[bobalob]

Puberty is a stage of natural maturation of the body. There is only one, as per your sex, and you can't go through the wrong one. The puberty of the opposite sex is not an option.

This conception of the "wrong puberty" as something that needs to be blocked is as absurd as all that "born in the wrong body" ideological nonsense.

Most importantly, children can't meaningfully consent to having their sexual function permanently damaged.

[ffin]

The way you experience puberty is (to some extent) a result of the hormones in your body. Generally the hormones in your body are a result of your sex, however, it is possible to stop your body from producing certain hormones, and replace them with different hormones. In this way, one can have a puberty more similar to a different sex than one’s own.

Why do you think you can’t experience the wrong one? Also, unless you are saying there is only one sex, how could there only be one puberty?

[bobalob]

It does involve hormones as part of the mechanism but puberty is primarily about the maturation of the reproductive system, and how this is experienced depends on one's sex.

To take female puberty as an example, this is the growth and development of the uterus, ovaries, labia and breasts to reach their mature form and function. Most importantly, the menstrual cycle begins, making pregnancy possible.

If a boy has testosterone blocked and is given estrogen instead, he doesn't experience any of this, except perhaps some breast tissue growth and redistribution of fat. His penis and testicles will not develop further and he will probably remain sterile.

However, he doesn't have a female reproductive system, so this is not more similar to female puberty. What he's experiencing is stunted male development, a pharmaceutically-induced eunuch state.

There is no option for him to go through female puberty rather than male puberty, because he lacks the type of reproductive system that would make this possible. As female puberty is not an experience available to him, it makes no sense to describe male puberty as being the "wrong puberty" for him.

Likewise for girls and the impossibility of experiencing male puberty.

[heavyset_go]

And yet the vast majority of "puberty blockers" are given to cis kids who experience precocious puberty.

Who are we to question God's natural order? If a 9 year old girl with precocious puberty is uncomfortable being oggled by old men, that's just fine because puberty can never be wrong.

Besides, she can't meaningfully consent to medically delaying puberty, anyway.

[bobalob]

That is another off-label usage that is similarly controversial due to adverse effects on health: https://www.pbs.org/newshour/health/women-fear-drug-they-use...

> Besides, she can't meaningfully consent to medically delaying puberty, anyway.

Yes, indeed she can't.

[kennywinker]

> In interviews and in online forums, women who took the drug as young girls or initiated a daughter’s treatment described harsh side effects that have been well-documented in adults.

Learning about adverse side effects by talking about their experiences is LITERALLY what you’re advocating for a ban on. I’d say by any basic morality you’re not allowed to cite that as evidence if you want it banned.

[DangitBobby]

So they are making everything up for attention or what? Kinda like gays 30 years ago?

[kennywinker]

> Puberty is a stage of natural maturation of the body. There is only one, as per your sex, and you can't go through the wrong one.

This is ideological nonsense.

[electroglyph]

intersex people are real.

[Manuel_D]

The term "intersex" is no longer used by the medical community, as it wrongly implies that there are some people who are "between" male and female. The contemporary term is "differences in sex development" or DSD. E.g. people with complete androgen insensitive syndrome are male, even if they may outwardly appear female.

[AlexandrB]

We're not talking about intersex people.