The Pentagon concedes that gender dysphoria is treatable, but asserts there is “considerable scientific uncertainty and overall lack of high-quality scientific evidence demonstrating the extent to which transition-related treatments” address the symptoms associated with gender dysphoria. The report mentions the high suicide rates of the transgender population as a central reason for its ban.
Our findings make it indisputable that gender transition has a positive effect on transgender well-being. We identified 56 studies published since 1991 that directly assessed the effect of gender transition on the mental well-being of transgender individuals. The vast majority of the studies, 93 percent, found that gender transition improved the overall well-being of transgender subjects, making them more likely to enjoy improved quality of life, greater relationship satisfaction and higher self-esteem and confidence, and less likely to suffer from anxiety, depression, substance abuse and suicidality.
Only four studies (7 percent) reported mixed or null findings, and none found that the transitioning created more harm than good. Despite recent media focus on anecdotes about “transgender regret,” actual regret rates across numerous studies were minuscule, generally ranging from 0.3 percent to 3.8 percent. Our review of primary research confirmed the positive findings of at least 16 previous literature reviews.
The research shows that gender transition improves well-being, and that it can redress the specific health conditions that the military claims are its primary concern, particularly suicidality. A 1999 United States study found a “marked decrease of suicide attempts” and substance use in its postoperative population. In a 2014 British study, gender transition “was shown to drastically reduce instances of suicidal ideation and attempts.” The study reported that “67 percent of respondents thought about suicide more before they transitioned and only 3 percent thought about suicide more post-transition.”
Research suggests that gender transition may resolve symptoms completely. A 2016 literature review by scholars in Sweden concluded that, most likely because of improved care over time, transgender “rates of psychiatric disorders and suicide became more similar to controls,” and that for those transitioning after 1989, “there was no difference in the number of suicide attempts compared to controls.” The corollary is also true: Another study found that withholding hormone treatment from transgender people increased the risk of depression and suicide.
While transgender people can still face disproportionate stresses after transition, research suggests that stigma and discrimination are primary causes of such “minority stress.” That’s all the more reason we should provide treatment and social support rather than exclusion and barriers to care.
Suicide and mental health challenges do not, of course, define transgender people, many of whom are just as healthy as their peers. There are other populations that are plagued by suicide, including the military community itself. Children of military members are at much higher risk for suicidal ideation than both the general and the transgender population. Yet children of service members are not barred from enlisting, despite these higher risks. This suggests a double standard in which transgender people are singled out for unequal treatment not because they present an unacceptable risk but simply because of bias.
This website links to 73 research studies on transgender people which you can read in their entirety and summarizes their findings in 8 bullets!
This post has more statistics if people don’t want to read the whole papers!
This post has suicide hotlines for anyone who needs them.
Lee says:
This could be useful in trying to convince your parents that transitioning is necessary for you!
The Pentagon Is Wrong. Gender Transition Is Effective.
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