The thing that bothers me most is that the professionals involved seem to have no understanding of brain development. A child under 16 simply doesn't have the higher brain functions required to form consent to life-altering medication and surgery. They are literalists - tell them girls wear dresses & boys have short hair and they take that as gospel, enforcing the idea amongst their peers. I think it's child abuse to present Gender Identity theory to children in elementary school or younger. Their brains are simply not developed enough to process the concept. The adults are projecting adult capabilities on these kids. It's not a matter of maturity, it's a matter of brain structure and growth. The brain continues to grow and develop until about age 25. That's the age we should begin to allow transition. I know too many would rebel against that idea, but let's at least keep it to 18 and above. Keep it out of schools completely. I don't care if that's unpopular, but exposing kids to concepts beyond their capability to understand is going to have tragic consequences.
It's precisely that adolescent impulse to reject adult ideas that makes them vulnerable to the online manipulation of "trans activists", which based on observation and reports from parents is the single most ubiquitous force driving the situation.
People pushing gender ideology love to pretend its only women or right wing that oppose it. but the truth is gender ideology is very unpopular among most groups. desantis parents rights bills are supported by 55% of FL democrats, and greater numbers of independents.
the fact that some are still going along with this fraud is only evidence most dont know enough about it yet. every gender industry stat, study and claim is a lie. gender ideology has been implimented pushing these lies in secret. why do ppl believe it? because they dont know anything about it. if they did , gender ideology wouldnt have gotten so far. but now ppl are finding out about it. and those that love the idea of this homophobic mens rights movement are spending their time attacking what they view are limited groups that oppose it. the problem with that idea is gender ideology affects everyone. so gender ideology will be scrutinized. and what ppl will find is that none of its slogans or claims hold up.
no, trans id kids dont commit suicide much more than ave. no, gender "care" doesnt help anything. Evidence shows gender "care" to be extremely harmful and completely homophobic.
gender ideology harms women placing them at risk from bio men in their personal spaces. gender ideology harms kids. most kids who hv dysphoria had trama, abuse, homeless autistic or just having normal dysphoria due to being gay. every long term study shows most kids grow out of dysphoria with unmedicated puberty. but once they take the blockers most go on to sterilzing meds. the last thing kids need are homophobic unqualified school employyes pushing the false idea that normal issues are due to the false idea of gender.
people pushing gender ideology have had 15 years pushing fake studys based on meaningless online polls and low quality short term studys that are also fraudukant. UK, sweden, Finland looked at all these "studys" and found their garbage. the "care" doesnt work. no evidence shows it helps anything. ppl pushing this fraud also demand dysphoric ppl be prevented from getting what they really need - psych care. this is a fraud voodoo religion that preys on vulranable people and pushed by the $10 trillion global medical industry. once they take the meds their dysphoria increases. amsterdam says those getting gender care long term have 50% lower life expectancy. thats not a study. thats an actual count. unlike other places, they have a centralized dept that keeps records.
the glee in the authors words suggest a kind of happiness of how so many have been tricked by this scam. naturally, some men dont care if others are harmed, as long as its not them. but some ppl do still give a shit. and once they find out what a fraud this is, gender ideology will go out of favor in the US, like it has in other places that have tried it.
Kyle, thank you for this thoughtful comment. Do you happen to have a link or citation so that I may learn more about the life expectancy findings from Amsterdam?
this study is often sited as evidence that trans id people commit suicide more often, since they also found trans id adults have suicide rate 20x more than ave. so, usually this "study" is cited by people pushing gender care as evidence that trans id people need help. i dont dispute that. the question is what type of help. its known that trans id kids commit suicide at rates close to average. so here is proof of a before and after where the suicide rates are greater after taking the meds. amsterdam residents are participants in many studys that claim gender care helps. as always, when the broader population is considered, its found the opposite is the reality. the "care" cant work if those using the meds have 50% reduced life expectancy, especially since most kids grow out of dysphoria and dont need any care without the meds. its only after taking meds that lead to these terrible outcomes. if im missing something, i would be intrested to hear.
I’ve been bothered by this centering of LGB youth in the conversation about gender id harms and finding it problematic, and I also bristle when people argue that it affects neuro-diverse kids more.
