Reacción a "Reactions: average age of gender dysphoria diagnoses is falling"

The study shows how the age of health care for transgender children has been decreasing in recent years and how care for people assigned female at birth is earlier. Although this is the conclusion they reach, the study is clear about its limitations, such as the use of different diagnostic codifications (ICD-10 and DSM-V), which in some cases result in already discarded diagnostic labels such as "gender dysphoria". 

These data, despite technical limitations, may be due to two complementary realities: greater social respect for trans identities and the age of onset of puberty. 

The latter case is congruent with the previous knowledge that puberty in people assigned female at birth is earlier than in those assigned male. This means that the appearance of secondary sexual characteristics is at an earlier age and therefore attention is also demanded earlier.

With regard to improving social respect for transgender people, one of the benefits is improved access to specific care for transgender people when they need it. In previous times, due to stigma, discrimination and vulnerability, the social expression of gender identity was delayed to later ages, leading to an approach when puberty had already begun and without being able to reverse body changes. Moreover, not being able to access care, it entailed (and still entails) a high risk of emotional distress and suicide, as studies show.

Therefore, social alarm should not be created around these data, but they should be understood as a logical evolution of respectful health care for transgender children.