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2024 Election Coverage

One teen explains gender dysphoria in a unique way: With a toilet plunger

Mahala Averill-Moffitt with their parents, Kerry and Jennifer, and brother Wilbur. (Courtesy of the Moffitt Family)
Mahala Averill-Moffitt with their parents, Kerry and Jennifer, and brother Wilbur. (Courtesy of the Moffitt Family)

What does it feel like to experience gender dysphoria? It’s when the gender you’re assigned at first — female, for example — doesn’t match your gender identity. It affects more than 120,000 American children and teens, according to data from Reuters.

A Massachusetts teenager recently found a unique way to let their family know how it feels to live with gender dysphoria.

Mahala Averill-Moffitt wrote about their unique idea in an essay in the Teen Speak section of the Boston Globe. They join host Robin Young, along with their father, Kerry Moffitt, to discuss gender dysphoria and the power that comes from being able to express your truth.

This article was originally published on WBUR.org.

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