Brown defines gender-affirming care and clinical standards for youth
Brown describes gender-affirming care as interdisciplinary services for gender dysphoria, citing WPATH Standards of Care 8 and Endocrine Society guidance. She explains individualized treatment including social transition, puberty blockers, and hormone therapy based on age and clinical criteria.
Gender-affirming care refers broadly to a set of specific interdisciplinary services, interventions, and treatments provided to individuals living with gender dysphoria.
Almost all major medical associations and leading world health authorities support gender-affirming care for transgender and non-binary youth.
youth living with gender dysphoria.
Today, the WPATH, World Professional Association of Transgender Health, Standards of Care Version 8, and the Endocrine Society's Endocrine
Treatment of Gender Dysphoric Gender Incongruent Persons are the most widely accepted clinical protocols and policies for the treatment of gender dysphoria in both adult and youth patient populations.
Recently, there has been much fear-mongering propaganda and intentional mischaracterization about gender-affirming care for transgender and non-binary young people.
It is important to be clear that gender-affirming care, like all health care, is individualized and patient-centric.
Decisions about gender-affirming care, again, like all health care, are made by the patient, the patient's caregiver in the case of youth and adolescents, and the provider.
Treatment protocols for transgender and non-binary youth are based on age, the onset of endogenous puberty, and the relevant clinical criteria.
For those who meet certain clinical criteria, treatment may include psychological and psychiatric care, as well as non-medical support in the social transition
a transgender or non-binary young person may take, including coming out and informing others about their gender identity and how they would like to be treated, using a gender identity consistent name and pronouns,
adopting clothing, grooming, hairstyles, chest binders, and other compression garments, padding, and other forms of gender expression, and using gender identity consistent facilities and spaces in both public and private life.
For those at the early stages of puberty and older, the introduction of puberty suppressants, commonly referred to as puberty blockers, which pause the development of secondary sexual characteristics that are inconsistent with gender identity.
And finally, the treatment protocols for those at mid to late adolescent age and older, the introduction of hormone therapy, which allows a transgender or non-binary young person to undergo puberty consistent with their gender identity.