Gender therapy has always been a highly debated topic; some people find it beneficial as individuals discover their gender identity, while many people recognize the extreme harms that can come with it. In February 2020, State of Alabama passed a controversial bill banning gender therapy for minors, and the action is much appreciated.

Gender therapy is not only a crime that makes the child vulnerable to all sorts of prescribed medications and trauma -- it hinders their understanding of their body and their respect for it.

Today we live in a society where people of all communities, be it straight or LGBTQ+, are supported and treated with equality and respect. However, specific healthcare needs often go unnoticed either by health establishments or by researchers. 

Gender dysphoria, a feeling of distress or discomfort where the individual experiences a mismatch between their gender and their biological sex, is something that even young children experience. With minors, it ultimately also becomes difficult for the parents when dealing with this condition. To handle this, parents of these children seek gender therapies in hopes that their child will eventually find and identify their gender.

But is it really helpful in the long run? Gender therapy exposes the child more stress and discomfort rather than alleviating the situation. Minors, regardless of their gender identity need time to feel comfortable in their own skin. It’s possible that what they are feeling is teenage angst, typical of anyone of that age group. Prematurely altering their bodies is too great a risk. 

Individuals going through gender dysphoria need love and support. Minors deserve, and should be given emotional support and counseling rather than medical procedures at this stage in thier lives. The effects of the injections, supplements, and surgeries have the potential to affect their bodies in an irreversibly negative way. Once the child is old enough to make their own decisions however, no one, including their parents, has the right to stifle their endeavors to reach their identity. 

Some parents mitigate the stress of this time in their child’s life through the use of puberty blockers. This is a heinous way to treat any condition. Supporters say puberty blockers prevent puberty and give a child more time to decide and explore their identity, but they fail to acknowledge the risks involved. Puberty blockers impact bone health, brain development, fertility, and more. Additionally, the surgical implications cause pain and suffering for the child.

While it may sound cruel, for the sake of health and safety, children must first live and develop in their bodies as they are until they reach the proper age where they can make an educated decision about who they want to be and how they want to live their lives. Minors are simply too young for those medications and procedures given in the name of therapy. Emotional and mental support is far more crucial at this stage. 

“Some want to present and be treated as their affirmed gender, but may not feel the need to go through all these steps to address the dysphoria,” explains Paul Mitrani, MD, Ph.D., a child, and adolescent psychiatrist at the Child Mind Institute. “You see what their goals are and what their needs are, and you address those,” he concludes.

Some children and teenagers are gender-expansive, which means the way they present themselves and act does not comply with their gender. Regardless of gender identity, many kids change in behavior and actions over the course of their growth and ultimately begin to have a sense of themselves by the time they are adults. Just like everything else, kids need time to understand what they like and want to be in terms of their gender.

As adults, we must make an effort to understand our children’s emotions and support them in becoming decent human beings, irrespective of their sex and gender identiy. Any type of medication or therapy that will affect the child physically should be avoided. Though parents often do these things in an attempt to help their children, Alabama’s actions against gender therapy have saved minors from unintended harm.