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What Pierre Poilievre is getting wrong about puberty blockers

The Conservative Party of Canada leader appears to only want people past puberty to use them, which would make them redundant

By Lito Howse, Mel Woods • February 8, 2024 4:55 pm EDT

Conservative Party leader Pierre Poilievre stated he opposed access to puberty blockers to people under 18 years old, which appears to demonstrate a lack of basic understanding of what puberty is, and what puberty blockers are prescribed for.

For most people, puberty starts around 10 or 11 years old and puberty blockers are prescribed to delay the onset of puberty. And while they are often used for trans or non-binary children, cis kids are also prescribed them for issues like an early puberty. So to require a minimum age on the medication would go against medical expertise and make the medication useless to the kids who need access to it.

Xtra Magazine’s senior editor Mel Woods explains.

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Lito Howse (they/them) is a queer and trans/non-binary identified videographer, editor and producer based in Toronto. They previously worked for the CBC where they wrote TV stories, edited and control room produced for News Network. They also produced videos for CBC Radio and wrote web articles for shows like The Current and As It Happens, among other roles. They speak English.

More From This Contributor

Senior editor Mel Woods is an English-speaking Vancouver-based writer, editor and audio producer and a former associate editor with HuffPost Canada. A proud prairie queer and ranch dressing expert, their work has also appeared in Vice, Slate, the Tyee, the CBC, the Globe and Mail and the Walrus.

Read More About:
Video, Politics, Trans Health, Video, Trans

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