Today, Dawn Ennis of The Advocate posted a long piece attempting to take down critics of pediatric medical transition. My blog is linked on page 2, with an excerpt from an email thread that took place between Ennis and me:
“Yes, I DO support Mark’s efforts to shine a light on the current trend to transition kids. Please read my blog, because I’ve written extensively about it. I don’t particularly agree with his approach sometimes, which too often ends up in vicious Facebook wars. But his heart is in the right place — and you can quote me on that.
You really have no idea how much people who question the dominant trans paradigm are vilified and harassed. … We have to protect our CHILDREN’s anonymity. We can’t afford to have their identities exposed — unlike the parents who are making tons of money parading the children they are sterilizing before the fawning media. Jazz Jennings comes to mind.”
For any Advocate reader who might be reading this right now because of that referring link, I have this question for you:
Are you aware that The Advocate, initially a strong voice for gay and lesbian people, has in recent years been mostly trumpeting a one-sided meme about the positive effects of transition? More importantly: Do you know that there is a body of research going back decades indicating that 80-96% of “gender nonconforming” children grow up to be gay or lesbian if left alone and not interfered with by “gender specialists?”
Please read these posts for an introduction.
Into the Heart of the Homophobic Beast
Parental Homophobia is Never Examined in Triumphant Transition Stories
Research evidence: Most Gender Dysphoric Children Grow Up to be Gay or Lesbian
Update: And before you write to me screaming about suicide, see my August 3 post on the often-cited 41% suicide attempt rate.
“Transition or die” is promoted to young people on Reddit and Tumblr. For more, see the excellent blog Transgender Reality for this: When Suicide is Presented as the Logical Alternative
I wrote earlier this year on suicide as well. “Transition or Die” should never be promoted by any responsible medical provider or media figure. Yet it is used constantly as a way to end reasoned discussion and force frightened parents into submission:
Teen Suicide and the Chilling Effect on Dialogue
And finally: Do you think it is rational to conflate anti-gay conversion therapy with psychotherapy that might allow a “gender nonconforming” child to become comfortable in their own body? Do you really think it is “transphobic” to attempt to help a possibly gay or lesbian young person avoid lifelong hormone treatments, plastic surgeries, and (in the case of puberty blockers followed immediately by cross-sex hormones) permanent sterility?
Anyone who truly supports gay and lesbian people owes it to themselves to read widely and understand the arguments of gender critics like me. Simply dismissing us as “transphobes” and TERFs is not worthy of any thoughtful progressive who cares about human rights and dignity.
For the record: Contrary to Dawn Ennis’ attempt to paint all gender critics as mindless followers, I began blogging well before Mark and Lynna Cummings posted their video criticizing puberty blockers and childhood transition. The blog GenderTrender, also mentioned by Ennis, has been extant for years.
Far from “parroting,” parents like me are finding their own voices by exploring the research base going back decades–and even by scrutinizing the words of “gender specialists” themselves:
Kingpins of pediatric transition confess: We have no idea what we’re doing
Don’t forget that there is evidence that medical transitioners commit suicide in significant numbers anyway, later on down the line. Medical transition is an “answer” looking for a problem. As a culture, we are far too obsessed with somatic “solutions” to cultural problems. We’ll cut off the protruding bits to fit you in the box, but never consider getting rid of the box, or even admitting the box is there.
“Don’t forget that there is evidence that medical transitioners commit suicide in significant numbers anyway, later on down the line.”
Yes, It takes the air out of the, “But they’ll kill themselves if we don’t,” argument, they’re just as likely to kill themselves if you do.
From what I understand, according to the PLOS study, suicide risk is not decreased by medical transition. So all of this surgery and hormones is for nothing, the risk of suicide remains the same.
You should ask your readers from The Advocate if they favor nonprofits run by late transitioning men sending breast binders, a medical device that can result in broken ribs and deformed rib cages, to minors without their parents consent or a diagnosis of gender dysphoria by a doctor.
