"More U.S. Teens Identify As Transgender"
Far more U.S. teens than previously thought are transgender or identify themselves using other nontraditional gender terms, with many rejecting the idea that girl and boy are the only options, research suggests. "I tend to use the analogy of sexual orientation," said John Steever, MD, assistant professor of pediatrics at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and director of special programs at the Mount Sinai Adolescent Health Center, explained in "Gender: The Space Between," emphasizing that point that a binary definition is not sufficient. "Most people are familiar with being either straight or gay. And most people are familiar with the concept of being bisexual, attracted to both. So if you apply that construct to gender, then that opens up the idea that there is more than just boys, girls, men, women. There can be people who live in the spaces between that. And I'll often point out examples from pop culture - people like Grace Jones or David Bowie - people whose gender presentation is a little ambiguous."
- John Steever, MD, Assistant Professor, Pediatrics, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, Director, Special Programs, Mount Sinai Adolescent Health Center