I believe that we have to stop centering some identities as more important, meaning, this gender ideology is coming for all kids, boys girls, straight gay, with all types of personalities, and all types of neural behaviors.
We must stop playing the ‘who is the biggest victim’ game by saying that all kids are at risk and all are of value and all must be protected. Straight or gay they are all deserving of our help.
That is a very good point that if we build the assoc between straight and trans we might actually get this ended.
Also, we need some freaking fun role models who will stick up for these kids to be themselves.
But ... we do make some identities as more important, do we not? Isn’t that what identity politics and intersectionality are all about? Some identities have been marginalized so now they must have what may appear to be an outsized voice. That way they can affect the culture that has oppressed them and denied them their voice.
"Afflict the comfortable and comfort the afflicted," is what journalists used to say. The sentiment has some surface appeal, but such blunt-instrument justice when applied to most human problems just doesn't work very well.
Agree. I’d like my trans identified kid to be as cared about as LGB or autistic kids. They’re all kids who are at risk. They’re all being preyed upon in the same way. They’re all fed the same script, encouraged to demand affirmation from family and separate from them if the family doesn’t comply. They’re all at risk for being put on dangerous drugs and undergoing surgeries.
Absolutely SPOT ON. I just worked on a theater piece with teenagers, something I have done for over 30 years. 1/3 of the girls were they or he! ONE THIRD. None of the effeminate theater boys were changing their pronouns, at least in my show. However, there is a lot more of that now too and I think it will continue to increase but this is currently a mostly girl issue. There are also so many 14 year old girls saying they are Bi or Asexual or Demisexual etc etc. My husband is a public school teacher and you are so absolutely right on with your analysis there. I will be sharing this!
We Terven 🇬🇧 absolutely understand that this is normal teenage behaviour. In a world without puberty blockers-no problem. But as with the ‘Mullahs’ of other ideologies it’s a numbers game. For every 100 who go to the training camp, 10 will commit and one carry out an irreversible act. Sexual function and reproductive function are lost for life.
HI Christina, I believe that in certain states it is considered "conversion therapy" to poke about why a child may claim to be trans instead of immediately affirming them as trans.
And yes, I have heard that many children presenting as trans can also be depressed, anxious, anorexic, and autistic. But, as I understand it, once they say "trans" or appointment is made because of "trans" identity, trying to find out whether they are indeed or not is what is now called conversion therapy.
I was fairly effeminate boy and believe I would be considered trans now......and possibly been counseled to consider puberty blockers and everything else. Most gender dysphoric children grow up to be gays and lesbians and are totally content in their biological bodies.
In my state could lose my license or be subject to investigation/discipline if I question a transgender person’s self-diagnosis or refuse to write a letter in support of body modification due to said self-diagnosis. I have incredible ethical concerns that the lack of actual therapy will cause regret and ultimately harm to human beings. So while I continue to be a therapist, I do not work with minors, and consider affirmative care beyond the scope of my practice. The alternative is lie awake at night wrestling demons.
That makes some sense as many on the autism spectrum feel like they don't know how to fit in socially and are looking for a set of rules/behaviors to feel (or fake) belonging to some group, any group.
Considering that autism is linked to abnormal exposure to sex hormones in utero -- particularly testosterone(*) -- it makes a lot of sense that girls who go on to identify as boys would also have an elevated chance of being autistic.
By the way, the very fact that the majority of transitioning kids are on the autism spectrum suggests that it's a really minor problem.
A problem for the parents and the transitioning kids, of course, but if they're the bulk of the kids transitioning then this isn't a social contagion amongst mainstream US.
Good read, overall. I think ‘gender critical’ (GC) is a better term than “TERF”. I know some women are “TERF and proud” and maybe this post was focusing on that demographic. I just prefer to see “TERF” used as little as possible since ideologues, bad actors and useful idiots use that term to dehumanize women.
Have you heard this one--TERF: Tediously Explaining Reality to Fuckwits ? From mumsnet. I was thinking the same though reading the piece... I winced a little at the term knowing it was meant for moms like me, and knowing it’s a modern slur... the language land-mines make the conversation even more difficult than it already is...
