#littman

[bumblesimagines]

i've been in love with you since the day we met. there. i said it. happy now?

Ginny Miller

i've been in love with you since the day we met. there. i said it. happy now?

Pronouns: He/Him/His, M!Reader

Ginny hated the crushing weight of realizing her crush would never like her back. It was a feeling she'd grown accustomed to since the moment her little mind had been able to process things like attraction. She couldn't help her feelings, always getting a crush on some guy just because he smiled, was kind, or just showed her the smallest bit of attention. It was frustrating, and embarrassing, watching them choose girls who looked like her polar opposite: tall, blonde, skinny, married parents, stable household, suburban white picket fence lifestyle. The pretty popular girls who looked perfect at every given moment. They didn't have to worry about struggling to control their hair or having to deal with their mom disrupting their life by moving from place to place or not getting to see their dad as often as they wanted. 

For a split, brief moment, she thought Wellsbury would be different. Sure, the residents were painfully white and looked too upbeat to be real people, but she'd found a group of friends that made her feel at home and had managed to land her first boyfriend. Sweet, considerate, attentive Hunter Chen. The perfect guy. He came from a good family, shared mutual friends, and was everything anyone could ever need or want in a boyfriend.

Except... Hunter wasn't the guy who'd first caught her eye when she arrived at Wellsbury High School and made her stomach turn to mush.

That spot had been taken up by (Y/N) Sanchez, the longtime friend of the Baker twins and brother to Sophie, the so-called 'hottest girl in school'. Ginny had the pleasure of meeting him at lunch when he'd gone back and forth in playful banter with Max and made Ginny feel more than welcome at their table. Hunter had been there too and while she blushed when he brushed off Max's semi-insensitive rambling, the spark just hadn't been the same.

She thought she'd get over it when Hunter asked her out but with her nearly always over at Max's place and (Y/N) and Marcus practically joined at the hip, her crush only worsened. And it absolutely didn't help that (Y/N) enjoyed being affectionate with his friends. An arm over Jordan's shoulders, piggyback rides with Abby, letting Max use his lap as a seat, playful drunk flirting with Brodie and Marcus. It'd taken a couple weeks before it started with Ginny. Hugs from behind, casual arm around her shoulder, the playfights and wrestling over snatched phones or beer bottles.

And then, it happened. 

M.A.N.G had gathered together at Max's place for a get-together with just the girls to gossip, chit-chat, and relax without the rowdy boys interfering with their stupid jokes or teasing. Ginny had settled down comfortably on Max's bed with a laptop resting over her outstretched legs as she searched for a movie they could watch. Nora and Abby arrived looking extremely pleased and an excited Nora couldn't help but spill out the news. 

(Y/N) had officially asked Abby out after years of flirting. 

Ginny had been crushed, to say the least, and barely paid any attention to the movies chosen while she thought back on each interaction he and Abby shared throughout her time knowing them. She'd never seen their closeness as something with flirtatious undertones but she supposed (Y/N) always teased Abby more than the others. 

From then on, her mood had considerably soured and it was beginning to be noticeable. She couldn't help it. Jealousy bubbled up in her chest and spread throughout her body whenever she saw the two together. She became snappier and standoffish, especially whenever the relationship was brought up and cooed over. Even Hunter had begun lightly questioning her, asking if everything was alright at home with Georgia and Austin. 

Ginny groaned softly under her breath and slammed the locker closed. She almost flinched at the person whose face had been hidden by it but her surprise was quickly washed away by a fluttery feeling in her stomach. (Y/N) flashed his pearly whites at her and arched a brow as he glanced between her and the locker. 

"What'd the locker do to you?"

"Nothing," She answered, slipping her backpack strap over her shoulder and shrugging. "Just... woke up on the wrong side of the bed." 

"Think you need to put your bed against the wall then, Gin and tonic. You've been bitchy all week and it's making Hunter think he pissed you off." (Y/N) pushed himself off the lockers and slipped an arm around her shoulders, tugging her close to his side as they headed down the hall. Ginny tried not to think about how perfectly she fit against him, like the last piece in a puzzle slotting right in. "What's going on, my little cocktail? Did Hunter try giving you a private tap dance class?"

