Is Transgenderism in Adolescents Really Gender Dysphoria

[mordorbund]

18 hours ago, prisonchaplain said:

I just went to lds.org and searched transgender. An article came up in which Elder M. Russell Ballard, of the Quorum of the Twelve, indicated that transsexual operation would be a serious sin that could result in formal church discipline. My church also has an official position that the physical gender of one's birth is God's will. So, am I missing something, or would the counsel of the church be to resist the temptation to seek out and undergo a gender-reassignment surgery (I'm assuming this is the same as a transsexual surgery)? 

I imagine Handbook 1 (which aids bishops in their calling) would state this since it would have ramifications for those things the bishop has stewardship over - such as priesthood ordination, temple work for the dead (currently only males can proxy for males and females for females), temple ordinances (men's ordinances have different phrasing than women's - especially the sealing ordinance).

All this stems from the doctrine taught in The Family proclamation: 

Quote

ALL HUMAN BEINGS—male and female—are created in the image of God. Each is a beloved spirit son or daughter of heavenly parents, and, as such, each has a divine nature and destiny. Gender is an essential characteristic of individual premortal, mortal, and eternal identity and purpose.

 

[SilentOne]

1 hour ago, zil said:

Erm, I'm not nurturing or sensitive (depending, I guess, on what exactly that means), but I would enjoy baking if I had more free time.  Does that make me a wanna-be-1/3-woman?

 

To determine that, first we need to create a full checklist of all traditionally feminine traits to check you against. Do we have any volunteers to find or create such a list?

[Rob Osborn]

I may get roasted but nevertheless...

I believe that the whole transgender movement (yes, I said movement) is a complete fabrication and tool of the devil. I dont buy any of it. This is what you get when the traditional family is destroyed. All of these LGBT issues are a direct result of the corrupt and immoral society we live in. Frankly, Im tired of society pandering to Satan's ideals. Lets call it what it is. Its evil.

[Guest MormonGator]

5 minutes ago, Rob Osborn said:

I may get roasted but nevertheless...

I believe that the whole transgender movement (yes, I said movement) is a complete fabrication and tool of the devil. I dont buy any of it. This is what you get when the traditional family is destroyed. All of these LGBT issues are a direct result of the corrupt and immoral society we live in. Frankly, Im tired of society pandering to Satan's ideals. Lets call it what it is. Its evil.

That surprises me. Based on your other posts I thought you would be strongly in favor of gay marriage and transgender rights. 

[Guest Godless]

19 hours ago, SilentOne said:

I was taught/trained to understand the word sex to refer to the physical characteristics and gender to refer to the more personality-ish characteristics, and also to understand that the only real relationship between the two is that men are more likely to be masculine and women are more likely to be feminine. Now when I read about trans people, because of the vocabulary used it almost always sounds to me like people are saying, "I am nurturing and sensitive and enjoy baking. Therefore, I must be a woman."

There's more to it than personality and interests. People with gender dysphoria literally hate their biological sex and everything physiologically associated with it. Genitalia, breasts, torso shape, facial hair, mentrual cycles, all of these things can and do create severe distress for people who don't feel that their gender matches their biological sex. 

[SilentOne]

4 hours ago, Godless said:

There's more to it than personality and interests.

 

Because of the vocabulary, it sounds to me, after explaining why that vocabulary brings that impression... I thought that gave a strong implication that that isn't what it actually is.

[MarginOfError]

I read an article a couple years ago that I wish I had saved.  It indicated that it isn't uncommon for teens who profess transgenderism to change their minds later on.  The working theory was that the pubescent hormones create enough havoc that the gender dysphoria becomes a significant concern for them.  The recommended course of action was to delay permanent decisions into adulthood.  Effectively, let them express themselves, accept them, love them, but be firm that making a lifelong decision about gender ought to be delayed to the end of puberty.  It also made the point that transitioning (via hormone therapy or reassignment surgery) ought to be strongly discouraged before puberty is finished. 

It's still a fairly new field that isn't fully understood.  Best practices are still developing. Being honest with adolescents about that and loving them unconditionally seems like good advice for now.

[Just_A_Guy]

Good to see you, @MarginOfError.

[prisonchaplain]

On 12/15/2017 at 12:30 PM, Godless said:

There's more to it than personality and interests. People with gender dysphoria literally hate their biological sex and everything physiologically associated with it. Genitalia, breasts, torso shape, facial hair, mentrual cycles, all of these things can and do create severe distress for people who don't feel that their gender matches their biological sex. 

i could be wrong, but the description you offer seems to only match the most severe cases. I borrowed our psych's DSM manual, and it shows coping options that range from gender re-assignment to wearing opposite-gender undergarments once a month. The latter end probably could be described as having a stronger than usual interest in the opposite gender, along with some personality issues. So, yeah, you are right--but I'm thinking @SilentOne thoughts would match those on the lite end of gender dysphoria.

[prisonchaplain]

3 hours ago, MarginOfError said:

I read an article a couple years ago that I wish I had saved.  It indicated that it isn't uncommon for teens who profess transgenderism to change their minds later on.  T

 

I've read that 33% of 13-year olds are uncertain about their gender identity and sexual preference. By 18 that number of uncertains is down to 3%, with roughly 97% identifying as female and heterosexual. This is why it the recent advent of surveys and sexuality discussions directed at this age group--especially in public schools--seems very agenda driven.

[Grunt]

15 hours ago, prisonchaplain said:

I've read that 33% of 13-year olds are uncertain about their gender identity and sexual preference. By 18 that number of uncertains is down to 3%, with roughly 97% identifying as female and heterosexual. This is why it the recent advent of surveys and sexuality discussions directed at this age group--especially in public schools--seems very agenda driven.

I wonder how much of that is biological and how much of that is environmental.

[prisonchaplain]

I've heard for many years now that the rate of same-sex attraction has been about 2-4%, and that the notorious Kinsey study (from the 1950s, saying the rate was 10%) was based on a very poorly constructed sampling. Transgenderism is typically about .03%. If these numbers start rising, with the greater acceptance of LGBT identification, then two rationales could be argued:  1. that the rates were always understated, due to fear of societal rejection; or 2. that environment really is a huge factor, with acceptance, and even some 'grooming' driving the rates up.

[NeuroTypical]

On 12/15/2017 at 12:53 PM, Rob Osborn said:

I may get roasted but nevertheless...

I believe that the whole transgender movement (yes, I said movement) is a complete fabrication and tool of the devil. [...] Lets call it what it is. Its evil.

Just out of curiosity, how do you explain the various CYP21A2 gene mutations that lead to folks being born with deals like mixed gonadal dysgenesis/Ambiguous genitalia?  Movement or not, these aren't new things...

(This isn't 'roasting' you, just honestly wondering how you explain that stuff.)

Edited December 24, 2017 by NeuroTypical

[prisonchaplain]

@NeuroTypical I'm guessing that most Evangelicals believe that same-sex attraction, along with many other variances in nature are likely results of the Fall. Nature became corrupt, age spans reduced, diseases and disasters increased ... how horrible would it be to suggest that such things as alcoholism (the genetic predisposition, that is) and same-sex attraction arose out of the great interruption in nature's balance?

[Rob Osborn]

5 hours ago, NeuroTypical said:

Just out of curiosity, how do you explain the various CYP21A2 gene mutations that lead to folks being born with deals like mixed gonadal dysgenesis/Ambiguous genitalia?  Movement or not, these aren't new things...

(This isn't 'roasting' you, just honestly wondering how you explain that stuff.)

Its rare. My reference was pointed at the immoral movement itself.