Transgender Ideology & Gender Dysphoria

Throughout the previous century, medical professionals aimed to ease the inner tensions found within transgender individuals by conforming their outer appearances to their preferred gender identities. Repeated studies have found a reduction of gender dysphoria through sex reassignment surgeries and hormone therapies. Although well-intentioned, these efforts were on their own insufficient for relieving the underlying distress caused by gender dysphoria. Moreover, transgender individuals, even after sex reassignment procedures, have higher risks of mortality, neoplasms, suicidal behaviors, and psychiatric morbidity than the general population.

Faith-based conversion therapies double the morbidity rates of transgender individuals. A religious approach not based on medical science produces worse outcomes than providing no support at all. A lack of family and communal support of transgender youths leads to increased homelessness, prostitution, and substance abuse. The uncompromising, tough-love approach does not lead to positive outcomes for many transgender youths.

Medical evidence from the previous decade suggests a neurodevelopmental cause for transgender identities; however, studies on Rapid-Onset Gender Dysphoria point to social causes for the spike of adolescents identifying as transgender. While high rates of pre-adolescent children diagnosed as transgender desist in their dysphoria, some studies have shown that adolescents who take hormone blockers do not desist into their early twenties. Longer-term follow-up studies are needed to know the effects hormone blockers have on desisting when prescribed early. Nominalist gender theorists have integrated transgender identities into their ideology, whereby the body, mind, and spirit are not essentially united. Although these ideologies attempt to liberate individuals from restrictions of biological realism, this ideology has not offered transgender people an inner sense of peace. According to a 2018 Human Rights Campaign study, individuals who identify as non-binary and other newly named gender identities suffer from the highest levels of depression, anxiety, and suicide attempts.

Under the transgender umbrella are three groups of people: (1) those with early-onset gender dysphoria, (2) those with Rapid Onset Gender Dysphoria, and (3) gender theorists who are part of the 4th wave of feminism. Those with early-onset gender dysphoria suffer from a medical condition that desists at a rate of 80% by adolescence-the 20% who persist benefit from some form of social transformation into the opposite sex. The vast majority of people calling themselves transgender are from the second category who are mostly adolescent females. Like self-harm and eating disorders, this social contagion peaks at seventeen years of age, desisting in adulthood. Autistic young people are significantly affected. This group is primarily looking for an identity and supportive community. The gender theorist has capitalized on this chaos and effectively presented the transgender identity as a way of reinvention. Those with gender dysphoria require support, those with gender confusion need guidance, and gender theorists need to be philosophically challenged.

Thomistic realism offers additional resources for transgender individuals, which secular science cannot offer on its own. Thomism embraces all disciplines of science and the humanities to present a holistic expression of the truth. The Thomistic heuristic utilizes medical science and seeking to restore nature by the least invasive means while depending on virtues and grace to provide wisdom and character to overcome obstacles.

This book argues that using a Thomistic heuristic in line with church teaching is better than medical therapies alone, faith-based conversion therapy, or adopting a nominalist-based gender theory ideology.