Much has been written about issues relating to gender identity. Misinformation surrounding these subjects is omnipresent, which contributes to the current climate of tension and is not without repercussions on the mental health of trans people.
Over the past year, trans rights protests have taken place across Canada, clashing two opposing opinions on these issues.
Dupré Latour, a trans woman who grew up in West Africa and immigrated to Canada five years ago precisely out of a desire to affirm her gender identity, believes that religion and stereotypes help people justify their hate.
She is sad that even today, people believe that transidentity is a fashion.
“I hear that all the time [que] there are so many trans people now. People freak out, but we’ve always been there. It’s just that, now, we are in a conducive environment. These are people who make sacrifices, who look in the mirror and hate themselves and who have no choice but to go through this in order to live their lives in the image of what they would like to reflect in society. »
Annie Pullen Sansfaçon, professor at the School of Social Work at the University of Montreal and researcher who has worked on gender identity for 15 years, confirms that hate speech affects the mental health of young trans and non-binary people.
For example, not allowing them to use their chosen pronoun can increase levels of depression, anxiety and suicidal ideation, she warns.
Openness to gender diversity begins with education, but educating on these issues is no easy task.
For 30 years, the GRIS-Montréal organization has been holding workshops and conferences in schools to talk about sexual orientation with young people. Since 2017, the organization has also addressed the various realities of gender identity.
Its general director, Marie Houzeau, notes that the same prejudices that existed in relation to homosexuality are transposed today to gender identity. “These are the same comments that we hear, that talking about it will mix young people and […] young people will become like that if we talk about it. We said that about sexual orientation 25 years ago, and we say that about gender identity now. »
She points out that it is well proven that you cannot influence another person’s sexual orientation or gender identity.
His organization meets approximately 30,000 young people per year in the greater Montreal region. The demand for conferences on gender identity is so strong that Mme Houzeau estimates that with more volunteers, she could easily triple the number of conferences in schools.
She indicates, however, that certain circles decide not to use their services “because these are polarizing questions and they perhaps do not feel equipped to deal with the pendulum swings that they could receive from certain parents due to simply by addressing these issues in class.”
She notes a large disparity in the reliability of the information circulating in schools. “We know that young people receive a lot of information through social media. Some follow influencers, and that is their main source of information. We also know the phenomenon of algorithms and echo chambers which ensure that young people can only receive information that is in line with what they already think, explains M.me Houzeau. This can lead to misinformation for some people if they follow people who themselves have opinions based on misinformation. »
“We don’t give testosterone to eight-year-olds”
Several medical treatments exist for gender transition and Annie Pullen Sansfaçon debunks certain myths.
Puberty blockers are medications that are prescribed to adolescents who are beginning a gender transition. “It’s not before puberty, we don’t talk about children, often it’s a first [idée fausse] that we hear,” maintains the professor.
This medication will slow down the puberty process, which will allow the young person to have more time to think carefully about their decision.
Puberty blockers are not permanent. The young person who takes it, once he stops the medication, if he does not want to continue with a transition, puberty resumes its course in a few months, explains Mme Pullen Sansfaçon.
According to the most recent studies, gender-affirming care has psychosocial and mental benefits for young people, reports the researcher. During adolescence, hormone blockers will reduce the risk of suicidal ideation. “These are drugs that can save a person’s life,” argues Mme Pullen Sansfaçon.
Some young people will decide to go for gender-affirming hormone therapy, therefore taking testosterone or estrogen, depending on gender. “By the time this decision on gender hormone is made, the young person will have had time to mature. We don’t give testosterone to eight-year-old children,” repeats Annie Pullen Sansfaçon.
The same goes for gender-affirming genital surgeries, which are not performed on children. In Canada, the age requirement is 18 for genital surgery and 16 for mastectomy surgery.
Follow-up with a psychologist is also required. Sam Lajeunesse, a 43-year-old trans man, can attest to the good it has given him. “Before I even realized I was a trans person, I had an issue with my chest. At the time, I didn’t even know it was possible to have a mastectomy, but I knew that if I could unscrew them and put them in a drawer and leave them there, I would have done it as a teenager “, he says.
After a six-month follow-up with a psychologist, he went to get a letter from his doctor supporting his decision to want a mastectomy and hormonal treatment. Although he had some apprehensions about hormone injections, including side effects and the speed at which the effects could appear, he does not regret his choice.
Hormone therapy is considered semi-reversible, specifies Mme Pullen Sansfaçon. Some effects on the body can be reversed, sometimes through corrective surgery.
Dupré Latour also believes that people feel too comfortable asking a trans person if they have had genital surgery. She believes that these questions are relevant in intimacy, but that too often they are discussed after a first meeting.
“Women feel obliged to have vaginoplasty to be a woman. I say all the time that anatomy does not determine gender. Stop focusing on the anatomy of a boy or a girl,” she pleads.
Gender dysphoria is described by the Canadian Pediatric Society as significant distress that can be experienced when one’s perceived gender identity does not match the sex assigned at birth. Young people in this situation will often need to make a gender transition, whether social or medical.
On the other hand, the supervision of practices with young trans and non-binary people is not new. The standards of care have been governed by the World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH) since 1998 and have been updated several times since.
Educate those around you
Dupré Latour and Sam Lajeunesse both mentioned that they are happy to answer questions when asked with respect.
Mr. Lajeunesse admits that he no longer educates those around him much since it has been 13 years since he did his “ coming out “. Some friends needed to be educated. “They had questions which I sometimes answered, other times I redirected people to the appropriate sources of information,” he recalls.
For meme Dupré, questions flood when people learn about his gender identity. “Often, people will answer “ah you’re a man”, but no, I’m not a man, I’m a trans woman,” she says proudly. And sometimes it’s heavy to always have to explain that you can’t address me as a man. »
Sam and Dupré describe this type of discussion as an eternal “ coming out “. They believe that some people say hurtful things unintentionally because they have the wrong information, but others say insults deliberately. “There are both,” recognizes Mme Dupré.
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