Osher Lifelong Learning Institute
Transgender Identity in Children: Do We Treat, Modify, Prohibit or Ignore?
Transgender identity in children appears to be on the rise. To many it is unclear how to approach these children. To aid our understanding, this lecture series will provide an overview of the etiology of gender identity as we know it, including biological, social and cultural influences. Biological anomalies will be presented to help inform our understanding. Finally, transgender case studies will be presented for discussion of possible management, directions and predicted or expected outcomes.
October 1: The Etiology of Gender Identity
The news and social media seem replete with shock and awe stories of transgender children and adolescents and how they are treated or should be treated medically as well as socially. But where does gender identity come from? And how could it become so unclear? First, we will discuss biological etiologies of gender identity, i.e., how we typically get to who we are. The lecture will begin with fertilization of an egg and work step-by-step through genetic and hormonal development into mid-adolescence.
October 15: Biological Anomalies and Social and Cultural Influences
Anomalies in the genetic and hormonal milieu provide fascinating insights into gender identity and gender dysphoria. Transgender children have what appears to be typical biological development. This lecture will discuss social and cultural influences as we understand them and present some animal studies, speculating how these may inform our understanding of the mechanisms of transgender behavior. Finally, we will discuss some anomalies and how they might inform us about mechanisms of gender identity development vis-à-vis social and environmental influences.
October 29: Case Studies In Gender Identity: Do We Treat, Modify, Prohibit or Ignore the Children? You Be the Judge.
This lecture will present biological and nonbiological case studies to initiate group discussions about strategies for intervention, the dynamics of directing the child in whichever approach is chosen and the social implications of the potential choices. We will discuss family involvement, medical involvement and how to approach the schools and the children in their schools.
Speaker Bio
William Reiner, M.D., is Professor Emeritus of Pediatric Urology at the University of Oklahoma and retired Professor of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at Johns Hopkins. His clinical research into biological anomalies of gender identity is reported in numerous publications and chapters. He received his medical degree from UC Irvine School of Medicine.