Walt Heyer, a former transgender woman, is a strong advocate for laws that ban minors from undergoing sex-change procedures. Having undergone cross-gender hormone therapy and having gender reassignment surgery at age 42, he now speaks out to warn people about the negative aspects of getting surgical gender changes.

In an interview with the Daily Caller News Foundation, Heyer said, “They’re too young to be doing these procedures. They end up mutilating their bodies and destroying their lives, and by the time they’re 21 or 22 years old, they wish they’d never done it.”

Heyer believes the option should be withheld from individuals considering a transgender procedure until they are at least 19 and capable of making a well-informed and thoughtful decision. He wants to help prevent uninformed and underaged individuals from “mutilating their bodies and destroying their lives”.

Sex Change Regret, a website run by Heyer, shares resources, stories, and videos for the support of those considering/regretting a sex change. The website provides important statistics, informing readers that 20% of those who had a sex change experience regret later on, and that the suicide rate 10-15 years after surgical reassignment is 20x higher than among peers.

Amidst ongoing disputes regarding transgender rights as far as minors go, some people still push for youth gender reassignment to be legal. Research shows that teens think with the emotional part of their brain, thus impairing their ability to make fully informed decisions, especially ones of such a large magnitude. Prior to adulthood, minors are not able to fully understand or consent to a sex change.