- She was the typical girl,

play with baby dolls and Barbie dolls.

- He was a typical roughand tough little boy.

He like to wrestle.

- [Heather] Then all ofa sudden, things changed.

- She came into the kitchen one night

when I was cookingdinner and just told me,

"Mom, I'm transgender, I'm a boy."

- He said, "I went to this clinic

"and I have gender dysphoria

"and I was born in the wrong body

"and I should have been a girl."

- She now has a very deep voice,

facial hair, a receding hairline.

- Kristie's daughter was in high school

and Crystal's son was in college

when they told their parents

that they were born in the wrong body

and wanted to change.

Both moms were blindsided.

And they're not alone.

Researchers say thatthe numbers of children

and young adults confusedabout their gender

are skyrocketing, along withthe clinics that treat them,

doling out hormones, pubertyblockers, and even surgeries.

- And it's just amazing how quickly

this phenomenon has kind of arisen,

and then how extensive it is.

It went from nothing to 45 and they're at

the most elite institutionsin American public life.

- [Heather] Many parents of these kids

are pointing to a BrownUniversity researcher

who has discovered clusteroutbreaks among young females.

These girls who say they're boys

follow a pattern before they come out,

friendships with othergirls who identify as trans,

increased social media use,

often a history of mental health issues,

and stories that sound the same.

- Everything that she saidto me sounded scripted.

So it seemed like she waslearning it on the internet

and possibly from her group of friends.

- [Heather] Kristie leads a support group

for parents of rapid onsetgender dysphoria kids.

It's one of a growingnumber, all with parents

who believe medical andeducational professionals

are too quick to affirmand push medical treatment

for any gender-confused child.

- I was not--

- [Heather] These parents, however,

are in hiding for the most part.

They meet quietly and speak anonymously

when publicly voicing concerns.

Kerry, a New England doctorand lifelong liberal,

is worried about losingher job for speaking out.

She only agreed to go on camera

if we protected her identity.

Kerry initially supporterher 11-year old daughter's

desire to become a boy, buying a binder

to flatten her chest and preparing to pay

$1,000 a month for hormone treatments.

- I went all in, because I looked around

and there was nothing to suggest

that there was any problem with this.

All the progressives are on board.

Everybody's doing it,it's fine and it's good.

- [Heather] Then Kerry became suspicious

because three other girlsin her daughter's class

had also identified as boysand were starting hormones.

When her daughter askedfor puberty blockers,

Kerry's research led to alarm

after learning of sideeffects like sterility

and a host of other issues.

- There is a lot of evidence Lupron

decreases your cognitive ability.

It decreases your memory.

It definitely decreases your bone density.

And it stops the hormone cascade

that puberty is designedto flood your body

with the sex hormones thatmakes all of you mature.

- [Heather] Johns Hopkinspsychiatrist Paul McHugh

believes these young patientsneed psychiatric care,

not hormones and puberty blockers.

Telling CBN News thereis no solid research

backing pediatric transgender medicine.

- [Paul] I'm of a greatfear that we're in the midst

of a political rather thana medical enterprise here.

- It's entirely experimental.

They don't have a single long-term study

on the long-term consequences

of permanently blocking puberty

in a human being's body.

- [Heather] While inmany ways the movement

appears unstoppable, thegrowing number of parents

quietly risking upcould make a difference.

- This is happening tothe bodies of young people

and it's the medical intervention

into the bodies of young people.

And I think that makesa lot of parents sit up,

whether they're on the left or the right,

whether they're religious or secular.

- [Heather] McHugh believesonce many of these patients

realize what's happened to them,

a new generation of medically scarred

and sterile transgenderswill call for justice.

- [Paul] Eventually the truth will out

and we'll know and I thinkwe'll know tragically

that many of these childrenhave been cruelly treated.

- [Heather] For now,Kerry has stopped plans

for her daughter's medical treatment,

and ultimately hopesto speak out publicly.

- I do not understandmy profession right now.

I'm appalled.

I think we're gonna look back on this

like we look back on lobotomies.

- [Heather] Both Crystal and Kristie

plan to keep making their case,

although their children are legally adults

and continue to use hormones.

- He knows that he can callme if he ever needs anything.

Or if he wants to come home,the door is always open.

- I cannot give up hopethat she's going to realize

that this is a mistake

and she will stop the transition

and want to come home

and be with her family again.

- [Heather] Heather Sells, CBN News.