Partly this is the result of increased access to information. As more young transsexuals push to begin transitioning at a younger age, the social workers and medical providers who work with them are confronting a new frontier in gender ethics. Ina and Christian are part of a new generation of transsexuals who are taking their fate into their own hands and changing the face of gender shifting. Transgender pioneers like Renee Richards, whose sex change in 1975 made headlines around the world, had navigated the mental health system for years before transitioning. But adolescents are, well, adolescent.
Adults often have difficulty interpreting their behavior.
There's the nightmarish prospect of a teenager going through with a sex change and deciding later that it was a mistake. Jayne Jordan knows of one such case - a biological male who identified as female and had taken estrogen from age 16. He had breast implants and was surgically castrated, then decided he wanted to go back to being male. He had the implants removed - but since he has no testicles, he'll be taking testosterone for the rest of his life. Ina acknowledges the potential for mixed-up teenagers to do themselves harm, but she maintains that for the most part, slowing the transition process for minors serves mainly to make the adults involved more comfortable.