Ginny giggled and lifted her hand to stifle it, the uneasiness that'd settled in her muscles slipping away. "No, he didn't. It's not him. I just..." She trailed off, the nerves flooding her system making her feel as if her guts were being twisted violently. She cleared her throat. "It's nothing, I swear. Having a bad day is all."

"You're a shit liar, Gin." 

"I'm not lying-"

"Yeah, you are. You can tell me what's going on, you know. I won't tell anyone if you don't want me to, I promise." He assured her, giving her arm a reassuring squeeze. Ginny dug her teeth into the inside of her cheek and shook her head, brushing his arm off her shoulder and quickening her pace.

Before she could round the corner and try making a subtle break for it, a hand clamped around her forearm and dragged her into an empty classroom. (Y/N) planted himself in the doorway and crossed his arms, staring at her expectantly. Ginny pursed her lips and took a deep breath through her nose. Now or never.

"I've been in love with you since the day we met. I like Hunter but only as a good friend and- and I don't think you and Abby should date. She's a great friend but she can be mean and aloof and- and I hardly see you dating someone like her. I thought I could break up with Hunter and confess to you but then you got with Abby and I just- I... I can't handle it. I can't handle seeing you with her. I'm sorry, I can't..." She blurted out. "There. I said it. Happy now?"

[murphycooper]

javadi only being comfortable talking to the “upper class” patients while pretending she’s not judging everyone else there is so 😒😒😒

[imlesshere]

the feminine urge to dye my hair pink after a minor inconvenience

[augustvandyne]

OMG YOU WRITE OF GINNY AND GEORGIA! PLS IM BEGGING WRITE A MAX BAKER X FEM READER!

Sorry for the aggression… No one writes for her🥲

Maybe like R is Ginnys sister (different mom) but she never knew her mom bc she dropped her off at Zions w a note and a DNA test or something. Maybe she does online school bc she’s always travelling w Zion then she moves with him and goes over to see Ginny, Georgia and Austin bc Georgia was always basically her mom.

She then had her first day at school and meets Max and they both have gay panic and stutter bc yk gay.

Then later Ginny takes her to sit w her friends and Max is talking about this girl she ran into and swears she’s in love and R is just sitting next to Ginny on the end of the table waiting for her to notice she’s there. And she only notices when Ginny asks what the girl’s name was and Max is like, “CRAP! I WAS JUST RAMBLING AND NEVER ASKED HER NAME! SHE KNEW MINE BUT I WOULDN’T SHUT UP TO LEG HER SPEAK! Oh god🥲” and bangs her head on the lunch table and R is like, “My names y/n Miller btw” and Max just slowly lifts her head, and everyone is like ‘how did she not notice the person sitting right mf there! although very max’ then she’s like “I do enjoy the rambling though, it’s cute” then everyone is like ‘oh SHES the girl’ and start laughing at Max. R after saying this gets up and sees her friends from one of her classes and goes to max giving max her phone open on contacts so max can put in her number but she’s just broken. Abby snatches the phone and is like ‘sorry i think you broke her’ and outs in the number. R smirks and kisses Max’s cheek before going off with her other friends.

When she’s out of ear shot Max starts yelling at Ginny, “YOU NEVER TOLD ME YOU WERE RELATED TO A HOT, SAPPHIC MILK CHOCOLATE GODDESS😭 WTF GINNY! I LET UOU DATE MY BROTHER AND YOU DONT EVEN SAY ANYTHING ABOUT YOUR HOT SISTER!”

omg i actually love this. the aggression is very much needed! no one writes for our girl maxine.. she needs the love.

sorry this took me so long.. haha. don’t be afraid to request more. i promise not to take as long this time.

Gay Panic

When you found out you would be moving to Wellsbury for a while, you were through the roof excited.

You hadn’t seen Ginny, Georgia or Austin in a while, and you were beginning to miss your family! A few days after you’d arrived, your dad enrolled you in Wellsbury High School.

Ginny immediately introduced you to her friends. She introduced you to Abby, Norah, and a group of boys that you could care less about.

Your first class happened to be a drama class, where you met Maxine Baker. She drew you in with her vibrant colors and extroverted personality.

The teacher wanted to do an exercise to start out the class, in which the class paired up and acted out a scene of a play of their choice. Max loved the class, but she had no friends in it.

A new face had her intrigued and so she partnered with you.

