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What Are Puberty Blockers?
Recent conservative legislation has targeted a class of drugs used to treat transgender adolescents. But what do these drugs actually do?
Sebastian Liafsha, right, with his mother, Heather, of Lexington, S.C., used puberty blockers starting at age 14.Credit.Leslie Ryann McKellar for The New York Times
When Sebastian Liafsha came out as transgender in middle school, his mother, Heather, jumped into research mode.
Ms. Liafsha, a registered nurse in Lexington, S.C., put together a three-inch-thick binder packed with printouts of various laws, medical guidelines, pharmaceutical records and more. It was there that she would record the dates and details of Sebastian’s puberty blocker injections every three months for two and a half years, starting at age 14.
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Your support of our work is inspiring and invaluable. / Two Classes of Trans Kids Are Emerging – Those Who Have Access to Puberty Blockers, and Those Who Don’t
Two Classes of Trans Kids Are Emerging – Those Who Have Access to Puberty Blockers, and Those Who Don’t
A divide emerges.
For people who have never thought about it before, it might sound reasonable to require trans kids to wait until they’re adults before they can receive certain forms of care known as gender-affirming treatment – which is what legislation that just passed in Arkansas does.