That trail leads directly to a harmful place depends on your vantage point. Living in the people’s republic of Philadelphia, I’ve seen plenty of gender dysmorphia and people who have happily transitioned, and remain happy. Who are you to say they can’t do that?

It seems like some people, physicians or other healthcare works, incept the idea of gender dysmorphia into vulnerable kids’ heads. Why? I haven’t the foggiest. That seems wrong.

But it’s inarguably a different transition after puberty than before, and failing to block hormones prior to puberty has irreversible effects; blocking them and supplementing others also has irreversible effects. And you’re relying on a 14 year old to make good decisions, which is fraught. When I was 14, I wrote a paper comparing Bob Marley’s legacy favorably to Winston Churchill’s. When I was 20, I voted for George W. Bush.

In short, I was a dipshit. But I had no idea I was a dipshit. The frontal lobe doesn’t fully form until age 25. I just hope my girls like being girls and I don’t have to deal with this in my house