You suggested Romeo and Juliet—because you can’t go wrong with it. Max stuttered and reluctantly agreed. She tried to get out that you should do the balcony scene, but it came out as a blubbering mess.

The first time you open your mouth, a similar things happen. Red tints your brown cheeks, as you make a fool of yourself.

Normally you can keep your cool around cute girls, but this girl is different. She’s confident and knows what she wants.

The two of you laugh off the stuttering and blushing Max grabs a book off the shelf so the two of you can act out the scene. You lean in close to her and can smell whatever perfume she decided to spray.

The close proximity has both of you blushing again.

Both of you mess up and stutter so much neither of you even finish the exercise before the teacher pulls everyone in to assign the work for the day.

The rest of your first morning is just as exciting. It’s followed by two other classes—art and study hall, where you meet some other girls. After study hall you follow Ginny to the cafeteria where you sit at a table filled with the same faces you saw this morning.

And Maxine.

You are surprised to see her at the table. But it makes sense. All the girls are more quiet than Max, which makes you believe she’s the leader.

Especially because she’s leading the conversation right now.

“So we are like acting the scene out, right, because I swear that our drama teacher hates me,” Max talks fast. “But anyway, we’re acting it out and I swear- I’m in love.”

“What happened to, uh, what’s her name?” Abby chews on a fry as she tries to come up with the name of the girl Max was all about the week before.

“Oh, I’m over her.”

“Already?” Norah barks out a laugh. “That was fast.”

Max glares at her.

“So this girl,” Brodie shrugs. “She hot or what?”

“Uh, gorgeous!” Max shakes her hands all around like she’s have a seizure. “She’s mixed, and kind of looks like Ginny. But she is the prettiest girl I’ve ever met. Like ever.”

“What was her name again?” Ginny rests her elbows on the table.

“Crap,” Max’s face falls. “I was rambling and stuttering and blushing so hard I forgot to ask her what her name was. I told her mine but I didn’t ask. Oh my God. I want to die now. I’m never going to speak to her again.”

As the girl bangs her head on the table, you reach your hand over Ginny and say, “I’m Y/N Miller, by the way.”

Abby’s mouth drops open and she laughs, “Max.. how did you not see her.”

Max is frozen in place. She isn’t blinking, talking, or breathing for that matter. She looks like she might cry.

“Um, are you okay?”

“Don’t worry, she does this all the time,” Ginny waves it off.

“What? Falls in love with girls she just meets?” You laugh awkwardly.

“Has gay panics,” Norah clarified.

“Ah,” You retreat your hand.

Jordan and Abby laugh at Max, whom is still frozen in place.

“Do you think if we nudge her she’ll tip over?” Abby jokes.

“Max, breathe,” Ginny places her hand on Max’s shoulder.

“Thank you for complimenting my looks,” You flash a bright smile. “And I enjoyed the rambling, it’s very cute.”

You see a few girls from your art class and get up to go say hi, stopping near Max, who then takes a deep breath and begins blinking again.

“Here,” you place your phone in her hand and she just blinks up at you. “Put your number in. Your cute. We should meet up some time.”

Abby leans across the table and puts the number in the contacts app, “I think you broke her.”

You smirk and grab your phone out of the redheads hand. You drop the phone into the back pocket of your jeans. Leaning down, you plop a kiss on Max’s cheek.

Max’s eyes widen and she waits for your to be out of earshot before grilling Ginny.

“Virginia Miller! How could you not tell me you were sisters with a hot, sapphic, greek god?!” Max starts freaking out. “What the F?! I let you date my brother and you gate-keep your beautifully gorgeous sister??”

Ginny just chuckles. “She has that effect on people.”

“You better text her,” Norah threatens. “Or I will.”

And Jordan doesn’t even protest.

[crackships-and-manips]

Hero Fiennes-Tiffin and Katie Douglas

[couchlovers]

hello!! could i request an abby (ginny and gerogia) x fem!reader hcs? the reader is goth and is recovered from bulimia and notices that her best-friend-now-turned-girlfriend (friends to lovers my beloved <33) has an eating disorder!! have a good year :3

Sorry for taking so long !! hope that you have a good year so far!!

Healing Together

g&g masterlist masterlist my rules

1,3k of words

hope this is what you wanted!!

