Emma Basques, 13, poses for a photo at a park in Portland, Oregon on Sept. 17, 2022. Verónica G. Cárdenas for The New York Times
January’s featured photographer is Verónica G. Cárdenas
Verónica G. Cárdenas is a photojournalist and documentary photographer living in the U.S.-México border, McAllen, Texas. Migration and identity issues are themes that they mostly cover.
“If I didn’t get them [puberty blockers first and then estrogen] I would experience like the worst pain of all, not being me. And not being me, not being free that’s really sad for me. I hate the idea of not being who I am, says Emma Basques, 13, who has identified as a girl since she was four years old.
With the lack of research on puberty blockers, very little is known. As of now experts know that it can affect bone density and potentially brain development if the timing of giving testosterone or estrogen is off.
However, for many people the benefits of medically transitioning far outweigh the side effects that might come because of it.
Jacy Chavira, 22, began using puberty blockers when she was transitioning into a boy when she was 13 years old. Later she went from puberty blockers to testosterone from ages 16 to 18 until she decided to detransition. “I feel like I had some identity issues, but not only gender identity, but identity as a whole.” Jacy had legally changed her name to a Japanese name, “Because I didn’t want to be seen as Mexican, I didn’t want to be seen for who I was. It was like throw away the whole person. I wish that the psychiatrist had caught on to that. Maybe if they had told me to just change my name to John or something.” Jacy also mentions that if it had not been for the help that she got while she was transitioning into a boy she is not sure that she would be here today since she was having many issues and going through the process still helped her. After going through this process she is left with a deeper, more masculine voice and a few physical changes, but she does not regret her decisions.
Emma Basques, 13, poses for photo in her bedroom in Tualatin, Oregon on Sept. 15, 2022. She is currently taking hormone blockers to keep her from going through male puberty and shares that it can be painful for a brief moment but, “If I didn’t get them I would experience like the worst pain of all, not being me. And not being me, not being free that’s really sad for me. I hate the idea of not being who I am, who I want to be, who I idealize myself as. I think of myself as they but also a her.” “What people might get wrong about my gender identity is that they like to think that I am just a girl when really I am much more than that.” Verónica G. Cárdenas for The New York TimesEmma Basques, 13, plays on a swing at her home in Tualatin, Oregon on Sept. 16, 2022. “My backyard is my favorite place int he world. You can do many things. It’s not confined, but it’s also not opened to the world. So I guess it makes it my own little slice of heaven.” Verónica G. Cárdenas for The New York TimesEmma Basques, 13, center left, and her family walk through a park in Portland, Oregon on Sept. 17, 2022. Emma, who was assigned male at birth, came out to her parents when she was between the ages of three and four. Her parents kept telling her that she was a boy and would tell her which clothes to use and which toys to play with, but she continued to push back. They have been accepting and supportive of their daughter ever since then. Verónica G. Cárdenas for The New York TimesEmma Basques, 13, goes inside a tree at a park in Portland, Oregon on Sept. 17, 2022. Verónica G. Cárdenas for The New York TimesOne of Emma’s favorite flowers is seen in their backyard in Tualatin, Oregon on Sept. 19, 2022. “This is my third favorite one because it reminds me of home. We used to have a bunch of these all over in Arizona.” Emma and her family lived in Arizona until they moved to Oregon. One very important reason for which they made this decision was so that Emma could get the care that she needs more easily as a trans child. Verónica G. Cárdenas for The New York TimesA photo of Jacy from when she was 14 years old and had transitioned is displayed for a photo at her home in Grand Terrace, California on Sept. 13, 2022. Jacy had began transitioning into a boy when she was 13 years old and took testosterone from ages 16 through 18 when she realized that she needed to de-transition. “The only cure for gender dysphoria shouldn’t only be transitioning. You should look for other options before. I feel like I had some identity issues, but not only gender identity, but identity as a whole.” Jacy had legally changed her name to a Japanese name “Because I didn’t want to be seen as Mexican, I didn’t want to be seen for who I was. It was like throw away the whole person. I wish that the psychiatrist had caught on to that. Maybe if they had told me to just change my name to John or something.” Verónica G. Cárdenas for The New York TimesJacy Chavira, 22, puts on makeup at her home in Grand Terrace, California on Sept. 12, 2022. “You look in the mirror and you see yourself as you want to in a way. If you’re in a bad state of mind and look good it might not change much but it makes you feel nice to see yourself look good.” Verónica G. Cárdenas for The New York TimesJacy Chavira, 22, passes her time in her bedroom in Grand Terrace, California on Sept. 12, 2022. Jacy had began transitioning into a boy when she was 13 years old and took testosterone from ages 16 through 18 when she realized that she needed to de-transition. “If you have gender dysphoria doesn’t mean you’re trans. But they [psychiatrists] should look into it more because there could be other causes. The only cure for gender dysphoria shouldn’t only be transitioning. You should look for other options before. I feel like I had some identity issues, but not only gender identity, but identity as a whole.” Jacy had legally changed her name to a Japanese name “Because I didn’t want to be seen as Mexican, I didn’t want to be seen for who I was. It was like throw away the whole person. I wish that the psychiatrist had caught on to that. Maybe if they had told me to just change my name to John or something.” Verónica G. Cárdenas for The New York TimesJacy Chavira, 22, poses for a photo at a park in Grand Terrace, California on Sept. 11, 2022. Jacy had began transitioning into a boy when she was 13 years old and took testosterone from ages 16 through 18 when she realized that she needed to de-transition. “If you have gender dysphoria doesn’t mean you’re trans. But they [psychiatrists] should look into it more because there could be other causes. The only cure for gender dysphoria shouldn’t only be transitioning. You should look for other options before. I feel like I had some identity issues, but not only gender identity, but identity as a whole. Jacy had legally changed her name to a Japanese name “Because I didn’t want to be seen as Mexican, I didn’t want to be seen for who I was. It was like throw away the whole person. I wish that the psychiatrist had caught on to that. Maybe if they had told me to just change my name to John or something.” Verónica G. Cárdenas for The New York Times
La fotógrafa del mes de enero es Verónica G. Cárdenas
Verónica G. Cárdenas es fotoperiodista y fotógrafa documental que vive en la frontera entre Estados Unidos y México, McAllen, Texas. Los temas de migración e identidad son temas que cubre en su mayoría.
“Si no los hubiera recibido [bloqueadores de la pubertad primero y luego estrógenos] experimentaría el peor dolor de todos, no ser yo. Y no ser yo, no ser libre, eso es muy triste para mí. Odio la idea de no ser quien soy”, dice Emma Basques, de 13 años, quien se identifica como niña desde los cuatro años.
Debido a la falta de investigación sobre los bloqueadores de la pubertad, se sabe muy poco de sus efectos secundarios. Hoy en día los expertos saben que puede afectar la densidad ósea y, potencialmente, el desarrollo del cerebro si la testosterona o estrógeno no se administran a su debido tiempo.
Sin embargo, para muchas personas, los beneficios de la transición médica superan con creces los efectos secundarios que podrían surgir a causa de ella.
Jacy Chavira, de 22 años, comenzó a usar bloqueadores de la pubertad cuando estaba en transición de niño cuando tenía 13 años. Más tarde, pasó de los bloqueadores de la pubertad a la testosterona de los 16 a los 18 años hasta que decidió la detransición. “Siento que tuve algunos problemas de identidad, pero no solo la identidad de género, sino la identidad en general”. Jacy había cambiado legalmente su nombre a un nombre japonés, “Porque no quería que me vieran como mexicana, no quería que me vieran por lo que era. Era como tirar a la basura a toda la persona. Ojalá el psiquiatra se hubiera dado cuenta de eso. Tal vez si me hubieran dicho que simplemente cambiara mi nombre a John o algo así”. Jacy menciona que si no hubiera sido por la ayuda que recibió mientras hacía la transición a hombre, no está segura de que estaría aquí el día de hoy, ya que estaba teniendo muchos problemas y este proceso la ayudó a lidiar con ellos. Después de pasar por este proceso, ahora tiene una voz más profunda y masculina incluyendo algunos cambios físicos, pero aún así no se arrepiente de sus decisiones.
foto-feminas.com 