In medieval times, maps warned adventurers away from unexplored territories with drawings of mythological beasts and a warning that read, "Here be dragons." Are we venturing into dragon territory with the transitional therapies increasingly made available to transgender youth?
12-16-18
Twelve-sixteen-eighteen isn't a date, it's a program developed in Holland for treating children experiencing gender dysphoria, the condition of feeling there is a mismatch between one's experienced gender and one's biological sex. When Dr Norman Spack, pediatric endocrinologist at
Boston Children's Hospital, learned of the approach, he decided,
"I'm going to do this." And he did.
In 2007, Dr Spack co-founded the hospital's Gender Management Service (GeMS), the first clinic in North America devoted to treating transgender children. There, he implemented the 12-16-18 program, which has since been adopted by clinics nationwide. (Dr. Spack did not respond to an interview request.)
Hormones are the tools of the endocrinologist's trade, which is why, in 1985, a transgender Harvard graduate sought Dr. Spack's assistance. The patient, born female, had lived as a male named "Mark" throughout his years at Harvard and had been accepted as such. As Dr. Spack recounted in his 2013 TEDx talk, Mark entered his office after graduation and said, "Help me." He wanted to look like a man, be perceived as a man by those he met or merely passed on the street. And a transition of that nature required hormones.
Dr. Spack had no experience with transgender individuals, but he struck a deal with Mark: "I'll treat you, if you'll teach me."
Comment: Behaving like an unhinged harpy will certainly go far in advancing the transgender movement.