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Sage Counselling stands with the transgender and non-binary communities.
Below is information not opinion. At the bottom, I’ve included resources if you’d like additional information.
As reported by the CBC, a recent Canadian study found that transgender youth are five times more likely than their cisgender peers to think about suicide; they are 7.6 times more likely to attempt it (Yarr, 2022).
In Canada, suicide is the second most common cause of death among people between the ages of 15 and 24 (Kingsbury et al., 2022). Transgender youth are at increased risk of bullying and peer victimization (Kingsbury et al., 2022).
Combined, the transgender and non-binary communities represent only 0.33% of the Canadian population (Government of Canada, Statistics Canada, 2022).
Gender-affirming surgery is already restricted to age 16 with parental consent for top surgery (mastectomy and reconstruction) as is breast augmentation for cis-gender females and age 18 for bottom surgery (hysterectomy/oophorectomy, orchiectomy, vaginoplasty, metoidioplasty, phalloplasty) (GrS Montreal | Frequently Asked Questions, n.d.).
Puberty blockers are medications that pause puberty; there are no known irreversible effects of puberty blockers meaning that if a youth stops using them, puberty will continue (Medical Affirmation & Transition, n.d.). Hormone therapy has been found to improve mental health oucomes in transgender youth and reduce suicidality and emergency room visits (Medical Affirmation & Transition, n.d.).
In 2021, a review of 27 studies completed in Europe, USA, and Canada and involving close to 8,000 teens and young adults found that 1% of people who had transitioned regreted it and a small number chose to detransition or have reversal surgeries (Tanner, 2023).
Resources:
Government of Canada, Statistics Canada. (2022, April 27). The Daily — Canada is the first country to provide census data on transgender and non-binary people. https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/daily-quotidien/220427/dq220427b-eng.htm
GrS Montreal | Frequently asked questions. (n.d.). GRS Montréal. https://www.grsmontreal.com/en/frequently-asked-questions.html#:~:text=According%20to%20WPATH's%20Standards,the%20torso%20surgery%20(mastectomy).
Kingsbury, M., Hammond, N. G., Johnstone, F., & Colman, I. (2022). Suicidality among sexual minority and transgender adolescents: a nationally representative population-based study of youth in Canada. Canadian Medical Association Journal, 194(22), E767–E774. https://doi.org/10.1503/cmaj.212054
Medical Affirmation & Transition. (n.d.). http://www.phsa.ca/transcarebc/child-youth/affirmation-transition/medical-affirmation-transition#Puberty--blockers--and--hormones
Tanner, L. (2023, August 18). How common is transgender treatment regret, detransitioning? | AP News. AP News. https://apnews.com/article/transgender-treatment-regret-detransition-371e927ec6e7a24cd9c77b5371c6ba2b
Yarr, K. (2022, June 14). Transgender youth 5 times more likely to attempt suicide, study finds. CBC. https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/prince-edward-island/pei-transgender-youth-suicide-1.6487787