Do gender assessments prevent regret?

In an article published in the journal Psychology of Sexual Orientation and Gender Diversity, Florence Ashley, a transfeminine legal scholar and bioethicist and member of Trans Youth Trajectories, and her co-authors discuss the validity of gender assessments that are generally required prior to hormone therapy or surgery.

These assessments are intended to minimize the risk of regret that some people may feel after medical transition when they re-identify with the gender they were assigned at birth. The authors review several methods of assessment used: the diagnostic criteria of the DSM-5, the person’s gender history, standard questionnaires, and regret correlates. They report that these assessment methods rely on sexist stereotypes and arbitrary or unfounded considerations, and are not sufficient to predict future regret more effectively than informed consent models.

Drawing on data from clinics that use informed consent models – which do not show higher rates of regret – the authors conclude that gender assessment models are not suited to reducing future regret, and advocate for the broader adoption of the informed consent model, which focuses on listening to self-declared gender identity and stated transition goals and helps develop patients’ capacity to make free and informed decisions.

To read this article, click here.