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NC Health News | by Rachel Crumpler
The state’s largest health system says federal pressure influenced its decision. Families and advocates say the move is devastating for transgender kids.
Since 2020, Josh Dumas’ 14-year-old transgender son has received gender-affirming care — including puberty blockers and testosterone — from an Atrium Health doctor in Charlotte.
Dumas said the gender-affirming health care has made all the difference for his youngest child’s gender dysphoria, a condition in which there is a conflict between the sex assigned at birth and the gender someone identifies with.
His son started puberty blockers around age 10 — shortly after he came downstairs one night sobbing, distraught after noticing the first signs of breast development. It was a distressing discovery for the child who had identified as a boy since he was five years old and lived as one.
“My heart just broke for him,” Dumas said. “I mean, he’s a boy. He looks like a boy. Everyone sees him as a boy.” The puberty blockers have acted as a pause on puberty, stopping him from developing breasts or menstruating. Several years later, at age 13, his doctor prescribed testosterone.
“When he started testosterone, the changes were pretty quick in his shoulders and his arms. He started growing hair on his face and armpits,” Dumas said. “He just loves it. Body image for him is a big deal.”
Dumas said his son hasn’t wavered from his identity. He also said that the gender-affirming care provided at Atrium has been life-saving, allowing his son to blossom. But now Dumas’ son won’t be able to receive the care at Atrium.