UK — A
12-year-old Austrian child has undergone gender
reassignment treatment after persuading his parents and
doctors that she was sure she was a girl.
The child, known as Kim,
was born a boy and is currently receiving hormone
treatment which will eventually lead to gender
reassignment surgery.
It is very unusual for
someone so young to even be considered for gender
reassignment.
Persia West, who is a
transgender activist, spoke to PinkNews.co.uk about the
case.
"It is absolutely not
unusual for trans people to know from a very early age.
Being transgender is a birth condition.
"The only difference in
this case is that the condition of this child has been
acknowledged they are acting on it."
Persia revealed that the
use of hormonal treatment for children who are
transgender is not restricted to this case - indeed it
happens in this country.
"There is a clinic in
London that deals with children but normally they will
treat them chemically to stop adolescence.
"In the UK doctors wait
until someone is 18 before considering surgery and that
can be very traumatic for transgender people.
"Puberty is the time when
the body goes through all these changes - for me it was
like a horror story. However, sometimes kids change so
that is the quandry that the doctors have."
Doctors and psychiatrists
in Vienna diagnosed Kim as a transsexual two years ago
when her dissatisfaction and unhappiness was felt to run
far deeper than a temporary phase as her parents
initially believed.
At 14, Kim is now
officially registered as a female and she is reported to
appear as any other girl would in her age.
