Teoh: Hi I'm Teoh Charlie: Hi I'm Charlie
Alex: I'm Alex Teoh: And today we're talking about puberty
myths for trans people
Teoh: So puberty is a difficult time for most people, but particularly for trans people,
mainly because that's when they start noticing that perhaps they're not happy with the gender
they were assigned at birth Alex: Puberty is kind of when I saw the fork
in the road. Guys going one way, girls going another, and I didn't really feel like I conformed
to either at the time Charlie: Puberty can be a minefield even if
you don't have any other issues to deal with. Being trans is just something that really
complicates that. You can find it quite difficult to talk about the things that you're feeling
Teoh: So there's lots of myths when it comes to puberty, now let's bust some of those ones
about trans people. The first one is sexuality and gender is the same thing
Charlie: Really your sexuality, your sexual preference is independent of your gender identity
Alex: Sexuality is more who you like and gender is who you are
Teoh: How about the idea that you know as soon as you go through puberty it's like a
switch, and you're like oh I'm trans. Is there any validity to that?
Charlie: People are discovering things about themselves all the time and you might discover
that you're trans in puberty, it might not become apparent to you until you're quite
a bit older Alex: I know a lot of trans guys out there
that haven't transitioned til they're in their 40s and you know, they're just as masculine
as anyone else that's transitioned Teoh: How about the idea that there are manly
things and there are feminine things? Alex: When I was first entering my transition
I suddenly felt really self-conscious of the things I liked, because I felt like - I don't
know - I had to prove myself to like my mum or my dad so I'd stay completely away from
anything sparkly or girly or frilly and these days, you know, you'll find me in my room
late at night painting my boyfriends toenails Charlie: I grew up I had two older brothers,
you know I had like GI Joe and Star Wars and things like that. I used to like playing soldiers
and things that most little boys do, and yet at the same time I felt like I was female
Alex: I've always thought there's no boy things or girl things, they're just kind of you things,
and you don't have to prove to anyone just based on what you like to do
Teoh: Another myth is that you can't stop puberty
Charlie: Through using hormone blockers you can stop the onset of puberty
Alex: If you decide you don't want to take them anymore then you know, changes will continue
to happen Teoh: You can go to a GP, a trained medical
practitioner and they can prescribe you hormone blockers and that can give you a bit more
control over that period in your life Charlie: If that is something you decide to
do, and you act on it, great, but if you don't it's really not a barrier to transitioning,
and also to transitioning successfully Alex: I didn't take blockers either. I mean,
a lot of the time you have to have your parents permission, and some people don't have you
know, that kind of support. If you continue with the hormone blockers you can then go
on to having treatment with like hormone replacement. A lot of people think that like hormones are
magic elixir, and that's not the case Charlie: Hormones can help you feel more at
ease but ultimately happiness has to come from you
Teoh: I think it's also important to point out that some of this stuff you can't get
until you're 18 years old Charlie: Like Alex said you shouldn't see
hormones as like the magic Teoh: GPs are a bit tricky sometimes, aren't
they? Alex: When I first went to talk to a professional
about it, my GP had no idea what I was talking about and they referred me to the wrong place
Teoh: A lot of young people think oh I can't change my doctor, but if your doctor doesn't
get you on a certain thing you can ask for a different doctor and you should
Charlie: It's good to make that point that you know often GPs don't really have any experience
with dealing with trans people Teoh: Another myth is that puberty is irreversible
Charlie: Even if you've gone through puberty you can still do a lot of things through use
of hormones, through exercise, through the way you dress, the way you present
Alex: Some people naturally transition Teoh: If you look at it the right way it can
become quite a good period of time to experiment Charlie: Maybe take small steps, and try and
find out what works for you. It's really about expressing your gender in the way that you
feel comfortable. Hormones and surgery might play a part in that but conversely they might
not Teoh: Another puberty myth - if your voice
breaks, you're not going to sound female Charlie: Again that is a myth. I can see why
people would worry about that. Personally, it was a concern for me. Quite a bit of hard
work but also working with speech therapists you can entirely learn to retrain your voice
and speak in a way that sounds completely natural. My voice feels like my default voice,
it's not like I'm having to think about doing it all the time
Teoh: So a young person might be worried that by being trans it might hold them back with
careers or success later in life. Is there any truth to that?
Charlie: Trans people are just people. They're capable of the same things that anyone else
is capable of. They have the same opportunities, the same rights
Alex: It's all about just having the skill to do it, and if you're good at it then obviously
someone's going to hire you whether you're trans or cis
Teoh: The equality act of 2010 protects trans people from discrimination in the workplace
Charlie: So don't let being trans stop you from achieving your goals. I think one really
important thing is that you mustn't feel alone. For me, I felt very alone at times. I felt
very self-conscious about talking to anyone in fact. The doctor, friends, parents
Alex: Transitioning is a very big thing, and it's going to be for the rest of your life
so you're going to need people there with you
Charlie: And I think now there's a lot of support out there, there's things like YouTube,
you know online communities, forums Alex: Being trans is a really complex thing
and everyone goes through it a different way. Don't give up, do your research, and prove
them wrong Charlie: Stick to your guns and be true to
yourself Teoh: Thank you so much for coming in Alex
and Charlie Alex & Charlie: Thank you
Teoh: And I'll see you next week. Bye!