A landmark systematic review has concluded that regret rate for transgender surgeries is “remarkably low”

Erin Reed presents a new study that shows that the regret rate for gender affirming surgery is lower than 1 percent.

A recent systematic review published in The American Journal of Surgery challenges the justification used by anti-transgender activists to ban gender-affirming care for transgender youth and restrict it for adults.

The review, conducted by experts from the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, concludes that the rate of regret for transgender surgeries is “remarkably low.”

Drawing on data from over 55 individual studies, the review finds that regret rates for gender-affirming surgery are less than 1%, significantly lower than regret rates for various other surgical procedures and major life decisions.

Surgeries such as tubal sterilization, assisted prostatectomy, body contouring, and facial rejuvenation have regret rates more than 10 times higher than gender-affirming surgery.

The findings of this review are expected to provide significant support in challenging transgender bans and restrictions in the future.

Reed concludes:

There is no evidence that transgender people experience high rates of regret for any transgender care, including transgender surgery. On the contrary, gender-affirming care saves lives.

A Cornell review of more than 51 studies found that gender-affirming care significantly improves the well-being of transgender individuals and also concluded that regret is rare. Low rates of regret for transgender people are not “suspicious.”

Rather, they are evidence that the care transgender people seek is important, carefully provided, and helps them live more fulfilled lives.

More here!

Photo: Matt Hrkac - Transgender Day of Visibility 2023 - CC BY 2.0 DEED

Very few of the American anti-LGBTQ state bills become law

The Washington Post writes that US state lawmakers have introduced a record number of bills targeting gay and transgender Americans this year, but hardly any have passed.

According to a 2024 report by the Human Rights Campaign, historically, only 10 percent of bills targeting LGBTQ+ individuals become law. Despite a surge in the number of bills, this trend has largely held true. In 2019, only seven anti-LGBTQ+ laws were passed, although last year saw 77.

Early data for this year suggests an even greater victory for LGBTQ+ activists, with only 4 percent of the 487 introduced bills becoming law, according to ACLU data. Most others have either died or are stuck in committee, unlikely to pass before the end of most sessions next month.

The Washington Post writes:

SusanMacManus, a professor emeritus at the University of South Florida, said that’s partly due to a lack of voter interest in the bills.

“When you ask people what their major concerns are, the clustering of concerns are inflation, economy, immigration, the border and crime,” MacManus said. “Things like LGBTQ+ issues, abortion and other cultural issues are not showing up in those polls. And of course legislators look at polls all the time.”

Even Fox News, one of the more reliable outlets for anti-transgender commentary, found in a 2023 poll of its viewers that transgender issues were the least important to voters — far behind the economy, inflation and gun control.

More here.

Rev. Andi Woodworth: The transgender minister representing trans rights in Georgia

Rev. Andi Woodworth, a transgender United Methodist minister in Georgia. Rev. Woodworth, who transitioned in 2018, has faced both acceptance and challenges within her church community, Advocate reports.

Despite the United Methodist Church’s official stance against LGBTQ clergy and same-sex marriage, Woodworth has found support from her congregation and colleagues.

Advocate delves into Woodworth’s journey of self-discovery, her decision to transition, and her commitment to advocating for LGBTQ rights within the church.

Overall, Woodworth’s story serves as a testament to resilience and the ongoing fight for equality and acceptance within religious communities.

Advocate writes:

This year, on March 11, she became the first out trans clergy member to address the Georgia House of Representatives during its morning prayer. She had been invited by her state rep, Democrat Saira Draper.

“My hunch is just being there humanized me and humanized my community,” Woodworth says.

Georgia lawmakers had been considering several pieces of anti-LGBTQ+ and specifically anti-trans legislation, mostly tacked on to other bills, she notes.

The most concerning ones included a trans athlete ban, restrictions on sex education, parental notification on library books children check out, and a ban on puberty blockers for trans minors (a Georgia law being challenged in court prohibits other gender-affirming treatment for youth). But the session closed March 28 with none of them passing.

“I want to say this had something to do with my presence at the capitol,” Woodworth says, but she gives primary credit to all the activists and citizens who worked against this legislation.

More here!

Photo from Advocate/Neighborhood Church

Here are the most LGBTQ-friendly cities in the world

The FTM prosthetics experts at Emisil have identified the top 10 friendliest cities in the world for queer and trans travelers.

