First-known puberty blocker patient says 'insulting' youth gender movement makes mockery of true dysphoria
The first known patient to take puberty blockers to treat gender dysphoria sharply rebuked the modern youth gender identity movement as "insulting" in a podcast interview with the New York Times published last week.
The Times spoke with "FG," a patient in adolescent transgender medicine from the Netherlands, who was the first known person given puberty blockers at 13years-old in the 1980s to stop female development.
"FG" explained dealing with anger issues as a child and feeling uncomfortable living as a girl. The fear of going through puberty led the teen to express suicidal thoughts in a letter and eventually seek out medical treatment to stop normal development, as well as cross-sex hormones and gender reassignment surgery later on.
Now, living as a man decades later with no regrets, "FG" believes puberty blockers "saved my life."
Despite being a proponent of these medical interventions, "FG" was not supportive of the modern gender diversity movement.
"So many of the young people now want to visibly challenge the binary," New York Times reporter Azeen Ghorayshi told "FG," asking, "What do you make of that? And what do you make of what that means for getting the medical treatment that you pioneered?"
"I find that it's gone — it's gone a bit extreme to the other side," "FG" replied. "So it makes a laughingstock of what it's really about. Or at least, it seems to be a fashion statement nowadays."
"FG" equated the current gender climate to other youth rebellion movements of the past where young people forged their identities "to stand out," saying gender seemed to be another forum for that today.
"And for the group that is pure, like proper transsexuals, this flirting with pronouns and gender identity — it's insulting," "FG" continued.
"FG", who works in the medical field and asked to stay anonymous out of a desperate desire to fit in as a man, said it seemed like young people now treat their gender identity as a fad.
"Because like I said, we spend all our time trying to just fit in or be able to live the life that we feel we should have had. And it's not a great help when you've got people shouting from the barricades and trying to give you a different position, a third sex or whatever, and then talk about things that we don't want you to talk about, so that they can identify you," "FG" added.
"I don't take a lot of these people that seriously, because it does seem to be a bit of a fashion statement."
Shortly after taking office for his second term, President Donald Trump signed an executive order cutting off federal funding for institutions who engage in "chemical and surgical" sex-change procedures for minors.
"Across the country today, medical professionals are maiming and sterilizing a growing number of impressionable children under the radical and false claim that adults can change a child's sex through a series of irreversible medical interventions," the order, titled "Protecting Children from Chemical and Surgical Mutilation," states. "This dangerous trend will be a stain on our Nation's history, and it must end."
A number of hospitals nationwide challenged the order earlier this year, with some vowing to continue providing these medical interventions for minors.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
4 hours ago
- Yahoo
Alcohol linked to increased risk of pancreatic cancer: Study
Alcoholic beverages, particularly beer and spirits, may increase the risk of developing pancreatic cancer, according to a new study led by the UN World Health Organization. The research, which pooled data from nearly 2.5 million people across Asia, Australia, Europe and North America, revealed a 'modest but significant' link between alcohol consumption and pancreatic cancer risk, regardless of sex or smoking status. 'Alcohol consumption is a known carcinogen, but until now, the evidence linking it specifically to pancreatic cancer has been considered inconclusive,' said Pietro Ferrari, senior author of the study and head of the nutrition and metabolism branch at the World Health Organization International Agency for Research on Cancer. The study revealed that each additional 10 grams of alcohol consumed per day was associated with a three percent increase in pancreatic cancer risk. Additionally, women consuming 15-30 grams of alcohol daily, which equates to about one to two drinks, had a 12 percent higher risk. Men drinking 30-60 grams daily had a 15 percent increased risk, increasing to 36 percent for those consuming more than 60 grams. The study confirmed alcohol as an 'independent risk factor,' even after accounting for smoking. Ferrari emphasized that 'alcohol is often consumed in combination with tobacco,' but the elevated risk persists among non-smokers. Pancreatic cancer, a disease that impacts digestive enzyme production and blood sugar regulation, remains one of the deadliest cancers due to late-stage diagnoses. Although it ranks 12th in global cancer incidence, it accounts for 5 percent of all cancer-related deaths, according to the WHO. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
4 hours ago
- Yahoo
