Transgender Health Group Removes Minimum Age Guidance for Genital Mutilation, Chemical Castration

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Top transgender health group World Professional Association for Transgender Health removed a section about a minimum age for beginning transgender treatments in its new guidance.

A correction issued September 15 by the group to the International Journal of Transgender Health — in which the original guidance was published September 6 — removed sections on “suggested minimal ages for gender-affirming medical and surgical treatment for adolescents.”

Such “gender-affirming” procedures — a phrase used to camouflage the grotesque nature of many of the procedures — include double mastectomies, female and male genital mutilation and removal, facial feminization and masculinization, hormone treatments and puberty blockers that cause chemical sterilization, and social transitioning (e.g. using “preferred” pronouns and names).

The World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH) is considered the leading transgender health care organization with its guidance for gender dysphoric individuals being widely used in American, British, and Canadian hospitals.

WPATH also influences health insurance policies and other health organizations such as the American Psychological Association and the American Academy of Pediatrics.

The original guidance lowered treatment ages across the board. For example, the age at which children may start receiving permanently damaging cross-sex hormones was lowered from 16 to 14. Genital mutilation surgeries were lowered to 17, mastectomies were lowered to 15, and breast augmentation and masculinizing or feminizing facial surgeries were lowered to 16.

Those ages were put forth in a 2021 draft of the guidance. After publication, explicit age minimums were removed by the correction, but potential ages to begin the procedures are still seen in the text.

“More recent guidelines suggest there may be compelling reasons to initiate [gender-affirming hormone therapy] prior to the age of 16, although there are limited studies on youth who have initiated hormones prior to 14 years of age,” the guidance reads.

Although no specific age is mentioned, the guidance still reads, “chest masculinization [double mastectomy] surgery can be considered in minors when clinically and developmentally appropriate as determined by a multidisciplinary team experienced in adolescent and gender development.” Many clinics that offer these procedures will mutilate the bodies of 15-year-old girls.

The guidance also suggests that persons may benefit from receiving a vaginoplasty — the removal of the penis and creation of a pseudo-vagina from the tissue — “before the age of 18.”

For phalloplasties — the creation of a pseudo-penis from skin grafts — WPATH does recommend waiting until adulthood due to the “complexity of phalloplasty, and current high rates of complications in comparison to other gender-affirming surgical treatments.”

WPATH further recommended that “non-affirming” parents should be met with state power in order to force them to mutilate and castrate their children.

“In some cases, parent(s)/caregiver(s) may be too rejecting of their adolescent child and their child’s gender needs to be part of the clinical evaluation process,” it reads. “In these situations, youth may require the engagement of larger systems of advocacy and support to move forward with the necessary support and care.”

“Involvement of parent(s)/guardian(s) in the assessment process, unless their involvement is determined to be harmful to the adolescent or not feasible,” it continues.

Breccan F. Thies is a reporter for Breitbart News. You can follow him on Twitter @BreccanFThies.

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