You and Abby have been close for a while—she was drawn to your unapologetic style and confidence, and you loved her sharp wit and hidden soft side. Your friendship was built on late-night talks, movie marathons, and always having each other’s backs.

You start picking up on even more things—how Abby always finds an excuse to skip meals, how she changes in the bathroom after gym class to avoid looking at herself in the mirror, how she smiles but it never quite reaches her eyes when someone comments on her weight.

One day, you’re at her place, watching a movie, and you notice she hasn’t eaten all day. You don’t push, but you gently ask, “Are you hungry?” She shakes her head, brushing it off, but you don’t let it drop. “Abby, you don’t have to pretend with me.” She tenses, but when she meets your eyes, something cracks.

“I don’t know how to stop,” she whispers, barely audible. “I don’t even know if I want to.” You don’t try to fix her, don’t tell her what she should do. Instead, you just hold her. “It’s okay,” you murmur, rubbing her back. “We’ll figure it out. Together.”

After that day, something shifts. Abby starts leaning on you more, texting when she’s feeling low, letting you distract her with music and horror movies. One evening, after an especially hard day, she looks at you and whispers, “I don’t know what I’d do without you.” The words come out before she can stop them: “I think I love you.”

You don’t hesitate. You cup her face gently, making sure she knows she’s wanted, that she’s enough, and kiss her like she’s the most precious thing in the world. She melts into it, holding onto you as if you’re her anchor.

You don’t expect her to recover overnight, and she doesn’t expect you to have all the answers. But you’re there for her, just like she’s there for you. Whether it’s holding her hand at dinner, leaving little affirmations in her locker, or just reminding her that she’s more than what she sees in the mirror—she’s Abby, and that’s more than enough.

You start doing little things—bringing her her favorite snacks when she’s studying, making breakfast at your place and inviting her over (“You have to try these pancakes. They’re basically goth-approved.”), and letting her set the pace.

Abby struggles with body image, so you start leaving little notes in her locker—“You look stupidly cute today,” “Your smile is my favorite thing,” “Your body is yours, not theirs.” At first, she rolls her eyes, but you catch her keeping them in her bag.

One night, you two are curled up in your room, and you offer her some fries. She hesitates but takes one. Then another. For the first time, she doesn’t overthink it, doesn’t punish herself for it. You don’t say anything, just squeeze her hand and keep watching the movie, letting her exist without expectation.

When she has bad days, when she falls into old habits, you don’t get mad. You hold her close, press a kiss to her forehead, and remind her, “It’s okay. You’re not alone.” And every time, she clings to you a little tighter, as if you’re the only steady thing in her world.

Recovery isn’t linear, and you both know that. Some days, Abby eats without hesitation, laughs without guilt, and lets herself enjoy things. Other days, she pulls away, lost in her head, unable to silence the cruel voice telling her she isn’t enough. On those days, you don’t force her to talk—you just exist with her, whether it’s lying in bed together, playing music, or holding her hand while she stares at the ceiling.

The nights are always the hardest. That’s when the doubts creep in, when the urge to fall back into old habits is the strongest. You notice her slipping away sometimes, retreating to the bathroom or hugging herself too tightly. So you start distracting her—pulling her into spontaneous midnight drives, making her try on your oversized band tees (which she secretly loves), or simply wrapping your arms around her and pressing a kiss to her shoulder.

Instead of making meals feel like a task, you turn it into something fun. You start baking together—“If these cookies turn out ugly, we’re blaming capitalism”—and let her steal bites of your food without making a big deal out of it. No pressure. Just soft, natural moments.

One day, she breaks down in front of the mirror, picking apart her reflection, voice shaking. You step behind her, wrap your arms around her waist, and whisper, “You’re allowed to take up space. You deserve to.” She doesn’t say anything, but she leans into you, gripping your hands like a lifeline.

Abby has always been stubborn, refusing to let people see her as weak. So the first time she texts you—Can we talk?—you drop everything to be there. She doesn’t say much, just curls up beside you and rests her head on your shoulder. “I don’t want to do this alone anymore,” she murmurs. You press a kiss to her hair. “You never have to.”

Every kiss is a reassurance. A slow press of lips when she’s feeling overwhelmed. A lingering touch when she doubts herself. A quiet, wordless I love you when she doesn’t feel lovable. And every time, she melts into it, as if holding onto you is the only thing keeping her from slipping.

