RFSL Youth: "The only thing we know helps is to have access to care"

Children and young trans people often feel bad and have a great need for support and care, a number of studies show.

For example, it may be that the body does not correspond to the inner gender identity, a suffering called gender dysphoria. 

With the help of gender-confirming care through, among other things, hormone treatment, young people have been helped to live their lives as themselves - but the treatment is also associated with risks.

Several authorities have reviewed and rejected the scientific support.

In May, Karolinska University Hospital decided to stop all new hormone treatments for children and young people in transgender care.

- What they have not done in their decision is to take risks by not giving care to a person who is in need of it, says Jêran Rostam, chairman of RFSL Youth.

“The only thing we know helps”

Hen says that society has over time become more open and more inclusive for trans people, but that there is still a very widespread transphobia.

- This applies to both the legal rights, but also the access to gender-confirming care.

For people who suffer from gender dysphoria, the only thing we know helps to have access to care and treatment for it.  

Assignment review has in several reports reviewed trans care.

It has aroused great debate and many in the trans movement have been critical of the reviews.

- We see that transgender people's rights are being discussed and debated in society at large right now in a way that in many ways questions transgender people's existence, transgender people's identity and also transgender people's rights, says Jêran Rostam.

"Our beliefs are questioned"

Ann-Christine Ruuth, chairwoman of Transammans, the association for transgender people and relatives, is also critical.

- The consequence of the trans care being examined is that our convictions are questioned in a way that does not actually apply to any other patient group.

This means that a suspicion is spread. 

Right now, the National Board of Health and Welfare is developing a new knowledge support for the care of young people with gender dysphoria and is investigating which hospitals will be allowed to treat in the future. 

- You have to remember that there are so many people who have had their life opportunities so incredibly much improved thanks to this care.

Who have been given the opportunity to live in society as the man or woman they actually perceive themselves to be.

That is the starting point in this care, to help people, says Ann-Christine Ruuth.