Gender identity is fluid in adolescence
Young people need time for an 'identity moratorium' before deciding if they are trans
Adolescents today are often pushed toward irreversible decisions regarding their gender identity, rather than being given the necessary space for experimentation, exploration, and self-understanding.
The gender affirming approach undermines critical thinking, fosters polarization, and reduces tolerance for dissent. It stifles the development of coping strategies and restricts psychological growth - undermining nearly everything we know that adolescents need to thrive. By presenting the idea that one can change sex as a certainty, we remove important developmental guardrails and mislead young people at a vulnerable stage in life.
Instead of affirming gender identity prematurely, we must acknowledge the complex interplay of biological, psychological, social, and cultural factors involved in gender incongruence and dysphoria, as highlighted by de Vries et al (2014). Adolescents need time, space, and support to question and explore their identity without pressure or haste. Identity exploration is a hallmark of the period between 13 years and early twenties; psychological theorists define this stage of development as "identity moratorium" - a period of exploration and experimentation marked by confusion and crisis (Erikson, 1968; Marcia, 1966).
Evidence suggests that gender identity is fluid during adolescence. Bachmann et al (2024) found that less than 50% of adolescents diagnosed with gender dysphoria maintained that diagnosis over a five-year period. Similarly, research by Rawee et al (2024) shows that nearly 20% of 11-year-olds report questioning their gender, but this figure drops to below 2% in the mid-twenties. These findings suggest that for most young people, gender questioning is a natural and temporary aspect of development, not a fixed identity requiring medical intervention.
Given this, schools should not promote a singular, ideological view of gender that encourages affirmation and medicalisation. Instead, the focus should be on creating environments where young people can ask questions, think critically, and explore their identities safely and non-judgmentally.
School counsellors and Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) should be equipped to support psychological development through individual and group interventions that foster self-reflection and emotional resilience.
Ultimately, the practice of automatic gender affirmation and the medicalisation of gender questioning in those under 25 should be reconsidered. Young people benefit most from time, support, and the freedom to explore without being locked into life-altering paths.
Encouraging open dialogue, critical thinking, and psychological support - not irreversible intervention - is the most responsible and ethical way to help adolescents navigate questions of identity.
It is so important to remember that adolescents are on a journey. Everyone should be allowed space to make their own decisions in peace at their own pace, to explore and try out different ways of being. The way back must remain open. There is much else to explore and teenage development should not become a single issue path. Uncertainty and delay are difficult to live with but likely to result in happier outcomes.