DP. Sexual dimorphism in mammals is a scientific fact. That doesn’t mean there are not differences/disorders impact a small group, but the group is very small. This debate is obviously not about intersex people. Except to the extent that one would hope the lessons learned by the over medicalization of intersex kids trying to make them fit into a binary would actually be a cautionary tale for biologically normal but gender questioning kids. I have empathy for the parents on here who engaged in a longer journey with their trans kids and feel like they made the right choice. But that’s not actually what this debate is about. It’s about the new phenomenon of aggressive medical treatment and the skyrocketing numbers of troubled natal teen girls suddenly becoming trans. It’s also about the unconscionable quashing of scientific discussion about it. |
What exactly do you think I want? You have decided — with no evidence — that I support the laws in some states banning care. That’s irrational and not fair. And it’s not right. I do not support the laws banning care, to be explicit, and I do not support the use of trans healthcare as part of a culture war (though I will note that the refusal to be honest and transparent about what that healthcare is and does is partially why laws banning care and the culture war use have happened). Here is what I want: better care for vulnerable children that is reliant upon actual science, not wishful thinking. You may think a parent who knows their child does not need scientific support, and you may believe that if there are 1000 studies saying one thing but your feeling as a mom goes the other, you are going with your feelings. But that’s a fairly extremist position, and certainly not one that I believe the majority of parents would be comfortable with. That puts healthcare for gender dysphoric children effectively in the same category as faith healing. That is a position you can take, but I don’t think a lot of parents, particularly those with vulnerable children struggling with complex issues, will want to take or should be obliged to take the same position. Finally, the idea that only people who are trans (which conveniently excludes detransitioners) or who are a parent of a trans child (which conveniently excludes parents of kids with potentially other issues) should be allowed to have an opinion on the availability of, quality of, and treatment steps for gender dysphoria is both untenable and foolish, and would represent an unusual rejection of the scientific process that has advanced medicine for a long time. If you actually want improvement in outcomes for gender dysphoric children then you actually need people who can be neutral. Nobody in their right minds would argue that the only people who should be allowed to have opinions on other serious developmental disorders or mental health issues in children are either people who have those disorders and issues or their parents. It’s simply not reasonable. Sunlight is the best disinfectant. The Cass review is a step forward to better care for all children. I know you must be scared about what comes next, and I understand that, but the transparency that has come out of this will help kids like your child in the future. Healthcare for children struggling with gender dysphoria should be evidence-based, and now that there is open discussion and honesty about the lack of that evidence, progress can be made. |
Probably a good time to end this thread. |