There’s no dramatic fix, no sudden recovery. But there’s you, standing beside her. There’s her, slowly learning to believe she’s worth more than her reflection. And that’s enough.

You never liked Matt. The guy was an ass—always making snide comments, always looking at Abby like she was something to be picked apart. But when he smirks and lets out a low, casual “Looks like you finally started eating again, Abby. Must be nice not looking like a skeleton anymore.”— Oh. Oh, he messed up.

You feel Abby stiffen beside you. Her shoulders go rigid, and you know that comment just cut through every ounce of progress she’s made. Her breathing hitches, her eyes dart downward, and her arms instinctively wrap around herself like she’s trying to disappear.

One second, Matt is standing there, looking smug. The next, your fist is crashing into his face. The impact is loud, and the sheer force sends him stumbling back, his hand flying to his busted lip.

The entire room goes silent. Matt stares at you, wide-eyed, blood dripping from his lip, but you? You don’t care. You’re fuming, your chest rising and falling with pure rage. “What the fuck did you just say?” you growl, stepping forward. “Say that shit again, Matt. See what happens.”

He doesn’t say a damn word. Just glares, mutters something about you being "crazy," and walks off, wiping his mouth. You roll your eyes. Coward.

Meanwhile, Abby is still frozen, eyes flicking between you and Matt’s retreating form. She’s shocked. No one’s ever stood up for her like that. And you—her goth, badass, soft-for-her girlfriend—just punched a guy for her without a second thought.

Your voice is softer now, all the rage melting into concern as you gently touch Abby’s arm. She blinks, still processing, then slowly nods. “…You just hit him.” You snort. “Yeah. And I’d do it again.”

She’s trying so hard not to smile, but you can see the way her lips twitch, the way her face heats up. Instead of answering, she just throws her arms around you, burying her face in your shoulder. “Thank you,” she whispers. And it’s not just about Matt. It’s for everything.

Later, when you’re nursing your bruised knuckles, Abby is sitting way too close, her fingers lightly tracing over your hand. “I can’t believe you punched him,” she mumbles, shaking her head. You smirk. “I told you I don’t let anyone talk shit about my girl.” She leans in, kissing your bruised knuckles first—then your lips, slow and deep. “I love you,” she whispers against your mouth. And suddenly? A sore hand feels so worth it.

[astro-tag-9]

OMGGG I loved the friend squad post 😭🤩

Can you do one for mine 😻?

Libra Sun, Sag Moon, Cap Rising girl

Leo Sun, Cancer Moon, Gemini Rising girl

Sag Sun, Aries Moon, Taurus Rising girl

Gemini Sun, Pisces Moon, Libra Rising girl

Scorpio Sun, Cancer Moon, Cancer Rising boy

Tysm ⭐♥️

So this is a hard squad to find examples of in movies or tv shows….so instead I’ll mix and match. I’m going to think of characters from different movies or shows that I think would all be friends together based on all your placements…Hope this works/is ok lol.

Scorpio Sun, Cancer Moon, Cancer Rising boy would be like Luke Danes from Gilmore Girls

Gemini Sun, Pisces moon, Libra Rising Girl would be Abby Littman from Ginny and Georgia

Sagittarius sun, Aries Moon, Taurus Rising girl would be Emma Perkins from the movie Monte Carlo

Leo Sun, Cancer Moon, Gemini Rising girl would be Carly Shay from iCarly

Libra Sun, Sagittarius Moon, Capricorn Rising girl would be Chrissy Cunningham from Stranger Things

[atl-cardioguy]

These are a few of my favorite things…

[thesecretgossipdiary]

↳ request: oblivious crush ft. kaylee bryant & katie douglas

[llnah]

[kent-farm]

—Clark Kent, Superman and Lois

[augustvandyne]

thank you! so for the abby Littman x f reader, could you make it an established relationship pls?

just a bunch of fluff between them. r always holding her, cuddling her, etc. (and abby does those to r too) can you add cuddles while facing each other and kisses too

maybe add some angst too? but not angst between them two, but rather situations around them? like maybe when abby was getting ghosted by max and co. and or the deal w abbys parents

thank you so much! have a great day ! : ) <<<333

I was just wondering if you could also add like kissing and rubbing her legs/thighs too..if that makes sense..?

not in like an sort of sexual way, but more comfort? like telling her she's beautiful and all, yk? especially after stupid press😒

yes, i’m sorry it took so long to write this and any other requests that are currently pending!

okay, please enjoy, and keep sending reqs!

kisses

Oh, you hated her friends. You were never big fans of the girls. And now, because of a little misunderstanding, they were ghosting your girl for something that wasn’t even her fault, really.