Alcohol should have labels warning drinkers of cancer risks, charities say
Cans and bottles of beer, wine and spirits should explicitly warn drinkers that alcohol causes cancer, an unprecedented alliance of doctors, charities and public experts have said. Warning labels would tackle 'shockingly low' public awareness in the UK that alcohol is proven to cause seven forms of cancer and 17,000 cases a year of the disease, they claim. Dozens of medical and health organisations have written to Keir Starmer urging him to take the radical step of compelling alcohol producers to include such warnings in order to improve public health. The labels must be 'bold and unambiguous', said the World Cancer Research Fund (WCRF), which coordinated the letter. 'The evidence is clear: health labelling on alcoholic drinks is urgently needed in the UK to help save lives,' it said. 'They should carry strong, clear messages about the health risks, which include the risk of cancer, far beyond vague advice like 'consume in moderation'.' Kate Oldridge-Turner, the WCRF's head of policy and public affairs, said: 'Providing alcohol warning labels would empower millions to make informed choices by clearly understanding the risks.' Evidence cited by charities such as the WCRF and Cancer Research UK shows that alcohol increases the risk of breast, bowel, stomach, head, neck, liver and mouth cancer. Ireland is to become the first country in the world to include cancer warning labels on alcoholic products. From next May, alcohol sold in the republic will have to carry a warning that 'there is a direct link between alcohol and fatal cancers'. The labels will also warn that drinking can cause liver disease and affect foetuses. Prof Sir Ian Gilmore, the chair of the Alcohol Health Alliance, urged the UK to follow suit. He said: 'We must look to the fearless work of our neighbours in Ireland whose new labelling policy provides a level playing field for all producers, leaving no room for loopholes or hiding information behind QR codes or tiny print. 'Improved alcohol labelling, including clear health warnings about the link to cancer, is not just a public health measure, it's a fundamental consumer right. People deserve to know the risks so they can make informed choices about their health. But current labels and weak regulations are keeping drinkers in the dark.' The drinks industry dismissed the call and said warnings would make drinkers anxious. A spokesperson for the Portman Group, a drinks industry-funded body that oversees alcohol labelling in the UK, said: 'Whilst we do not dispute the link between alcohol and certain cancers, and that drinking at harmful levels is dangerous and increases risks, blanket cancer warning labels are not a proportionate policy measure and do not put the risks into an appropriate context. 'This can create unnecessary anxiety, eroding trust in health advice and alienating the very people who require support.' The spokesperson said most alcohol products already included advice from the chief medical officers of the UK's four home nations to drink no more than 14 units of alcohol a week. 'Most people already drink within this guidance, which means their risks for associated diseases are low', they said. In February, the World Health Organization's European office declared: 'Clear and prominent health warning labels on alcohol, which include a specific cancer warning, are a cornerstone of the right to health.' In a report, it urged governments to introduce them to help reduce alcohol-related harm and raise awareness of the link between drinking and cancer. Dr Gauden Galea, a WHO adviser, said in the report that policymakers should 'resist all the pressure that will inevitably come from commercial actors' who claim such warnings do not work. In January, Vivek Murthy, the US surgeon general under the then president, Joe Biden, said cancer warning labels were needed because drinking led to about 100,000 cancer diagnoses a year in the US. It was the third most common preventable cause of cancer after tobacco and obesity, he added. A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: 'Drinking alcohol increases the risk of a range of health issues, including several cancers. That is why we recommend people drink within the UK chief medical officer's alcohol guidelines of fewer than 14 units a week, and strongly recommend these are displayed clearly on all alcohol products. 'We recognise the need for more action on the impact of alcohol on health; for too long there has been an unwillingness to lead on this issue. Our plan for change will shift healthcare towards prevention, including through early intervention, to support people to live longer, healthier lives across the UK.'
Bloomberg
11 hours ago
- Bloomberg
UK Heat Wave Could Claim Nearly 600 Lives This Week, Experts Warn
Scientists have warned the elderly and other vulnerable groups in the UK are at risk of heat-related deaths this weekend, as a new study shows recent high temperatures could claim 570 lives in just over four days. Researchers at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine and Imperial College London published on Saturday a real-time analysis calculating the number of heat-related deaths expected from Thursday to Sunday.
