A letter from a mother with a transgender son to José Antonio Marina, intellectually challenging him. I felt secondhand embarrassment at such unfounded passion.1
I didn't know Jose Antonio Marina He would face a barrage of criticism for stating a scientific truth related to the cognitive, emotional, and sexual development of children. He has learned, through repeated attacks, that speaking in a forum of specialists is not the same as speaking to an ideologically driven group. From the perspective of gender ideology, sexuality is something that doesn't mesh well with science. Finally, I'll leave you with the link to the video with José Antonio Marina's response to a mother from the CHRYSALIS Association (in Spanish, chrysalis) and that has justified the following letter:
"Last night you sat down on a television set to talk about a very important issue, a vital issue. As vital as sexual and gender identity. As vital as the fact that all people have one. You do too. My son does too. The sons, daughters, and children of all the families in Chrysallis do too. When did you know, Mr. Marina, that you were a boy? Think about when you were 8 years old. Would you say that, at that point in your life, stating that you were a boy would have been precocious? And even further back, would you say that the child you were at 6, 5, 4 years old would have been precocious if you had stated that you were a boy? ThenWhy do you dare claim that eight years old is too young for our children to express their sexual and gender identity? They know it without a doubt. You didn't need a doctor or any other expert to tell you that you were a boy. Neither do our children..(NOTE: Spelling mistakes have been corrected, according to the RAE).
Although I have not been asked, as a professional who has dedicated his life to child and adolescent development, I intend to answer the questions posed in the letter, as well as clarify some statements that are completely false (or at least not entirely true) and that may imply harmful actions for children with difficulties in their sexual identity.
I agree with the statement that "Sexual identity is vital"I'm not so much in agreement with the rhetorical question being asked, Why do you dare to claim that the age of 8 is too early for our children to express their sexual and gender identity?. Therefore, and in support of the truth expressed by José Antonio Marina, I will now present some results from a few investigations, without intending to be exhaustive.
Persistence of gender dysphoria during childhood
- Zucker and Bradley (1995)Among the first to study children's sexual identity, the difficulties that appeared in children aged 2-4 years had resolved themselves by age 9 without intervention. It must be acknowledged that their research suffered from some methodological problems.
- the APA(1980) The American Psychological Association considered that by late adolescence or adulthood, three-quarters of children with a history of gender dysphoria developed a homosexual or bisexual orientation. This finding speaks to the lack of consistency in gender identity and sexual orientation at certain ages.
- Green (1987) The first longitudinal study was conducted with 44 children aged 7.1 years. They were followed until the age of 18,9. Only one case requested sex reassignment surgery.
- Zucker and Bradley (1995), It followed participants from age 8.2 to 16,5. Only 20% continued with identity incongruence.
- Wallien and Cohen-Kettenis (2008) They investigated 77 adolescents aged 16 years with a follow-up of 10 ± 4. 27% continued with incongruent gender identity, compared to 43% who moved to the congruent gender identity group. It was observed that the persistence of gender dysphoria was related to the intensity of the condition.
- According to the DSM-5, The rates of persistence of gender dysphoria from childhood to adolescence and adulthood are 2.2-30% in men and 12-50% in women.
- Steensma et al. (2011) They performed a meta-analysis of 11 studies published between 1968 and 2008, with a sample of 246 adolescents. In all of these publications, gender dysphoria persisted in 15,8% (2-27%).
- Steensma et al. (2013) In one of their clinical studies, they observed a persistence rate of 58,6% vs. 45% among men; in women, it was 41,4% vs. 45,8%. These researchers observed that the critical developmental period in the experimentation of sexual identity occurred between the ages of 10 and 13.
- Steensma et al. (2017) Two years later, they investigated 127 adolescents (79 boys and 48 girls), with a mean age of 9,58 and a follow-up of 16,22 years. Results: Among the boys, 23 (29%) persisted and 56 (71%) discontinued treatment; among the girls, 24 (50%) persisted and 24 (50%) discontinued treatment. At this time in the Netherlands, diagnoses and treatments were already free of charge.
- Asenjo-Araque et al. (2015) A study conducted in Madrid between 2009 and 2013 followed 43 minors, with an average age of 16, and found that 95% of the participants still had the condition, which was related to the severity of the illness and their age. It should be noted that the critical period is between 10 and 13 years of age.
Persistence factors
- The most important indicator of persistence is the intensity of symptoms during early ages.
- Zucker (2010)It also refers to the type of samples used and the intensity of the symptoms.
- To Steensma et al. (2013) The persistence of gender dysphoria is related to: (1) the reduction of the boy/girl gap at early ages. (2) the anticipation of pubertal changes.
- Steensma et al. (2013) They believe the following are the factors: (1) the intensity of the symptoms; (2) degree of dissatisfaction with their body; (3) same-sex sexual orientation; (4) sex at birth: higher prevalence among women; (5) cognitive and affective identification with the other sex.
- To Ristori and Steensma (2016) The differences found in the various investigations justify this by stating that studies prior to the year 2000 showed less persistence due to: 1) different clinical intensities; 2) the heterogeneity of the samples; and 3) the duration of the follow-ups.
Therefore, one cannot be so reckless when publicly discussing a matter of such personal significance, basing statements on a dangerous generalization of personal experiences, however painful or fulfilling they may have been. Children who experience gender dysphoria, or who have doubts about their identity, deserve respect and have the right to have the normal development of their psyche respected, free from cultural or ideological pressures.
One is born male, female, or intersex, the latter being a chromosomal, embryonic, congenital, or endocrine anomaly, which must also be addressed by always considering the supreme value of the child, and not "fashions 3.0".
Therefore, respect and justice for those individuals who cannot overcome their identity in a binary sense; respect and justice for those others who are confronted with any type of intersex developmental anomalies.
I respect José María Marina; his words speak nothing but the truth. He doesn't talk about ideological constructs divorced from nature; he talks about how biology and culture converge significantly in the evolutionary development of humankind.
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