Then on top of that, Abbys parents were total assholes. I don’t think we even need to discuss the reasons!

But you were always there, waiting for her on the sidelines like an amazing girlfriend.

Today was especially bad, because on top of her friends, and her parents, there was also Press. He’d make fun of her about taping her legs, and it was uncalled for. If you weren’t half his size you would probably go at him.

As soon as the two of you had laid down to cuddle for a nap, Abby had burst into tears. It took her almost an hour to stop and to tell you what was wrong, and the whole time you were doing whatever you could.

Typically when this would happen, you would rub her back, tell her everything would be okay, and of course give her small kisses. And that’s exactly what you did this time, too.

The tight hold around your torso begins to loosen, and that’s how you know the tears and dying down, and that it’s okay to start asking questions.

“What happened Abby?” You could tell today was worse and that it wasn’t just her parents and the girls. There was more pain in her eyes, and you hated to see it.

She opens her mouth to reply, but then shuts it.

“It’s okay, take your time,” You wipe her tears and plant a kiss on her head. “You are beautiful, Abby, I promise.”

“But, Press—“

“I don’t give a shit was Press said, or what Max said, or what your parents said. The only thing that matters is what I say, right?” You tilt your head, a lump forming in your throat from the condition all these people have put her in.

Abby nodded.

“Good, good,” You give a smile, but it doesn’t reach your eyes. And it probably won’t until you see Abby happy and smiling again.

Abby is lying on her side, so you have easy access to her thighs, and you can tell she didn’t tape them today.

Truth be told, you preferred her when she had no tape, and everything was just her. That’s why you were with her—for her.

She’s wearing leggings today, so there would be no reason for her to use the tape—not that there is a reason regardless, she’s beautiful the way she is! But Press made fun of her even if she wasn’t wearing it, and you knew it.

“I love you, Abs,” You rub her thighs in a reassuring way, rather than a sexual way. “You don’t need the tape, okay? Remember what we just said? Say it with me. Nobody matters—“

“But you,” Abby finished for you, a small smile playing your lips.

“Exactly,” You look at her sympathetically. How could so many people cause so much hurt to such a small girl? “Let me take care of you.”

She takes it just the way you were hoping. She didn’t think for a second you were being sexual, because you would never take advantage of her when she was in such a state.

She knew you only wanted to comfort her, and that’s exactly what you did.

You were the only person she ever really felt comfortable being naked around, she she let you take her leggings off to you could rub and kiss her thighs.

You rub her right leg while placing a few kisses on her left thigh before speaking again, “I love you more than anything, Abby. Please don’t let them hurt you. I can’t bare to see you so distraught. But if you need to cry again, I’m always here, baby.”

You continue to kiss her thighs until she says enough, and leans down to kiss you.

“I feel better, thank you,” Abby smiles.

“I’m glad to hear it,” You beam. You place more kisses all around her face—her forehead, cheeks, chin, everywhere.

You spend the rest of the night binge watching your guys new favorite show.

[religion-is-a-mental-illness]

Published: Mar 30, 2023

For over a decade, the Gender Affirmative Model has been the standard of care for gender dysphoric youth across the West. Yet, despite its widespread and long-standing use, good evidence to support it remains elusive.  Maybe that’s because there isn’t any.

A new paper reports on results from a survey of 1,655 parents of children who developed gender dysphoria during adolescence or soon after. American Academy of Pediatrics guidelines recommend affirming these kids in their new gender, and supporting them along the path to social, medical (hormonal), and surgical transition.

The results of this survey provide strong support for Dr. Littman’s Rapid-Onset Gender Dysphoria (ROGD) hypothesis, which suggests that gender dysphoria in this group may resolve with time and good psychological and social support, if needed.