1. Lisbon, Portugal
2. Copenhagen, Denmark
3. New York City, USA
4. Amsterdam, The Netherlands
5. Taipei, Taiwan
6. Barcelona, Spain
7. Reykjavik, Iceland
8. Toronto, Canada
9. Tokyo, Japan
10. Paris, France

Photo from Copenhagen by Shutterstock

Julia Serano looks at the Cass Review, the WPATH Files, and the Perpetual Debate over Gender-Affirming Care

In a new article transgender researcher, philosopher and activistJulia Serano discusses the evolution of the anti-trans backlash, particularly focusing on the scrutiny faced by gender-affirming care for trans youth.

She outlines three hypotheses put forward by opponents of gender-affirming care in 2015-16: rushed assessments, socially contagious dysphoria, and an impending wave of detransitioning. Despite these claims, research continues to demonstrate the efficacy of gender-affirming care, with low rates of regret or detransitioning.

Serano highlights various instances where opponents have manufactured controversy, such as the Jamie Reed whistleblower case and the “Finnish study.”

The recent “WPATH Files” and the Cass review are also discussed, with the latter raising concerns about social transition, puberty delay, and gender-affirming hormone therapy. Serano critiques the Cass review’s dismissal of studies supporting gender-affirming care and its speculation on “social contagion” without evidence.

She emphasizes the potential impact of the Cass review on the accessibility of gender-affirming care in the UK and addresses common misconceptions about gender-affirming care, aiming to counteract distrust and conspiracy theories surrounding it.

Serano concludes:

If we reject all the conspiracy theorists and social conservatives who are morally opposed to trans people’s very existence, then this debate has two clear sides: Those of us who believe that the gender affirmative model is the most efficacious way to enable children to be happy and healthy while minimizing unwanted irreversible changes, and those who believe that children should always be pushed toward cisgender outcomes, no matter how much harm and unwanted irreversible effects are inflicted on trans and gender-diverse youth in the process. Some trans-skeptical pundits may reject this framing, but it’s the only way to make sense of their convoluted arguments.

Read the whole article here.

Photo of Serano from Wikipedia.

No, transgender kids are not trans because of “social contagion”

The journalist Michael Hobbs writes over at X-twitter, referring to an article in Canada’s National Post. He has also tweeted some other interesting arguments we are republishing here. They are relevant to the discussion about the British Cass-report, which has already done tremendous damage to British transgender kids.

[Refers to tween on how “social contagion” could be driving youth to identify as transgender]

Not only is this implausible on its face, but we have no evidence that it’s the case and mountainous evidence that it’s not. Years of this panic have not produced a single confirmed case of a minor being rushed into transition.

Outlets like the Post focus on the narrow question of “social contagion” because it is plausible, but it’s also irrelevant. Who cares if kids think they’re trans for two weeks?

But if trans kids growing up into happy, healthy trans adults is a *bad outcome*, it’s best to brush surveys of 20,000 people indicating high satisfaction and low regret under the carpet, surely?

Link to tweet.

From an associated thread:

This is Polite Transphobe position on gender-affirming care: We should ignore dozens of large-scale surveys, comprehensive clinic audits and observational studies showing low regret rates. Instead, we should listen to *hypothetical* data showing high regret rates.

Link to tweet.

“We have no idea what happens to them in adulthood” is straightforwardly false. We have numerous clinic-based studies with up to 6 years of follow up. We have surveys of 20,000 adult trans people. They unanimously indicate high satisfaction and low regret.

When all of the data points in the same direction you can’t just nitpick the methodology, you have to make an affirmative case for ignoring an entire body of research in favor of a hunch. You’ve had decades to produce evidence and you’re still going, “Just you wait!”…

The entire trans panic is based on the allegation that large numbers of children are being rushed into irreversible treatments without assessment. The Cass Report, like *all other research on this topic,* finds that’s straightforwardly false….

Link to tweet.

The Cass Report includes a comprehensive audit of every patient seen by the UK gender clinic from 2018 - 2020 but transphobes are demanding more data because it didn’t find what they want.

We’ve been doing this for years. Study after study finds long wait times, comprehensive assessments and regret rates below 5%. And every time, transphobes assure us that the *next* batch of data will reveal rushed transitions and thousands of detransitioners.

Right now there is simply no evidence that large numbers of kids are being rushed into transitioning without assessment. Your entire case can’t be “we don’t know everything!” We don’t, but we do know a lot and it consistently indicates that this is not a major problem.

