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Media Using Children For Profit: Gender Change, Not Sex Change Kids

Every time I see a story about “USA: 8-year-old child sex change“,  “8-year-old boy has ‘sex change’, or Boy, 8, has ’sex change’, that is Unbelievable!,  it sickens me. Not because of the children, but because of the media. These children are transgender, not transsexual. They are simply being allowed to self  identify, without any surgery or hormones. Trans-children won’t need hormones blockers until the onset of puberty (which happens in a range from 10-18 years old), and generally don’t have sexual reassignment surgery until after they are 18.

But facts be damned, the media churns out these screaming headlines that imply that these kids will be having genital altering surgery. This is child exploitation at its worst.

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avatarTransadvocate contributor: Marti Abernathey  (1924 Posts)

Marti Abernathey is Transadvocate.com's blog editor. She's also a podcaster, activist, and radiologic technologist in Madison, Wisconsin. She's been a part of various internet radio ventures such as TSR Live!, The T-Party, and The Radical Trannies, to name a few. As an advocate she's previously been involved with the Indiana Transgender Rights Advocacy Alliance, Rock Indiana Campaign for Equality, and the National Transgender Advocacy Coalition. She's taken vital roles as a grass roots community organizer in The Indianapolis Tax Day Protest (2003), The Indy Pride HRC Protest (2004), Transgender Day of Remembrance (2004), Indiana's Witch Hunt (2005), and the Rally At The Statehouse (the largest ever GLBT protest in Indiana - 3/2005). She was a delegate from Indiana to the Democratic National Convention and a member of Barack Obama's LGBT Steering and Policy Committee.


  • Antoinette Coles

    I completely agree with you. I do think that a good may come from this though. Putting a child’s face to gender variance in a typically positive portrayal helps to lessen the demonization that we have faced & still encounter.

    • Marti Abernathey

      I think the work that TYFA does, does more good to promote positive portrayals than any of these rags. They simply use kids.

      • http://www.facebook.com/antoinette.coles Antoinette Coles

        There’s no denying that. In my experience though. I have known a couple of people who had previously been negative or at best copasetic towards trans people tell me that they saw one of the media things (I think 20/20) & say that they understand better that this isn’t something that we have a choice about.

      • http://www.facebook.com/antoinette.coles Antoinette Coles

        There’s no denying that. In my experience though. I have known a couple of people who had previously been negative or at best copasetic towards trans people tell me that they saw one of the media things (I think 20/20) & say that they understand better that this isn’t something that we have a choice about.

  • Antoinette Coles

    I completely agree with you. I do think that a good may come from this though. Putting a child’s face to gender variance in a typically positive portrayal helps to lessen the demonization that we have faced & still encounter.

    • Marti Abernathey

      I think the work that TYFA does, does more good to promote positive portrayals than any of these rags. They simply use kids.

      • http://www.facebook.com/antoinette.coles Antoinette Coles

        There’s no denying that. In my experience though. I have known a couple of people who had previously been negative or at best copasetic towards trans people tell me that they saw one of the media things (I think 20/20) & say that they understand better that this isn’t something that we have a choice about.

  • firediablosg

    Doctors can explain options but shouldn’t provide opinions unless medically necessary!

  • firediablosg

    Doctors can explain options but shouldn’t provide opinions unless medically necessary!