Hi Reddit! I’m Dr. Kate Greenberg, assistant professor of adolescent medicine at the University of Rochester Medical Center. Here, I serve as director of the Gender Health Services clinic, which provides services and support for families, youth, and young adults who identify as transgender or gender non-conforming. Transgender men and women have existed throughout human history, but recently, Caitlyn Jenner, Laverne Cox, and others have raised societal awareness of transgender people. Growing up in a world where outward appearance and identity are so closely intertwined can be difficult, and health professionals are working to support transgender people as they seek to align their physical selves with their sense of self. At our clinic, we offer cross-gender hormone therapy, pubertal blockade, and social work services. We also coordinate closely with urologists, endocrinologists, voice therapists, surgeons, and mental health professionals. Hey all! I’m here and answering questions. First, let me say that I’m pretty impressed with what I’ve read so far on this AMA - folks are asking really thoughtful questions and where there are challenges/corrections to be made, doing so in a respectful and evidence-based fashion. Thanks for being here and for being thoughtful when asking questions. One of my mantras in attempting to discuss trans* medicine is to encourage questions, no matter how basic or unaware, as long as they’re respectful. I will use the phrase trans/trans folks/trans* people throughout the discussion as shorthand for much more complex phenomena around people’s sense of self, their bodies, and their identities. I’d also like to say that I will provide citations and evidence where I can, but will also admit where I’m not aware of much evidence or where studies are ongoing. This is a neglected area of healthcare, and as I tell parents and patients in my clinic, there’s a lot more that we don’t know and still need to figure out. I’m a physician and hormone prescriber, not a psychologist or mental health provider, so I’ll also acknowledge where my expertise ends. Edit: Thanks to everyone for the questions and responses. I will try to come back this evening to answer more questions, and will certainly follow the comments that come in. Hope this was helpful. Moderator Warning: We know that many people have strong feelings about this issue, if you are unable to comment in a civil manner, it would be best to not comment. Our policies on hate-speech will be rigorously enforced, and violators will find their accounts banned without warning. /r/science is about discussing the science of issues, not your personal biases or opinions.