Yet another comprehensive gender clinic audit finds miniscule regret/detransition rate. How many of these do we need before this asinine panic stops? https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38436975/

See also:

• Dr. Cass Backpedals From Review: HRT, Blockers Should Be Made Available
• Q&A with Cass published by TheKiteTrust
• When your transgender brain is fully formed (on the Cass-report)
• On why the Cass Review is heteronormative and anti-transgender
• The absurdities of the British Cass-report on transgender health care

What the treatment of menopause can learn from transgender healthcare

The Atlantic has a new article exploring the intersection of menopause and transgender care, focusing on the use of hormones like estrogen and testosterone.

It discusses how menopause, traditionally understood as a solely female experience, can also impact transgender men who are undergoing hormone therapy with testosterone.

Conversely, transgender women may face unique challenges as they age, such as managing the effects of estrogen therapy during menopause.

Rachel gross writes:

These days, providers such as Casperson, as well as  menopause-trained gynecologists, might prescribe testosterone to menopausal women experiencing difficulty with libido, arousal, and orgasm. Many women see improvements in these areas after a few months.

But first, they have to get used to the idea of taking a hormone they’ve been told all their lives is for men, at just the time when their femininity can feel most tenuous 

Women in Menopause Are Getting Short Shrift

Photo: angelp

Sweden makes it easier for young people to legally change their gender

In Sweden, lawmakers have recently voted to change the country’s legal gender recognition law.

The new legislation allows individuals as young as 16 years old to legally change their gender identity with parental consent. Those over 18 do not need approval from a guardian, a doctor and the National Board of Health and Welfare.

Additionally, the new law removes the requirement for medical or psychological evaluation for gender recognition, making the process simpler and more accessible.  A gender dysphoria diagnosis is no longer required.

Supporters of the law argue that it is a step forward in recognizing and respecting the rights of transgender and non-binary individuals.

The law gained support from most of the parties, including the conservatives and the liberals. The Christian Democrats and the right wing populist Sweden Democrats opposed the bill.

AP has more.

Photo: Naomi Baker/Getty Images

From the history of transgender women

Ine Harsten writes over at Blusky:

“In light of JKR and my pointing out that we trans women have been on this earth longer than JKR has been, here is a picture that was a frustrating inspiration for us trans girls growing up in the fifties and sixties.

The stars at the nightclub La Carrousel in Paris sometime in the mid-fifties, minus perhaps the biggest of them all: Coccinelle, or Jacqueline Charlotte Dufresnoy.

Not all of these ladies identified as transgender. Two in the middle definitely did: #4 from the left in the middle row: April Ashley from Liverpool, and the blonde to her right, Bambi, or Marie Pierre Pruvot.

Bambi has later described this time in Paris as one where hormones were freely available over the counter at pharmacies, without a prescription. Just to be safe, she used to occasionally consume an entire pack at once, not willing to take any chances. This notion of safe and careful hormone treatment only works until one doesn’t care anymore.

Bambi later became a lecturer in the French education system, after completing a thesis at Sorbonne on Marcel Proust. She is eight years older than I am, and lives and is healthy in Paris.”

“Since Coccinelle, or Jacqueline Charlotte Dufresnoy, wasn’t included in this group photo from La Carrousel, she deserves a picture too. Here’s a studio portrait from sometime in the fifties. Or ‘a man in a dress,’ as JKR has a way of putting it.”

This version of the photo session is annotated by Marie-Pierre Pruvot.

Female transgender athletes at a disadvantage study claims

A study funded by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) has revealed that transgender female athletes face physical disadvantages compared to cisgender women across various measures.

This research indicates that physically active transgender women exhibit poorer performance in specific cardiovascular tests and possess less lower-body strength than their cisgender counterparts.

Contrary to earlier assertions, the study conducted by researchers at the University of Brighton also concludes that the bone density of transgender women is comparable to that of cisgender women, a factor closely linked to muscle strength.

The research paper says that :

“While longitudinal transitioning studies of transgender athletes are urgently needed, these results should caution against precautionary bans and sport eligibility exclusions that are not based on sport-specific (or sport-relevant) research.”

Yahoo! Sports has more.

The study can be found here: Yannis P. Pitsiladis et al: Strength, power and aerobic capacity of transgender athletes: a cross-sectional study

Photo by Gabriel Sanchez on Unsplash.