How about "Biological Realists"? Gender Critical sounds like we have some criticism of gender theory, but are otherwise ok with it. I just don't care about anyone's internal sense of gender identity, and I have none of my own, and I don't see a good reason to let males into females' spaces, or reorganize sports teams, or become a medical patient because of one's gender. I also don't see why someone else's understanding of reality should trump my own.
Well I think that’s just being radically gender critical (called “bio-essentialism” by some) and, like “TERF,” it’s problematic because it inherently denies the experience of anyone & everyone “under the trans umbrella.” Which obviously you’re free to do. My aim was just to point out that not everyone who’s gender critical is trans-exclusionary.
"Bioessentialism, a shorthand for biological essentialism, is the idea that we are born with specific, immutable traits by virtue of our sex. To a bioessentialist, sex maketh man. “Sex,” in this case, means everything from hormones like testosterone to “manly” traits such as not displaying emotion. This line of reasoning formed the cornerstone of traditional patriarchal structures: “Men are stronger, less emotional and better suited to lead.” It persists today in the form of gender roles, gender-based exclusion, and transphobia." SO, Bioessentialism is NOT TERFness, or being radially gender critical - it is basically thinking that people are biologically-bound by sex stereotypes - rather like gender ideologues, only the bioessentialists seem to think the bodies we are born with determine who/how we are via sexist stereotype, and the gender ideologues use the same stereotypes and then insist on body mutilation to try to "match" stereotypical behaviour with fake body similarity. Both are gross, but the latter is physically dangerous and very lucrative for the people providing the "affirming care."
Thanks. I never had a good sense of what “bio-essentialism” referred to because I’ve only ever seen TRAs use the term + I never bothered to look it up.
This is great to have Moonlit Piglet here. I think I'd actually refer to our position as that of Gender Critical Feminists or GC Feminist Allies, TERF being a reclaimed slur against mostly (not only) women. Just like I and my friends can call me a dyke but not anyone I don't know and love — especially not men.
There is something to be said about the shifting population. I can see how it also may shift given how conservative or liberal the area. Mostly, as a Nana to two teen boys, one likely ASD, one very socially driven who likes nail polish, I worry about how all this regressiveness will play out in their lives. And for all the kids, and girls in particular, that to be female is to be feminine, male to be masculine.
I'm glad there are teachers like you and I wish administers had more sense.
I would ask the author the same thing I've asked many old-school liberals (which is what he claims to be): are you prepared to vote on this issue?
DEI and gender ideology will be the issue on which I vote in 2022 and 2024. I am a conservative Christian, but I would vote for Bernie Sanders if I thought he would root out this hideous ideology. It's that dangerous as far as I'm concerned. I'm asking if there are any old-school liberals who agree with me on that? And if so, are willing to cast a vote for someone you disagree with on everything except gender ideology?
If liberals are serious about defeating the woke lunacy, I think you need to start figuring out how to be OK with climbing into bed with some deplorables for a while. Because we're the only friends you have right now. The only question is whether you hate us more than you hate what's being done to America's children.
BTW: Good piece. Very much worth reading, and thank you for placing it outside your paywall. This is the kind of story that needs to be heard widely.
Im prepared to become a single issue voter on this. I’m a lifelong Dem (now politically homeless) and will not vote Dem again unless a candidate openly and vociferously denounced this ideology.
If you believe James Lindsay the appearance of the D.E.I. matches the installation of the "commissariat" in totalitarian communist countries. Reports on the destruction of worthy lives and reputations by Substack authors almost always involve a D.E.I. kangaroo court of vague accusations, little to no evidence, and a morally gutless administration willing to allow the destruction of their University or business. It follows the feminist tactic of shunning, character assassination, the anonymous complaint, whisper campaigns and the pile on weaponization of students or "woke" employees who poison the environment and threaten the destruction of the institution if their demands aren't met. Interestingly, after the persecution, the" hurt feelings" plaintiff's in the debacle often end up suing the institution for big money and moving on to greener pastures. Today's B.Weiss COMMON SENSE features the century old business destroyed by the woke minions at Oberlin college. A college found guilty of fraud and defamation that merely flipped the courts the finger and refused to pay the settlement. Woke is a communist grift and considers itself above the law and obviously, so does the American justice system.
