Relying too much on the science behind the brain's full development. If we're going to say that, then raise the age of majority and everything with it to 25. The hypocrites all need to be consistent. If you can decide to marry someone at 16 in some states, then you can transition.
Fuck this, if you want to you should be able to transition at 10. You essentially choose to transition anyways at around that age when puberty hits, and you make the choice to just let it happen.
That study's age cutoff was 25. For all we know it keeps developing until 60.
I'm a Dementia Specialist, so the brain is my thing. It’s not that the whole brain keeps “growing” until 26 — it’s that different regions mature at different rates, and the last ones to fully develop are the parts responsible for complex reasoning, impulse control, and long-term planning.
Okay when do they "fully develop", since the study ended at age 26?
I understand you believe there has been only one study. There have been many. Let me grab a few for you. If you have further questions, please feel free to ask. 1/ pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24993606/#:~...
Muted. Fuck off.
This thread wasn’t for you — it was in response to the question about brain development. I did support your point about autonomy, and I also laid out the tools to fight the “26” myth being weaponized against trans people. If muting me helps, so be it. Live well.
The brain doesn’t stop at 25. Sensory areas mature in the teens, emotion circuits in the early 20s, and the prefrontal cortex keeps refining into the late 20s. White matter strengthens into the 30s. After ~30 it’s adaptation & aging, not “new growth.” 2/
The “done at 25” myth doesn’t hold. The Lothian Birth Cohort followed people from childhood into late adulthood: intelligence stays fairly stable, but brain function adapts & changes across life. Lifestyle, health & learning matter. It never just freezes at 26. academic.oup.com/ije/article-...
Here's basically what the studies show. •Adolescents (14–17): Research shows teens can understand medical information, weigh risks/benefits, and make reasoned choices at a level comparable to adults — especially when not under pressure.
•Prefrontal cortex: It continues refining into the late 20s, but that doesn’t mean under-26s are incapable of good decisions. It means judgment is still improving — like financial skills or driving experience.
•Lothian Cohort & MRI studies: They confirm the brain keeps adapting throughout life, but there is no “switch-off” moment where suddenly you’re capable. (The 2 I posted) These are the best two studies to use to get people to shut up about waiting until 26.
In practice, the ability to make informed medical decisions is judged by competence, not a specific age. Can the person understand the information? Can they appreciate the consequences? Can they communicate a choice? I have to make this call with dementia in the same manner. Same ethics.
This doesn't actually address the point I made at all.
I get that it may not have felt like I was addressing your point, but I was trying to clarify that development doesn’t mean nothing is mature before 26. Many regions are well-developed earlier, which was really the heart of what I was saying. 1/
My larger point is that trans people don’t need to wait until 26 to make decisions about their care. They’ve had years to think it through, and the science shows the brain doesn’t “keep developing until 60.” There’s more than one study confirming that. I believe that added to the conversation. 2/
No, the point I made is that Gavin Newsom is using science wrong to support banning trans people from transitioning. The one study that they trot out that had the age cutoff at 25 is cited as a reason to ban transition. I'm trans. You don't need to tell me half of this.
Further, the minutiae of when the brain finishes developing is entirely anathema to my point. My point is it doesn't matter. Bodily autonomy is bodily autonomy. Period.
Your original reply was about the brain possibly developing until 60 — which is what I responded to. I absolutely agree with you on bodily autonomy. My point was just that the science itself doesn’t support that brain maturity claim, and it’s harmful when used against trans people.
Oyyy vey. I was not making a claim on brain maturity. I was stating that the reasoning is flawed. As far as that ONE study goes it had an upper cutoff of 25. I'm not claiming that the brain matures until 60. I'm saying that study doesn't actually answer that question at all. Please leave me alone.
All you're doing is pointing out how recently he cynically adopted his right wing stance on trans rights to try and grap power.
I’m pointing out that it is more important to pay attention to what somebody does than what they say. The current administration is a perfect example of what can happen when you believe what somebody says. Actions matter.
So... we should just assume that he's lying now? About what he thinks should be law in the future? And that makes him a reliable ally for trans people how?
He’s in power in California right now. Look at what he’s doing right now in California. Look at the laws he’s getting ready to sign into place this year. Look at the laws he’s planning to sign in place next year.
He is telling people right now in public appearances that trans folks should not be allowed to make their own choices. That in itself is doing harm by justifying bigotry. And why should anyone trust someone who publicly declares one thing and then does the opposite? Dem Trump is not what we need.
What is he doing right now as the governor of California? Is he stripping away right now? Is he kicking trans people out of the national Garden California? Is he keeping trans people from getting their retirement benefits who worked for the state of California?
This is the same dumb argument people have used all along with trump. "Oh, he just says stuff! He won't actually do it!" I'm so done with that shit, and I know I'm not alone. You wanna win? Find someone who isn't obviouly just saying whatever he thinks will get him the most power this week.