "Our aim is not to predict or direct the outcome, but rather to support the young person in their general development as well as develop a trusting collaborative therapeutic relationship in which it is possible to openly explore their feelings about their gender." |
Author: | Raell [ Tue Feb 21, 2012 9:47 am ] |
Post subject: | |
If putting him in a dress and stockings keeps him from self castration...let the **** go. I am not going to pretend I know better or that he can be fixed. Who is to say there is anything to fix. Kid is just wired different. If he wants to dump the junk for something softer to touch...18. Not before then. Is the disorder real? Yea. Not that I would really call it that. Like I said, he is just wired different. In fact, I believe it more now than if this had come up a few years down the road. It doesn't sound like a scream for attention. All that being said, thanks for taking things public Mom. Kids don't forget ****, his class mates may be cool with it now but in a few years. Kids are **** cruel. |
Author: | Kirra [ Tue Feb 21, 2012 10:07 am ] |
Post subject: | |
If a child has a strong urge to be the opposite gender, how can you not allow them to follow that path? I don't think it would be healthy to force them to dress and act as a boy, if they identified more with being a girl. |
Author: | Hopwin [ Tue Feb 21, 2012 11:27 am ] |
Post subject: | Re: |
Kirra wrote: If a child has a strong urge to be the opposite gender, how can you not allow them to follow that path? I don't think it would be healthy to force them to dress and act as a boy, if they identified more with being a girl. On the very real chance that it is a phase. I really liked playing army when I was little but I should be thankful my parents didn't let me join the army @ 5. Parents should not also encourage their children to grow up to be cavemen, cowboys (unless you are in a climate conducive to being a cowboy) or galactic space-rangers. |
Author: | FarSky [ Tue Feb 21, 2012 11:41 am ] |
Post subject: | Re: |
Raell wrote: If putting him in a dress and stockings keeps him from self castration...let the **** go. I am not going to pretend I know better or that he can be fixed. Who is to say there is anything to fix. Kid is just wired different. If he wants to dump the junk for something softer to touch...18. Not before then. Is the disorder real? Yea. Not that I would really call it that. Like I said, he is just wired different. In fact, I believe it more now than if this had come up a few years down the road. It doesn't sound like a scream for attention. All that being said, thanks for taking things public Mom. Kids don't forget ****, his class mates may be cool with it now but in a few years. Kids are **** cruel. This. |
Author: | Mookhow [ Tue Feb 21, 2012 11:47 am ] |
Post subject: | Re: Gender Identity Disorder |
I'm surprised Zachy was able to associate his "willy" with masculinity at age 4. |
Author: | Diamondeye [ Tue Feb 21, 2012 12:12 pm ] |
Post subject: | Re: Gender Identity Disorder |
I'm a little unclear on what the decision in question is. That you have the disorder? That ought to be diagnosed by a professional - preferably more than one. To have surgery? 18+. Maybe even older; 18 is where we arbitrarily assign "adulthood" to begin but there's still significant thought process development for a couple years. Teenagers generally have a hard time understanding the difference between "should be" and "is". As to the kid trying to castrate himself, I'm a bit suspicious of that. I doubt very much that any small child would have the pain tolerance necessary to seriously proceed with it. Like Hopwin said, kids go through phases. There could be other causes as well; autism or Asberger's should be looked at for example, in a small child. I think at that age any diagnosis of gender identity disorder needs to be looked at carefully. This is a highly politicized topic and even medical professionals are not above seeing what they want to see. |
Author: | Hopwin [ Tue Feb 21, 2012 12:43 pm ] |
Post subject: | Re: Gender Identity Disorder |
Diamondeye wrote: I'm a little unclear on what the decision in question is. That you have the disorder? That ought to be diagnosed by a professional - preferably more than one. To have surgery? 18+. Maybe even older; 18 is where we arbitrarily assign "adulthood" to begin but there's still significant thought process development for a couple years. Teenagers generally have a hard time understanding the difference between "should be" and "is". As to the kid trying to castrate himself, I'm a bit suspicious of that. I doubt very much that any small child would have the pain tolerance necessary to seriously proceed with it. Like Hopwin said, kids go through phases. There could be other causes as well; autism or Asberger's should be looked at for example, in a small child. I think at that age any diagnosis of gender identity disorder needs to be looked at carefully. This is a highly politicized topic and even medical professionals are not above seeing what they want to see. Sorry the decision is to let your 4 year old son decide to live his life as a girl with the ultimate outcome to be hormone therapy and surgery. |
Author: | Diamondeye [ Tue Feb 21, 2012 1:04 pm ] |
Post subject: | Re: Gender Identity Disorder |
