Page 28 - ARUBA TODAY

A28 SCIENCE
Friday 13 april 2018
$1 million federal grant will help study of transgender kids

nary friends," Olson wrote
recently. "Yet decades of
work on gender develop-
ment suggests these are
precisely the ages at which
nearly all kids are coming
to understand their own
and others' gender identi-
ties." Olson said some critics
incorrectly concluded that
gender-altering surgery is
being performed on the
prepubescent children in
her study.
She also stresses that the
parents of the children
already had decided to
help them make a gender-
identity transition — she's
not the one advocating for
that. Even before she met
the children, they were
identifying with a gender
different from the one they
were born with — often
adopting a new name,
and different clothing, toys,
activities and friends.
This March 2018 photo shows Kristina Olson in her laboratory in Seattle. Among those skeptical of
Associated Press the study is Andrew Walker,
a parent of two small chil-
By DAVID CRARY children's perceptions, she findings were reported two The project received posi- dren who is director of pol-
AP National Writer has become best known as years ago in the journal Pe- tive coverage following icy studies for the Southern
The first large-scale, na- creator and leader of the diatrics — notably that the the Pediatrics article, but Baptist Convention's Ethics
tional study of transgender TransYouth Project, which is 73 children being tracked Olson's research also has & Religious Liberty Commis-
children, including some as widely considered the most at that time had rates of been the target of criti- sion.
young as 3, is poised to ex- ambitious long-term study depression and anxiety cism. An article last year in "I am highly suspect of al-
pand thanks to a five-year, of transgender children be- no higher than non-trans- The Federalist, a conserva- lowing children to be ma-
$1 million grant awarded ing conducted in the U.S. gender children in control tive online magazine, as- ture agents in determining
Thursday by the National Launched in 2013, the proj- groups. The trans children serted that it was "utterly this level of self-understand-
Science Foundation to the ect has recruited more were supported by their ridiculous" to open a study ing," he said. "That seems to
professor leading the proj- than 300 children ages families and allowed to live on gender identity to a be highly problematic and
ect. 3-12 from 45 states, with the openly as the gender they 3-year-old child "who is just borderline reckless... put-
University of Washington goal of tracking their devel- identify with — suggesting learning to use the bath- ting drastically catastroph-
psychologist Kristina Olson, opment over 20 years. The to Olson that family support room, spell his name, and ic decisions about a child's
36, was named winner of NSF grant will help Olson was a key to avoiding the the days of the week." life in the child's hands."
the NSF's annual Alan T. maintain the study as many mental health problems However, Olson said chil- He also questioned the ap-
Waterman Award, the gov- of the children go through identified in studies of other dren of that age, whether propriateness of investing
ernment's highest honor adolescence; she hopes to transgender youths. transgender or not, show federal funds in "what is
for scientists still in the early continue it into their adult- "In a very scientific way, our awareness of gender iden- ultimately an ideological,
phases of their careers. The hood. study shows that this group tity in many ways, through contestable issue — the no-
NSF said the choice was "'Transgender children' is of kids is doing really, re- their self-descriptions, what tion of gender fluidity."
unanimous, and noted that a category we have so ally well," she said in a tele- they wear, who they prefer Olson said the vitriol direct-
pediatricians are already little scientific knowledge phone interview. to play with. ed at her, via email and
using her findings to raise about," says Olson. "I'm in- She hopes the NSF grant "People frequently com- social media, became so
awareness about gender terested in their experience will enable her to expand pare early-identifying trans extreme that she avoided
diversity. of feeling you are in a social the study to encompass children with those who go talking to the media for
While the award citation category that other people youths who are in the pro- through phases of believ- about eight months.
honors Olson for a broad don't think you're a part of." cess of gender transition ing they are cats or dino- "It doesn't feel good to
range of her research on Some of the study's early but haven't completed it. saurs or who have imagi- have people saying nega-
tive things about you," she
said. "You just have to keep
going." Cheryl Kaiser, chair
of the UW psychology de-
partment, described Ol-
son's foray into the project
as a "striking act of brav-
ery." Olson is the first psy-
chologist to receive the
Waterman Award, which
was established by Con-
gress in 1975.q