ABSTRACT
The subjective experience of gender and the process of adolescence are both characterised by fluidity and uncertainty. Adolescence is a developmental phase when the conviction that anything is possible, right here, right now, illustrates the operation of an omnipotent state of mind. The appreciation of the ‘culture of experimentation’ that characterises the adolescent organisation was well captured by Pumpian-Mindlin’s concept of omnipotentiality. The rapidity of adolescent identifications and their shedding is apparent in the at times confused and confusing dialogue one has with young transgendered people. Despite enthusiastic embracement of the suspension of puberty by many young transgender people, their parents and transgender lobby groups and services, evidence supporting the purported benefits of puberty blockers is sparse. Some safety studies of puberty blockers are available but in truth we still know very little about the long-term physical effects of halting puberty and there is evidence that GnRH analogues may result in decreased bone density.
