Beyond Politics: Rethinking the Conversation on Gender-Affirming Care for Youth

According to a study conducted in June of 2022 by the Williams Institute School of Law, nearly 300,000 youth members in the United States identify as transgender. According to these calculations, this statistic indicates that “[t]he number of young people who identify as transgender has nearly doubled in recent years.” Gender‑affirming healthcare is usually administered to treat gender dysphoria, which is defined as “a state of distress or discomfort that may be experienced because a person’s gender identity differs from that which is physically and/or socially attributed to their sex assigned at birth.” A 2021 study conducted by Reuters exposed that "at least 121,882 children ages 6 to 17 were diagnosed with gender dysphoria from 2017 through 2021." With an increase of youth who identify as transgender, exhibit gender dysphoria, and are seeking gender‑affirming care, it is crucial that parents understand their rights and role in their children’s decision to seek gender‑affirming healthcare. Most of all, it is of the utmost importance that regardless of whether parents seek gender‑affirming care for their offspring, any treatment administered is in the child’s best interest. It is no secret that American citizens are sharply divided on what is in the child’s best interest in these situations, but this Comment attempts to explore the question of how we, as Georgians, can lead the way to an objective, non‑partisan approach.