For a look at where this is leading us, the recent arrest of a British citizen for posting a meme that made "someone anxious" is a fine example. Later, he was told that if he paid a fine and took "sensitivity training" charges would be dropped. Five policemen came to make the arrest. The WEF/CCP juggernaut is destroying lives all over Europe and America is clearly in its sights. Feel the heat?
The author makes it clear that if he doesn't keep his head down his job is at stake. Where is his freedom of thought, speech and action? Out of FEAR he can't even sign his name to the article. The HORROR is the "this is everyday life" attitude of the author and his colleagues. We are under assault by venal and avaricious people.
Whence the HORROR?
Escalating irrational crime in the streets. Exploding homelessness. The open graft, corruption and ineptitude of our compromised political leadership is in our faces. Think of it, rationalize it, paint it any color you like, create a special "ism" or pronoun but the fact remains. Our children are the only future we possess. Only a morally bankrupt, inept and tyrannous leadership would allow the disintegration of public education and, at a profit, the psychic and physical butchery of of its young.
My opinion: We are in the midst of a pandemic more powerful than Covid or the plague. Proximity to the disease has made us all ill. "We the people" are trapped in the power shadow of the malignant narcissism of world totalitarian communist utopian finance. The theft and destruction of the American economy and the gutting of American industry by criminal finance, and the collapse of Christian moral values has left us with no moral center and, the psyop manipulation of reality by the big tech surveillance state intentionally makes America suffer the equivalent of borderline personality disorder. Because of the gas lighting and crisis to crisis crazy (LIE) America cannot hold a sane center ("..define what a woman is please") and is overwhelmed by the forces of chaos and manipulation. Everyone feels the disease, but no one can diagnose it. It is "Babel". Everyone speaks the language but no one can understand it. Which, is the intended outcome of all manipulated narcissism.
Welcome to the new feudalism. Will it be the lady or the tiger? Heal or perish.
I think this will last no longer than Sixties radicalism did--10 to 15 years. Yes, it will do a lot of damage in that time. ( So does just living.) But it's a parasitic social phenomenon, not an economically or ideologically determinative issue.
I'm referring to highly demonstrative, sometimes violent, radical politics that began (roughly) with the Free Speech Movement (1964) and ended (roughly) with the flameout of the Symbionese Liberation Army in 1974. Did everything you don't like about the Sixties go away then? Of course not.
Thanks for a very interesting read. You made a number of insightful points, in my opinion. I especially agree with your observation that "most of these children are transitioning precisely because they want to roleplay as an oppressed minority." The fact that they are role-playing is evident in their behaviors... I alluded to that point in the lighthearted essay "What’s a Woman, What’s a Man, What’s an Alien to Do?"
Adolescents have always assumed unusual identities and tried on unusual costumes (metaphorically speaking) as they explored various lifestyle options. Historically, it's been the adults' roll to shepherd them back to reality. Sadly, many adults have been seduced by the fantasies... and many of those adults are bad actors. Thank you again for a great read, Frederick
Yes. The triumph of the adolescent mind is at the heart of many of our social ills. Trace it back to the 1960s, or to Rousseau, or wherever, but there’s clearly been an increasing absence of (real) adults in the room in recent years. This gender mania is one result. The cult of Trump is another, as is the self-sabotaging response to him (TDS, if you will) that has characterized many of those individuals and institutions who were supposed to act like adults.
Maybe — hopefully — we are reaching peak juvenophilia and we’ll see in coming years and decades a gradual return to the valorization of maturity and wisdom. The new slogan will be: “Don’t trust anyone under 30!” (Or who behaves like it, whatever their age.)
I agree with you, and I hope you are correct. I'm not clear on why there's been a surrender to youthful (naïve and uninformed) exuberance. I spent a lot of time in the "real" world as well as in academia. Those in academia, where much of this began, are of a completely different mindset than those in the outside world, as you know. However, I'm at a loss to understand why so many nonacademic institutions have failed to live up to their adult responsibilities. Maybe the adults are just trying to be "cool", or "hip", or "dope", or whatever. Or, maybe they just don't know any better. Thanks so much for your comment.
Thank you. This is very interesting. In my country in Europe, the kids who trans still seem to be mainly LGB, autistic or abused children (anecdotal evidence from the parents of ROGD association and personal friends (I have 2 degrees of separation with 13 kids… 1 degree with 5. I mean…).