Key Findings

Key findings of particular concern are that these children tend to have emotional problems that predate their gender-related issues by nearly four years. Furthermore, children with mental health issues were more likely than those without to have taken steps to transition.  Children who were referred to a gender specialist were also more likely to have taken steps to transition. Parents reported feeling pressured by these specialists to transition their child. And parents reported a decline in their child’s mental health and social functioning after transition.

History of Gender Dysphoria and Standards of Care

About 15 years ago, Western countries began experiencing an exponential rise in adolescents and young adults suddenly developing gender dysphoria and being referred to gender clinics for treatment. Around the same time, a new philosophy on transgenderism began to take root:  Just as there is nothing wrong with being attracted to the same sex, there was nothing wrong with identifying with a gender that did not match your biological sex.  In other words, being transgender is perfectly normal. It is not a mental illness.  If a trans person does have any mental health issues, it can be attributed to the extreme distress of having to live in a body that does not feel right (gender dysphoria), and the stress of living in a judgmental, transphobic world.

Out of this philosophy grew the Affirmative Care Model. This model focused on reassuring (affirming) people that their gender identity was real, normal and natural, and helping them take steps to relieve their gender dysphoria through social, medical (hormonal) and surgical transition. In order to address their social distress from lack of acceptance, much effort is devoted to creating a supportive environment among friends, family, schools and society in general.

Although there was almost no evidence to support it at the time, the Affirmative Care Model quickly became the standard of care in most Western countries.

In 2016, Dr. Littman noticed an anomalous spike in teenage girls suddenly declaring themselves transgender and became concerned.  She conducted a survey of their parents to learn more about this new phenomenon.  Based on what she found, she proposed that a new sub-category of gender dysphoria had emerged, this one sharing more similarities with anorexia and other eating disorders than with the previously recognized types of gender dysphoria.  Dr. Littman described Rapid Onset Gender Dysphoria (ROGD) in her seminal paper published in 2018.

ROGD develops suddenly, during or after puberty in a person who would not have met the criteria for childhood gender dysphoria. Most often, these kids are white, highly intelligent and come from well-educated families. ROGD affects mainly girls, and groups of friends often come out as trans together. The influence of social media is believed to play a role. They often have a prior history of mental health issues, developmental difficulties or have experienced a traumatic or stressful event before developing gender dysphoria. A prior history of self-harm and difficulty fitting in with their peers are also common. Sadly, transitioning is not likely to help these kids with their issues as it does not address the root cause.  In fact, it has a good chance of making things much worse.

The ROGD hypothesis suggests that for these unhappy kids, “gender dysphoria” is a catch-all phrase for any kind of distress, and transition is the cure-all solution

Since the publication of Littman’s paper, the ROGD hypothesis has come under fire from proponents of the affirmative care model.  It’s easy to see why:  The affirmative care model is based on the premise that being transgender is perfectly normal. The ROGD model suggests that this particular kind of gender dysphoria – and the desire to transition – is most definitely not normal. It’s a maladaptive coping mechanism.

Unfortunately, there is little evidence to support either hypothesis.

The World Professional Association for Transgender Health’s newest Standards of Care, published in Oct. 2022 admits, “A key challenge in adolescent transgender care is the quality of evidence evaluating the effectiveness of… gender-affirming medical and surgical treatments.” “The number of studies is still low and there are few outcome studies that follow youth into adulthood.”

Testing the ROGD hypothesis presents its own challenges.  In North America, gender clinics are still using the affirmative model as a standard of care, which views taking steps to transition as medically necessary and thus, would be unwilling to test the ROGD model. Further, ROGD has become such a contentious topic at universities that any academic who broaches the subject risks career suicide. Just ask Dr. Littman and Dr. James Caspian.

Survey Results

Concurring with Dr. Littman’s findings, our survey indicates children who are most likely to develop ROGD are of European descent (78.9%), with above-average intelligence. They are also more likely to be female (75%). Their gender dysphoria develops around the age of 14 for girls, and 16 for boys. This may be partly due to the fact that boys go through puberty later than girls.

Their parents are more likely to be progressive and hold positive views towards LGBTQ+ rights.  Frequently, parents went out of their way to make sure the reader understood this when they told their stories. Many had family and friends in the LGBTQ+ community, and some were members themselves. They just didn’t feel it made sense in their child’s case.

