What happens when a child never experiences puberty? James Linehan knows firsthand. Born with a rare disorder that prevented his body from naturally maturing, he remained stuck in a childlike state long after his peers grew up. As modern medicine intentionally blocks puberty in gender-questioning youth, his experience offers a sobering window into the consequences that may await these children.
About James Linehan
James Linehan was born with congenital hypogonadotropic hypogonadism (CHH), a disorder of sexual development where his pituitary gland failed to produce the hormones necessary to trigger puberty. While his peers developed normally during adolescence, James remained physically and emotionally underdeveloped, creating an increasingly noticeable contrast as he entered his mid-teens. By age 16, the difference became concerning enough that his father, a physician who recognized the medical implications, sought intervention at the University of California San Francisco endocrinology clinic. There, James began hormone replacement therapy to address his condition.
Despite treatment, CHH has left lasting effects on James's life, including infertility and underdeveloped anatomy. Drawing from his personal medical journey, he now advocates against the use of puberty blockers in children, highlighting concerns about their potential permanent effects—consequences he understands intimately through his own experience with delayed development.
Professionally, James works in artificial intelligence, specializing in large language models. He holds a master's degree in his field and has shared his expertise as an adjunct lecturer, balancing his industry career with academic engagement.
The Vulnerability of the Undeveloped Mind
One of James's most striking revelations was how the absence of puberty left him extraordinarily vulnerable to manipulation:
"I was unusually docile, unusually ability to be manipulated very easily... Blocking puberty makes you very docile. Block puberty makes you vulnerable. It makes you prone to suggestion. You can manipulate them very easily."
This vulnerability has profound implications for informed consent in gender medicine, where children are asked to make life-altering decisions. Stella O'Malley, a psychotherapist who works with detransitioners through Beyond Trans, noted that many who had their puberty blocked seem to retain this unusual docility even into adulthood, often lacking appropriate anger about what happened to them.
The Journey Through Medical Puberty
At 16, James began testosterone treatment, and the effects were dramatic. Within six months, he became "a completely different person," suddenly questioning his childish interests and experiencing new attractions and emotions. However, this medically-induced puberty differed significantly from natural development because he didn't experience it alongside peers who could help him navigate the changes.
This social isolation had lasting effects. Studies of people with his condition showed five times the rate of never forming sexual relationships, with most experiencing psychosexual problems including difficulty with intimate relationships and body shame.
The Fertility Deception
James expressed particular concern about claims that puberty blockers don't affect fertility:
"I kept seeing them say puberty blockers don't cause infertility. And they do. That's the main function of them."
He explains that when doctors provide sex hormones like testosterone or estrogen, they're bypassing the pituitary gland that normally produces both fertility hormones and sex hormones as a byproduct. This contradicts reassurances often given to young patients and aligns with warnings from the Mayo Clinic about potential irreversible fertility impacts.
Creating an Unprecedented Human Experiment
James raises profound ethical concerns about blocking puberty in gender-questioning youth, noting that we're creating:
"Something we have never quite ever had on this planet. Somebody who is one sex and getting the hormones of the other sex and never went through the puberty of the natal sex."
The long-term consequences remain largely unknown, with James experiencing significant health issues decades later, including rheumatoid arthritis directly linked to his hormone condition. He concludes with a warning:
"This sort of Frankenstein stuff is going to end in a lot of suffering and somebody's going to have to explain to these kids why they did that when they're kids."
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