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Individuals are receiving diagnoses of gender dysphoria (GD) — also known as gender identity disorder — at younger ages, according to a new study published in General Psychiatry, an open access journal that covers mental health issues and more. "Gender dysphoria" is defined as "psychological distress that results from an incongruence between one’s sex assigned at birth and one’s gender identity," per the American Psychiatric Association. (Rudy, 6/29)

Findings of the study included the average age of gender dysphoria diagnosis dropping from 31 in 2017 to 26 in 2021. The researchers also discovered that the average age for gender dysphoria diagnosis was 27 for people whose biological sex at birth was female, and 30 for those born male. For those assigned female at birth, the highest prevalence of gender dysphoria diagnosis was at the age of 19, compared with 23 for people assigned male at birth. (Perry, 6/29)

Two days before a law banning certain treatments for transgender minors is set to take effect, several Georgia families filed federal a lawsuit against the state late Thursday asking the courts to stop the measure from taking effect, saying it takes away the rights of parents to make health care decisions about their children. The law is scheduled to take effect Saturday. The families asked the judge to immediately block the law from taking effect while the challenge makes its way through the court process. (Prabhu, 6/29)

One year ago this month, President Biden in an executive order promised to safeguard access to gender-affirming health care for transgender Americans, charging the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) with promoting “expanded access” to care in every state. Today, 20 states and counting have passed laws that heavily restrict or ban gender-affirming medical care, including 17 that have done so this year. Most of these laws regulate the administration of puberty blockers, hormone therapy and surgeries to transgender minors, but measures adopted in some states, including Florida and Missouri, threaten to limit access to care for adults, too. (Migdon, 6/30)

After sharing an inflammatory video opposing teachers unions last month, the Oklahoma State Department of Education put out a new "public service message" on Thursday describing transgender students as a threat in schools. The message continues state schools Superintendent Ryan Walters' ongoing opposition to the presence of transgender students in school bathrooms and to classroom discussions of gender-nonconforming identities. Members of Oklahoma's LGBTQ+ community have said this rhetoric is harmful to transgender youths who are already vulnerable. (Martinez-Keel, 6/29)