3.3% of American teens identify as 'trans' and more than 5,700 underwent medical sex change from 2019-2023: report

The trans trend in the US shows no signs of abating, even as other nations take a step back and reconsider their approaches to treating gender dysphoria and how they deal with the social contagion. Some 3 percent of high school students now identify as trans, per a new CDC report released on Tuesday, and another 2.2 percent are "questioning" their gender identity. In 2023, there were some 17 million high school students in the US, meaning that of those, some 570,000 students believe they are trans, and 380,000 are not sure if they are trans.

Another report, this time from Do No Harm, a group of doctors that opposes sex changes for children, found that 13,994 minors received some kind of medical treatment for their diagnosed gender dysphoric condition and that among those, 5,747 were surgically altered in service to their belief that they can change sex. Do No Harm scouted insurance claims to obtain much of their data, which they recorded between 2019-2023, finding further that $119 million was spent on these prescriptions, surgeries, and medical appointments. Do No Harm further stated that these figures are likely to be understated.

The CDC also dug into the demographics of trans, finding that "Differences in demographic characteristics were observed by transgender identity. Approximately half of cisgender students reported female sex (47.5%). Approximately two thirds of transgender or questioning students reported female sex (64.2% and 64.3%, respectively). Differences in race and ethnicity by transgender identity were observed. A lower proportion of transgender students identified as Black and higher proportion identified as White compared with cisgender or questioning students. In addition, for questioning students, differences in grade distribution were observed."

However, there was no glossary attached to the study, so it is unclear if the CDC meant that those who "reported female sex" are biologically female or are males who identify as female. The CDC further found that while "most cisgender students reported their sexual identity as heterosexual" at 79.4 percent, only 8.7 percent of trans-identified students and 7.5 percent of gender-questioning students did so. This means that those students who are questioning their gender are also questioning their sexuality and report higher instances of bullying and housing insecurity.

The CDC report found that those who identify as trans or gender-questioning say that they experience high rates of bullying at school, along with persistent sadness, and suicidal thoughts. While the CDC did not find that the trans or gender-questioning caused the bullying, sadness, or suicidal thoughts, they claim that "when schools implement LGBTQ+ supportive policies and practices, all students experience better mental health." They also claim that "Gender identity development is a fundamental part of adolescence; transgender and questioning youth who do not conform to social expectations of gender might experience gender dysphoria, discrimination, or violence."



The challenges faced by trans and gender-questioning students, per the CDC, include "being unable to use bathrooms or play on sports teams matching their gender identity, being misgendered (i.e., addressed by the wrong name by teachers and peers), and otherwise being unable to express themselves in a way consistent with their gender identity."

"Transgender and questioning students had the highest prevalence of experiencing violence, poor mental health, suicidal thoughts and behaviors, and unstable housing, and the lowest prevalence of school connectedness compared with cisgender students," the CDC wrote. "Approximately one fourth of transgender and questioning students missed school because of feeling unsafe in the past 30 days."

The CDC's conclusion would indicate that more trans acceptance, more sex change medical procedures, and more trans education are necessary. They use the "minority stress theory" and "the gender minority stress framework," saying both "can be applied to understand the factors that perpetuate these disparities."

"Transgender and questioning persons experience stigma, discrimination, and social marginalization related to their gender as a result of institutionalized social norms that privilege cisgender persons," the CDC concluded. "The accumulation of stressors, including internalization of stigmatized attitudes, expectations of rejection, and experiences of discrimination and violence, can increase the likelihood that transgender and questioning persons experience poor mental health and lead to disparities in health and well-being."

The CDC recommended that schools create more "inclusive activities," such as "implementing genders and sexualities alliances (student-led clubs offering a means for students with LGBTQ+ identities and allies to gather and provide support), providing professional development to educators and school staff members on supporting students with LGBTQ+ identities, providing mental health and other health service referrals that are inclusive of students with LGTBQ+ identities, and implementing policies that are inclusive of students with LGBTQ+ identities."

While they note that this What Works in Schools approach "has not been evaluated specifically among transgender and questioning students" and that "further research is necessary," they also claim that "the possibility of school supports as health enhancing for transgender and questioning students is promising."

These programs recommended by the CDC are the same ones that often end up referring students to medical providers who aid the students in pursuing pharmaceutical and/or surgical remedies to their gender issues. If the increase in trans identification results in an increase in so-called "gender-affirming" programs for those confused students, it is likely that Do No Harm will see a sharp increase as well in the number of medical interventions for those minors.