A majority of these kids were dealing with mental health issues (57%) that began around the age of 10, well before they developed gender dysphoria, and 42% of them had received a formal psychological diagnosis.  The most frequently-reported issues were anxiety and depression. Self-harm was also prevalent in girls. Attention deficit disorder, autism, and obsessive-compulsive disorder were reported in numbers higher than the general population.

Very often, these kids had experienced a stressful event before they developed gender dysphoria (72.6%). Some described issues that would be overwhelming even for an adult to deal with, such as the suicide of a close relative, receiving a serious medical diagnosis such as cancer, being sexually assaulted, or being present at a mass shooting. Sometimes, the stress was more mundane, like moving, breaking up with a girl- or boyfriend, or having a good friend turn on them, but the child was having a hard time dealing with it. During the lock downs due to COVID, the strain of isolation was especially hard on these kids.

Parents also reported that their kids were having a lot of trouble fitting in with their peers at an age when being accepted feels like the most important thing in the world. Only about a quarter of parents reported that their child was well liked, and only one third said their kids got along well with other kids.

Parents reported their kids spent an average of 4.5 hours per day on the internet and social media.

When asked whether their child had friends who came out at the same time, 60.9% said their daughters did, compared with only 38.7% of their sons.  The average number of friends who came out were 2.4.

“My daughter used to be so lonely her only friend was her guinea pig. At 11, a girl at school befriended her as did her group of friends. All of a sudden, my daughter said she was bi, then gay, then pan, then poly, then fluid, now trans. Her mental health is deteriorating and the psychiatrists (this is her 6th) seem to push their own agenda and label me transphobic. I KNOW my daughter. When no social group will welcome you and one finally does, you’ll conform to fit in, to not lose the only ‘friends’ you have.”

~Parent of an ROGD Kid

Transition

The majority of the children had socially transitioned at the time parents completed the survey (65.3%), and girls tended to socially transition earlier (age 15) than boys (age 17). In general, parents reported that their children had not started taking puberty blockers or hormones, and surgery was especially rare.

Girls who had friends who socially transitioned were more likely to do so themselves (73.3%), compared with only 39.5% of boys who were more likely to transition if they had a friend who did so.

One very concerning finding was that children with preexisting mental health issues were also more likely to socially transition than those without. This is worrisome, because children with emotional issues may lack the judgment needed to make serious, and sometimes irreversible, decisions about their bodies.

Another troubling finding was that children who received a referral to a gender specialist were more likely to have transitioned. This is especially concerning because 51% of parents who took their kids to a gender specialist also reported that they felt pressured to transition their child.

Effects of Transition on Mental Health and Social Functioning

When asked about the state of their child’s mental health after social transition, they were much more likely to say it had worsened than improved.

Sadly, the change in the quality of the parental relationships also declined, as shown in the table below:

Conclusion

The results of the largest survey to date on gender dysphoric adolescents support Dr. Littman’s ROGD hypothesis. These youth are most likely using “gender dysphoria” to describe general feelings of dysphoria that they have no other name for, and do not understand.  Transitioning will not help them. It can only cause irreversible harm and make things much worse.

Sweden, Norway, Finland, the UK and some States are backing away from the gender affirmative model, citing the lack of evidence and amid the growing number of detransitioners, many of whom are launching lawsuits against the gender specialists who harmed them. (See Ritchie Herron and Keira Bell, Michelle Zacchigna and Chloe Cole.)

Yet here in North America, the United States and Canadian Governments, the American Academy of Pediatrics and most other medical associations, are doubling down on the gender affirmative model.

If they truly want to “do no harm”, then they must follow Sweden’s lead and stop transitioning minors.

==

This should be good news. We have good reason to believe that distress can be resolved by treating the underlying cause, rather than through invasive and irreversible hormones, drugs and surgeries. How can this be a bad thing?

Because it's not about helping distress; if it was, they'd applaud the best treatment that causes the least harm. But it's about using anxious kids as pawns to remake society according to Queer Theory.

[couchlovers]

Ginny & Georgia masterlist

masterlist

These are the characters that I will write for:

◈⋅ ── ⋅◈

Georgia Miller

Abby Littman

Healing Together (headcanon)

[whitestopper]

The actress who plays Abby in Ginny and Georgia kind of looks like the white version of the actress who plays Mari in Yellowjackets