12-year-old trans case “not unusual”
A 12-year-old Austrian child has undergone gender reassignment treatment after persuading her parents and doctors that she was sure she was a girl.
The child, known as Kim, was born a boy and is currently receiving hormone treatment which will eventually lead to gender reassignment surgery.
It is very unusual for someone so young to even be considered for gender reassignment.
Persia West, who is a transgender activist, spoke to PinkNews.co.uk about the case.
“It is absolutely not unusual for trans people to know from a very early age. Being transgender is a birth condition.
“The only difference in this case is that the condition of this child has been acknowledged they are acting on it.”
Persia revealed that the use of hormonal treatment for children who are transgender is not restricted to this case – indeed it happens in this country.
“There is a clinic in London that deals with children but normally they will treat them chemically to stop adolescence.
“In the UK doctors wait until someone is 18 before considering surgery and that can be very traumatic for transgender people.
“Puberty is the time when the body goes through all these changes – for me it was like a horror story. However, sometimes kids change so that is the quandry that the doctors have.”
Doctors and psychiatrists in Vienna diagnosed Kim as a transsexual two years ago when her dissatisfaction and unhappiness was felt to run far deeper than a temporary phase as her parents initially believed.
At 14, Kim is now officially registered as a female and she is reported to appear as any other girl would in her age.
