Protecting Children Affected by Atypical

Gender Identity Organization: A Comparative

Legal Perspective

Elena Falletti*

I “Atypical Gender Identity Organization”

Recently, several news sources1 have emphasized that even pre-pubescent children have
been subjected to hormonal treatment to slow down the appearance of puberty in order
to “choose” their sex2 or sexual orientation.3 However, such sources do not specify that
there exist individuals who, even from an early stage of life, feel that at the core of their
self-perception4 they belong to the opposite sex, despite their absolute normality in the
biological sphere. According to medical literature, these children are affected by “Atypical
Gender Identity Organization” (A.G.I.O.).5 This is a disorder that emerges when children,
even at a very young age6, display “cross-sex” behaviors that need to be understood and
“helped in the maturation of their gender identity”.7

* Lecturer in Private Comparative Law at Università Carlo Cattaneo, Castellanza, Italy. Each Internet source
is accessed on 4 October 2018.
1 E. Day, ‘Transgender kids: ‘Everyone was calling me Sebastian, but I knew I was a girl’, The Guardian,
5 April 2015, https://www.theguardian.com/society/2015/apr/05/transgender-kids-children-change-sex-
families; J. Leake, ‘NHS helps children choose their sex’, The Sunday Times, 17 November 2013,
https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/nhs-helps-children-choose-their-sex-r3vw0fx9r38; H. Devlin, ‘Children
aged 9 with gender issues can delay puberty’, The Times, 19 May 2014, https://www.thetimes.co.uk/arti-
cle/children-aged-9-with-gender-issues-can-delay-puberty-jv2wcqpvrn8.
2 B. Frigerio, ‘Arriva in Italia il trattamento ormonale per cambiare sesso ai bambini. “Delirio di onnipotenza”‘,
Tempi, 24 October 2013, https://www.tempi.it/arriva-anche-in-italia-il-trattamento-ormonale-per-cambiare-
sesso-ai-bambini/.
3 O. Vetri, ‘Sospendere la pubertà per scegliere l’orientamento sessuale’, Famiglia Cristiana, 25 February
2015, http://m.famigliacristiana.it/articolo/olanda-fermare-la-puberta-per-scegliere-l-orientamento-ses-
suale.htm.
4 E. Schneider, An insight into respect for the rights of trans and intersex children in Europe, Strasbourg,
Council of Europe, 2013, p. 7.
5 A. Lorenzetti, Diritti in transito, Milano, Franco Angeli, 2013, p. 49 n. 2; C. Manieri, & S. Einaudi, Orienta-
mento sessuale e disturbi dell’identità di genere in epoca adolescenziale, 2014. (courtesy of the authors).
6 E. Skougard, ‘The Best Interests of Transgender Children’, Utah Law Review, 2011, No. 3, p. 1165.
7 C. Manieri, ‘Assistenza a soggetti in età evolutiva con “Organizzazione Atipica dell’identità di Genere”
(AGIO)’, (courtesy of the author), p. 2.

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