It has been revealed that a children’s hospital in Maine offers services for “transgender children,” including puberty blockers, hormone therapy, and surgery.
The Barbara Bush Children’s Hospital also offers how-to guides on genital “tucking” for boys and “chest binding” for girls.
A video about a 9-year-old biologically male child who identifies as transgender was shared by the popular Twitter account Libs of TikTok.
The child was treated through Barbara Bush Children’s Hospital’s gender clinic.
The 2016 video focuses on Lucy Tidd, who “was born Benjamin Thomas Tidd in 2006.”
“We noticed at a young age there was this tendancy to want to dress up, and want to do what I do everyday,” said Tidd’s mother Bridget.
In one part of the video, pediatric endocrinologist Dr. Jerrold Olshan said “This isn’t a choice in most individuals, this is probably biologically programmed.”
“About one in four will attempt suicide, about half will consider suicide during adolescence and so our big goal is how do we help this population do better in the long run,” Olshan added.
A psychiatrist at the hospital, Erin Belfort, said “these kids aren’t just kind of wishing to be the other gender I mean, they really come into my office and say, ‘No, I am. I am not a girl or I am not a boy, this doesn’t feel right.'”
Belfort added that it is “crucial for transgender children to get the proper support from their families and the medical community.”
Libs of TikTok also shared several guides from the clinic, including a detailed one on “tucking” for boys.
“This handout will help you learn about the different options for tucking. Tucking is used to flatten the space between the legs,” the guide says.
It lists two methods of “tucking” and includes several risks such as skin irritation and potential damage to the testicles.
Another guide discusses “the different options for binding,” including compression shirts, KT tape, and binders.
The clinic recommends not wearing a binder for more than 8-10 hours per day and taking a break once day each week.
It also advises how to avoid “rashes, sores, and chafing” that come from sweating under a binder.
“We support each child and young adult by accepting them without judgment and letting their gender identity and expression unfold over time. We have a gender affirmative approach to treatment,” the hospital says about their treatment philosophy.