Hopwin wrote: Diamondeye wrote: I'm a little unclear on what the decision in question is. That you have the disorder? That ought to be diagnosed by a professional - preferably more than one. To have surgery? 18+. Maybe even older; 18 is where we arbitrarily assign "adulthood" to begin but there's still significant thought process development for a couple years. Teenagers generally have a hard time understanding the difference between "should be" and "is". As to the kid trying to castrate himself, I'm a bit suspicious of that. I doubt very much that any small child would have the pain tolerance necessary to seriously proceed with it. Like Hopwin said, kids go through phases. There could be other causes as well; autism or Asberger's should be looked at for example, in a small child. I think at that age any diagnosis of gender identity disorder needs to be looked at carefully. This is a highly politicized topic and even medical professionals are not above seeing what they want to see. Sorry the decision is to let your 4 year old son decide to live his life as a girl with the ultimate outcome to be hormone therapy and surgery. I'm not entirely sure that allowing a 4-year-old to live as a girl necessarily allows us to predict that the ultimate result will be hormone therapy and surgery. What if it really is a stage or if it's caused by other disorders? |
Author: | Lenas [ Tue Feb 21, 2012 1:16 pm ] |
Post subject: | Re: Gender Identity Disorder |
Life altering changes should be saved for someone who is old enough to make life altering decisions. |
Author: | Rynar [ Tue Feb 21, 2012 1:44 pm ] |
Post subject: | |
First World Problems. |
Author: | Kirra [ Tue Feb 21, 2012 1:48 pm ] |
Post subject: | |
What harm can there be if you let him decide to live as a girl, if he has a severe reaction to being associated with the boy identity? I think life altering surgery, should not be allowed until way further down the line. But, this child's behavior is not really indicative of a phase. Lots of little boys like to wear mommy's high heels, from what I hear from mom's I work with...they have said they handle it by letting them do it, not giving a reaction, then the child gets bored with it. |
Author: | Diamondeye [ Tue Feb 21, 2012 2:04 pm ] |
Post subject: | Re: |
Rynar wrote: First World Problems. Not entirely. Iran is a world leader in sex change operations, because being transgendered is acceptable in their society while being gay is not. Therefore, many men are recipients of gender reassignment surgery. |
Author: | Hopwin [ Tue Feb 21, 2012 2:04 pm ] |
Post subject: | Re: |
Kirra wrote: What harm can there be if you let him decide to live as a girl, if he has a severe reaction to being associated with the boy identity? I think life altering surgery, should not be allowed until way further down the line. But, this child's behavior is not really indicative of a phase. Lots of little boys like to wear mommy's high heels, from what I hear from mom's I work with...they have said they handle it by letting them do it, not giving a reaction, then the child gets bored with it. I suppose the difference is that a medical professional told him, "You are a girl trapped in a boys body." They did not say, "let's see if he grows out of it" or "maybe he just really likes Dora or his older sisters" they diagnosed him with a disorder. |
Author: | Rynar [ Tue Feb 21, 2012 2:10 pm ] |
Post subject: | |
Teach the little **** a lesson and cut his peener off at the roots. /snark |
Author: | Kirra [ Tue Feb 21, 2012 2:22 pm ] |
Post subject: | |
My guess is that the medical professionals did say it was a phase at first...and then as the Parents were not satisfied with that diagnosis, they continued to seek other opinions till they found a Doctor who gave them a diagnosis that they agreed with. |
Author: | Diamondeye [ Tue Feb 21, 2012 2:43 pm ] |
Post subject: | Re: Gender Identity Disorder |
That's quite possible. I also don't know that a medical professional would tell (or would be well-advised to tell) a small child "you are a girl trapped in a boy's body." There's no telling what a little kid will think hearing something like that. My newly-6-year-old last week overheard me telling my wife how we found some illegal aliens in this guy's barn. He had given them each a banana and a water bottle to keep them there while he phoned us. When I told my wife this, my daughter overheard and promptly asked why they were all eating a giant banana. I had to explain to her (while trying really hard not to laugh) that there was not, in fact, a single giant banana but that each had their own banana. |
Author: | Hopwin [ Tue Feb 21, 2012 3:35 pm ] |
Post subject: | Re: Gender Identity Disorder |
Diamondeye wrote: That's quite possible. I also don't know that a medical professional would tell (or would be well-advised to tell) a small child "you are a girl trapped in a boy's body." From the article above... wrote: The dedicated specialists explained to them that gender identity disorder is a conflict between a person's actual physical gender and the gender that person identifies himself or herself as. Theresa said: "They told us that although he had a male body, his brain was telling him he was a girl." Diamondeye wrote: There's no telling what a little kid will think hearing something like that. My newly-6-year-old last week overheard me telling my wife how we found some illegal aliens in this guy's barn. He had given them each a banana and a water bottle to keep them there while he phoned us. When I told my wife this, my daughter overheard and promptly asked why they were all eating a giant banana. I had to explain to her (while trying really hard not to laugh) that there was not, in fact, a single giant banana but that each had their own banana. ^This illustrates perfectly to me why they should not "diagnose" children at such a young age. |
