12-year-old boy who transitioned to female changes his mind two years later

'I began to realise I was actually comfortable in my body'

Sarah Young
Wednesday 11 April 2018 12:24 BST
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12-year-old boy who transitioned to female changes his mind two years later

An Australian schoolboy who decided to transition into a female has changed his mind two years later.

At just 12-years-old, Patrick Mitchell, begged with his mother to begin taking oestrogen hormones after doctors diagnosed him with gender dysphoria – a condition where a person experiences distress because there is a mismatch between their biological sex and gender identity.

“You wish you could just change everything about you, you just see any girl and you say I'd kill to be like that”, Mitchell told 60 Minutes.

After heeding advice from professionals who suggested that it was right choice, his mother was fully supportive and Mitchell began to transition.

He grew out his hair and started to take the hormones, which caused his body to grow breasts. But two years on, Mitchell had a change of heart.

In the beginning of 2017, teachers at school began to refer to him as a girl which triggered Mitchell to question if he had made the right decision.

“I began to realise I was actually comfortable in my body. Every day I just felt better,” he told Now To Love.

Patrick's mother said he used to dress up in girls clothes (60 Seconds)

As a result, Mitchell confided in his mother and explained that he wanted to transition back into a boy.

“He looked me in the eye and said ‘I'm just not sure that I am a girl’”, his mother explained.

Now, in a bid to revert back to his original body, he has stopped taking his medication and is about to have an operation to remove excess breast tissue in what will be the final stage of his transition.

At 12-years-old he began taking oestrogen hormones after doctors diagnosed him with gender dysphoria (60 Seconds)

While gender dysphoria is rare, the number of people being diagnosed with the condition is increasing, due to growing public awareness.

A survey of 10,000 people undertaken in 2012 by the Equality and Human Rights Commission found that 1% of the population surveyed was gender variant, to some extent.

If you think you or your child may have gender dysphoria, the NHS suggests seeing your GP who, if necessary, can then refer you to a specialist Gender Identity Clinic (GIC).

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