What is “Rapid Onset Gender Dysphoria,” and What Does it Have to Do with My Trans Child?
What is “Rapid Onset Gender Dysphoria,” and what does it have to do with my trans child?
Maybe you’ve heard the phrase in a trans parenting support space; maybe you’ve never heard of it until now. Either way, Rapid Onset Gender Dysphoria—also known as ROGD—is a recent, controversial phenomenon worthy of addressing.
Before delving into what Rapid Onset Gender Dysphoria is, it’s important to lay out what it is not. ROGD is not a mental health diagnosis, nor is it a subset of Gender Dysphoria as it exists in the DSM 5. In fact, it is an idea that has not been proven to exist at all. Dr. Lisa Littman, a physician, coined this term in her 2018 study to describe “sudden” gender dysphoria beginning during or after puberty in a teen or young adult. ROGD has been used to question the validity of youth coming out as trans if they had not experienced documented dysphoria as young children and describes trans identity as a social contagion. Because of the traction this idea has gained among a wide array of anti-trans circles and the harm it is capable of causing, it is important to deconstruct ROGD and re-center the voices of trans youth themselves.
“Nothing about us without us:” Lack of trans voices
One of the most concerning pieces of the Rapid Onset Gender Dysphoria narrative is that actual trans people were not involved in the development of the concept at any stage. Dr. Littman is a cisgender woman who admittedly became interested in the topic due to her own observations of many teens in the same friend group—to which she had no deep personal connection—coming out as transgender. She then bolstered this hypothesis with the survey responses of parents of adolescents and young adults that had “suddenly” come out as transgender. These responses were mainly sourced from websites that expressed negative sentiments and narratives about transgender people, so voices that are critical of the validity of trans identities were dominant.
This narrative shows, as ROGD uses this biased data to demonize transness. Suddenly, previously-out trans kids are depicted as sources of a contagious identity shift for their peers rather than supportive friends and classmates. Trans-related pieces of media, like YouTube videos or blog posts by trans individuals, are painted as dangerous propaganda rather than vehicles for life-saving and affirming information. Professionals such as doctors and therapists who properly treat and believe trans youth are portrayed as irresponsible and hostile toward parents rather than vital avenues of support for transitioning youth.
In short, the concept of ROGD was developed though research that included non-transgender adults and excluded the very trans youth it seeks to irresponsibly pathologize. It is imperative that when we are seeking to learn more about an identity, we listen to the voices of people that have lived these experiences.
Rapid?
ROGD fails to seriously consider and explore other reasons why trans youths’ coming outs may appear sudden to adults in the young person’s life. These reasons can include:
Perceived lack of acceptance from family, friends and community
Fear that they won’t be supported
Fear of feeling like a disappointment
Fear of rejection and/or violence
Conservative communities with anti trans narratives
Already strained relationship
Lack of language to describe their experience
Discomfort talking to parents
Support of friends and devaluing support of parents
Belief that they will be misunderstood
Exploring and coming to terms with one’s gender can be a deeply personal experience—one that is often quite difficult to share with loved ones that may or may not understand. If we attempt to empathize with the trans youth in our lives, we might come to understand that a seemingly-sudden coming out has actually been thought through in private for quite some time.
Additionally, many youth lack access to expansive language around gender and may have an “aha moment” when finally introduced to a term that fits. When that moment comes, we should celebrate how wonderful it is that the young people in our lives are exercising their agency and expressing themselves! It is okay, and understandable, to want to gain a greater understanding of your trans loved ones’ experiences. However, as with most potentially-sensitive subjects, it is imperative to lay a strong foundation of support and care before opening up that conversation with care and thought. Your trans child may not be ready to answer questions right now, and it’s also important to leave space for their own personal timeline and self-discovery process.
In short: the language and resources that make exploring gender accessible aren’t always available to young people questioning their gender. (Some young folks might not even realize the distress they are feeling is related to their gender!) And then, when that exploration and self expression is possible, there is always the question of acceptance and safety when sharing that part of themselves with others around them. What may seem rapid to others may have actually been months or years of unvoiced questioning, learning and exploring for the trans youth in question.
Reception of ROGD & why it matters
The veracity of ROGD has been denounced on a large scale, and the term has gained critics from individual trans scholars like Florence Ashley and Julia Serrano to organizations like the World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH). Despite this, the phrase is still ubiquitous, largely in anti-trans spaces, and floated around as a legitimate diagnosis. By diving deeper into ROGD and rejecting the term, we make space to honor the truths of trans youth. Adolescents and young adults should have access to tools that allow them to explore gender in safe and non-judgmental ways without fearing that they will be in danger or will not be believed. After all, transgender youth with supportive families experience less emotional distress and enjoy life more, overall. We must shift from pathologizing our trans youth and choose to simply show up for them instead.
Journal Prompts for Adults in a Young Trans Person’s Life
1. Are you a member of a trans family and parenting support space? Do you have a space to process?
2. What does supporting your trans child look like?
3. Is your home a space where your child feels comfortable talking about gender, gender dysphoria, gender euphoria and anything else they may be experiencing? If so, what have you done to cultivate that? If not, how can you make it one?
4. Are you knowledgable and aware of other microaggressions and harmful myths about trans and queer folks? What can you do to combat or prevent these in your community?
5. If your child seemed to “rapidly” come out: what fears could they have had regarding openly discussing their experience with gender? How can you address those fears?
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