Author: | TheRiov [ Tue Feb 21, 2012 3:44 pm ] |
Post subject: | |
There are actually differences in the way males and females process information. http://www.scientificamerican.com/artic ... -boy-brain There is a question about when such differences occur, but it may well be that such diagnosis is possible. No one here is a child psychologist. (I'll ask mine when I get some time) |
Author: | Diamondeye [ Tue Feb 21, 2012 5:19 pm ] |
Post subject: | Re: Gender Identity Disorder |
Hopwin wrote: Diamondeye wrote: That's quite possible. I also don't know that a medical professional would tell (or would be well-advised to tell) a small child "you are a girl trapped in a boy's body." From the article above... wrote: The dedicated specialists explained to them that gender identity disorder is a conflict between a person's actual physical gender and the gender that person identifies himself or herself as. Theresa said: "They told us that although he had a male body, his brain was telling him he was a girl." Diamondeye wrote: There's no telling what a little kid will think hearing something like that. My newly-6-year-old last week overheard me telling my wife how we found some illegal aliens in this guy's barn. He had given them each a banana and a water bottle to keep them there while he phoned us. When I told my wife this, my daughter overheard and promptly asked why they were all eating a giant banana. I had to explain to her (while trying really hard not to laugh) that there was not, in fact, a single giant banana but that each had their own banana. ^This illustrates perfectly to me why they should not "diagnose" children at such a young age. Are we agreeing, or disagreeing? I'm confused. |
Author: | Müs [ Tue Feb 21, 2012 8:35 pm ] |
Post subject: | |
There's no option for whenever the child feels its right. Gender Identity Disorder is a real thing. |
Author: | Kirra [ Tue Feb 21, 2012 9:45 pm ] |
Post subject: | |
I doubt they told the child the diagnosis. Most doctors communicate with the parents and only talk with the child regarding symptoms. So, if that is true, the child would just be acting as he feels and not been influenced. Also, I don't know that a 5 year old would fully understand the jargon that a doctor would use, even if he was present when the diagnosis was discussed. |
Author: | Hannibal [ Wed Feb 22, 2012 8:25 am ] |
Post subject: | Re: |
Kirra wrote: My guess is that the medical professionals did say it was a phase at first...and then as the Parents were not satisfied with that diagnosis, they continued to seek other opinions till they found a Doctor who gave them a diagnosis that they agreed with. So perhaps a bit of munchausen syndrome? I think with so many authority figures telling this kid these things if the child didn't have GID it will later. I would say this reaction is doing more harm than good. If it was just a phase, now the child see its behavior is accepted and perhaps rewarded with special treatment and attention. So where do we draw the line between nature and nurture? |
Author: | TheRiov [ Wed Feb 22, 2012 9:18 am ] |
Post subject: | |
I spoke with my fiance about this article. 3-4 is early to make this diagnosis. But at this age there is nothing medical that is done for the child. but if the diagnosis helps the child (reduces stress, prevents self-mutilation attempts) then the diagnosis is warranted. ) If anything, the parents probably are NOT pushing for the diagnosis, but if the diagnosis stops the parents, teachers, etc from trying to push the child in a direction that leads to self harm, then its warrented. No one is suggesting the child be given hormones or surgery, simply to allow him to be treated as such. She didn't want to discount the possibility that it may be a phase or that the child may have observed something that lead him to not want to be a boy. (seeing girls receive preferential treatment may be sufficient, but could be something more traumatic) But again, if it causes the child less distress, then regardless how people 'on the outside' may view it, then then diagnosis is warranted. |
Author: | Lydiaa [ Wed Feb 22, 2012 5:52 pm ] |
Post subject: | Re: Gender Identity Disorder |
I grew up with 4 older ‘brothers’ (family friend’s kids) whom I always hung out with and remembered wanting to be a boy. In fact I was a tom boy and refused to wear skirts or dresses till I was well into my teens. This didn’t change until puberty kicked in, and I realized having boobies was a much greater asset than having guns. Of course I had no idea about the differences between girls and boys down stairs until physical education. Wonder where this kid got the idea? I mean how would a kid even know unless they saw it in the shower with a girl? Personally, you can change your sex when you’re old enough to vote. |
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