And how they feel about giving children drugs like Lupron, which is known to cause nasty side effects in *adults.*
From my observations, most people in the LGB community have not really taken the time to dig into the details on trans stuff–particularly when it comes to kids. I’m hoping some who read this post will take the time to do that now. Really look into what is being done to kids and teens who would otherwise likely grow up to be wonderful, “gender nonconforming” (read: independent and brave) adults with the ability to have their own biological kids if they so choose. They’d be fine role models to other young people who don’t fit into gender boxes. And many of those adults would be gay or lesbian, not chronic patients haunting surgeons’ and endocrinologists’ offices for the rest of their lives.
Yeah, you can forget that. The LGB have no appreciation for consequences. If they had, we would never have had this happen, more or less having these people under our umbrella. Instead what they have done is to allow one group of assimilationists compete with another group of assimilationists, with the winner or winners inviting themselves of some right to edit the rest of us.
Reblogged this on anywomans humanity.
What are the adverse side effects of cross-sex hormones? We learned from the Women’s Health Initiative that same-sex hormone replacement therapy for women has life-threatening consequences. Recent warnings have appeared about same-sex testosterone treatments being associated with increased disease and mortality.
Why are doctors giving cross-sex, unproven hormone treatments to trans youth with permanent sterility as an outcome? Profit. How can youth give Informed Consent for them for therapies that will likely shorten their life due to adverse side effects? Can’t.
If transgender are less than 1% of our population, how come we get Lgbt *trans rights championed before women get an equal rights amendment (ERA)?
Why are a tiny sub-group of male-born people, with sexual cross-dressing fetish/autogynephilia able to silence and harass born females who question the basic premise that sex can ever be truly changed?
If transgender male to trans commit violent crimes at the same rate as other born males, why do male feelings trump born women’s need for safe spaces free from rape/assault by men?
Sexualizing young children is sexual abuse.
Jenner is a 65 year old grand father who would be way post-menopausal. Doctors are advised not to give born women replacement estrogens, but this unhealthy practice is now touted as heroism? Really? A rich, white Republican heterosexual who has watched how many hours of porn before getting the feelings of being a woman emerge?
Sex paraphilias was not the reason I participated in gay and civil rights liberation. The new queer alphabet soup bears little Lesbian presence anymore. Most of those orgs leadership now taken over by *trans who are demanding rigid sex stereotypical gender roles with men defining traits for women such as liking dresses, high heels and nail polishes.
More male sexual domination of women. Gender is a hierarchy that enforces male domination.
Be transgender, fine. But abolish gender stereotypes to allow femme guys and butch gals w/o dangerous therapies and surgeries to mimic facsimiles of cross sex appearances.
If human being brains do not mature completely until mid-20’s, why permanently alter bodies and take drugs lifelong to conform to this new, cult trans phenomenon?
Profit, combined with homophobia. Let kids be kids. Leave their gonads alone and change the world not their body. If male toilets unsafe for men in dresses, work on changing toxic masculinity that harms trans, don’t send more men into sex-segregated safe spaces for females.
Nobody. Ever. Changes sex. Transgender is a psychological issuer, not medical.
Thankyou for your thoughtful opinion. Some will listen . Some will decide you are to be silenced. Keep it up.
I was included/partially quoted in Dawns piece and somebody became so annoyed with what I said that they got my FB page shut down. Of course that also meant that any comments I have made on that piece have disappeared along with my page. Sad that something like that can happen,
Yes. Why the thought policing around this issue? Why are the proponents of transition afraid of people disagreeing with them? That alone is something reporters ought to look into. Thank you for commenting here, charlie c.
http://www.smh.com.au/good-weekend/the-inbetweeners-20150730-ginojq.html
This was published on the 1st August in on of Australia’s major newspapers.
Joel Nowak – Walt Heyer and others –
Gender identity is far from an exact science – and those who change their sex but still feel “wrong” are paying the price.