Some Teens Are 'Trying Out Being Transgender,' but It's Not What You Think

In a world that is fascinated with Caitlyn Jenner, are teens trying to be transgender because it's popular?

An Australian expert who works with transgender clients discovered that may be a possibility.

Adolescents are "trying out being transgender" to stand out or gain attention from their peers, psychiatrist Stephen Stathis told The Courier Mail last week. "One said to me, 'Dr. Steve…I want to be transgender, it's the new black," he recalled.

Stathis runs Brisbane's Lady Cilento Children's Hospital. He said a gender dysphoria diagnosis is rare and affects only a minority, 180 minors, he will see at his clinic this year.

He said that most young patients he sees outgrow the feelings of gender variant interests and behaviors, and don't need treatment.

"You might get a six- or seven-year-old girl wanting to dress as a boy," he said. "She may even say she wants to be a boy. When she hits puberty, she says, 'No, I'm just a girl who likes to do boy things.'"

According to The Brisbane Times, Stathis requires children and adolescents to undergo intensive mental-health screenings before he prescribes hormone blockers. Teens must also prove that they have "socially transitioned" to their preferred gender for at least six months.