12-year-old trans child – a clarification
Transsexual activist Persia West has asked PinkNews.co.uk to publish the following clarification of her comments on the reported case of a 12-year-old child in Austria who underwent gender reassignment treatment:
“It is entirely normal for a transsexual person to know that they are trans at an early age, even before the age of 12, as is the case of the young person in Vienna which has been given publicity recently.
“It is a birth condition and children too know who they are. It is not, however, normal for a young trans person to receive treatment, such as bringing a stop to the onset of puberty, in any clinic in the UK.
“It is entirely usual, in fact in the protocol for treatment, for a young person to have to undergo the trauma of an adolescence and it’s permanent physical effects, entirely contrary to the nature of the individual before treatment is permitted.
“The case of the young trans person in Austria was newsworthy because she was actually given the treatment before her body was ravaged by the effects of those inappropriate hormones, despite her youth.
“This case highlights the need for greater understanding of the realities of transsexuality, by listening to trans people themselves, and diminishing the misunderstandings and fear which cause so much distress in their lives.”
