“Do you worry that minors just don’t understand enough about themselves—they’re not neurologically developed enough yet to make permanent, life-altering decisions?” I asked Dr. Bowers. “Absolutely not. No. Absolutely not,” he quickly retorted. “As a sixteen/seventeen-year-old, have I changed attitudes and made mistakes from back then and done crazy things that I never would have done if I hadn’t had the benefit of time? Absolutely. But when it comes to a core principle like gender identity, oh no. Gender identity is a core essential. That is, like, who you are.”
