Referrals to child and adolescent gender identity services are rising steeply, especially for people assigned female at birth

Gender identity questions feature with increasing frequency in the scientific literature and media, but much of it is focused on adults. However, a retrospective analysis of referrals to the Gender Identity Development Service (GIDS), the largest service of its kind in the UK, between 2009 and 2016 has shown a steady increase in the overall number of referrals year on year. The proportion of referrals for those assigned female at birth (AFAB) increased at a greater rate than for those assigned male at birth (AMAB) and now accounts for more than two-thirds of referrals received. It is unknown whether this disparity reflects differences in experience of puberty or if social norms promote greater acceptability of AFAB gender variance than for AMAB.

Arch Sex Behav 2018; https://doi.org/10.1007/s10508-018-1204-9

A new, shorter Anti-Bisexual Experiences Scale may ease detection of stigma and discrimination in bisexual people

Anti-bisexual discrimination is linked to anxiety and depression. In research, a measure often used to quantify this is the Anti-Bisexual Experiences Scale (ABES) but the length of the scale makes it less practical for use in other settings. With this in mind, the authors developed a Brief-ABES …