My testimony for Quebec's Comité de sages sur l'identité de genre

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[You can learn more about Quebec’s Comité de sages sur l'identité de genre here.]

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I am a graduate student here in Quebec studying the subject of gender identity, and I would like to extend my gratitude to the committee for the opportunity to submit my testimony.*

At the turn of the 21st century, girls and young women were rarely if ever seen at gender clinics. But starting in the mid-2010s, everything changed. Now female patients seeking transition outnumber male patients two-to-one across the Western world. This new patient demographic is not well understood on any level. We don’t understand the etiology of gender dysphoria in this population. We don’t yet know the efficacy and safety of transition-related interventions. And we don’t know how many of these patients may change their minds in the future and come to regret the decision to transition. 

When I began my studies, I was interested in building upon the work of Lisa Littman, who identified the potential role of social influence in the development of gender dysphoria, trans identification, and the desire to transition among adolescent and young-adult females. My research focuses on the online communities where so many girls and young women have explored and adopted transgender identities in recent years. I have been particularly interested in the attitudes, beliefs, and experiences that contribute to trans identification among adolescent and young adult females. I wanted to understand what girls and young women were looking for—and finding—in the process of coming to identify as transgender. I wish to briefly summarize what I’ve learned for the consideration of the Comité.