I also fear that in the schools and the gouvernent, we don’t have secret TERFs waiting for the moment to speak up, but people who don’t really care one way or another, find it silly but not seeing it for what it is.
I do think that as the genderists are pushing more and more and calling anyone disagreeing fascists (and TERFs), regular people will start to push back.
One thing that should be mentioned and is not always:
Trans is the NUCLEAR BOMB of the parent-child war during adolescence.
Children grow into adolescence to find the road to adulthood, and this goes thru Mom and Dad. To win the war, to impose the teen will on the parent, many things used to be done. Today, the trans argument is the sure-fire winner - if you don't agree that I am in the wrong body with the wrong plumbing and wiring, I will kill myself.
That's the NUCLEAR BOMB.
What to do? Simply HOLD THE FUCKING LINE, Mom and Dad. Do not use the pronouns. Do not use the new name.
I'm not sure disowning the child would help. Wouldn't that just push them deeper into their cult world? I'm dealing with this with my 19-year-old (who hasn't done anything medical yet, thank God). I'm very clear that her dad and I don't support any of this and that we think it's dangerous and regressive, but that we love her unconditionally. I'm pretty sure if we "disowned" her, she'd head straight for the arms of some glitter family somewhere. FWIW, she's gay and autistic, so that lines up with what I've seen with friends' kids and heard in TERF-World.
Yeah, you are right. I will edit my comment to remove that. But somehow these kids have to know that they are embarking on a terrible journey. What the bright line, IMHO, is surgery.
In progressive states today, what you're advocating is actually illegal, could qualify as conversion therapy, would definitely result in a CPS visit, and could easily result in you losing custody of your children.
I'm not saying it's bad advice. But stopping this takes much more. We are home educating Christians and this transition nonesense has even seeped into our church coop. Fortunately though, it's so rare that the 1 or 2 ("I'm really a boy" -- and it's always that direction) kids aren't valorized but just humored and treated as kind of odd.
In a culture that values victimhood above all else while teaching some youngsters that they are privileged oppressors by virtue of their race, you will find that some white kids try to enhance their social status by embracing the identity of a victim. Since these white kids can't pass themselves off as black or Hispanic, they opt for non-binary. When they realize that isn't radical enough, they move up to trans.
Critical "theory" (more of a idiotic hypothesis) is being used to destroy young minds and bodies.
"To them, a girl deciding she’s non-binary isn’t some radical blow against the white cisheteropatriarchy or a terrible result of brainwashing by a woman-hating society."
When I was a kitten, attention-seeking human girls usually decided that they were bisexual for a while.
The thing that bothers me most is that the professionals involved seem to have no understanding of brain development. A child under 16 simply doesn't have the higher brain functions required to form consent to life-altering medication and surgery. They are literalists - tell them girls wear dresses & boys have short hair and they take that as gospel, enforcing the idea amongst their peers. I think it's child abuse to present Gender Identity theory to children in elementary school or younger. Their brains are simply not developed enough to process the concept. The adults are projecting adult capabilities on these kids. It's not a matter of maturity, it's a matter of brain structure and growth. The brain continues to grow and develop until about age 25. That's the age we should begin to allow transition. I know too many would rebel against that idea, but let's at least keep it to 18 and above. Keep it out of schools completely. I don't care if that's unpopular, but exposing kids to concepts beyond their capability to understand is going to have tragic consequences.
As a Biological Psychologist, I agree with you.
I don't know how anyone who's ever had teenage kids, or even met one, could believe that they take everything adults say as gospel.
They're exposed to it early in school then it's reinforced by their peers. They absorb it well before they are teens.
Yes, teens are well known for relying on adults for authoritative takes on culture, life, and sexuality.
It's precisely that adolescent impulse to reject adult ideas that makes them vulnerable to the online manipulation of "trans activists", which based on observation and reports from parents is the single most ubiquitous force driving the situation.
not even 18 to anticipate future interest in having children?!
I feel so depressed after reading this.
People pushing gender ideology love to pretend its only women or right wing that oppose it. but the truth is gender ideology is very unpopular among most groups. desantis parents rights bills are supported by 55% of FL democrats, and greater numbers of independents.
the fact that some are still going along with this fraud is only evidence most dont know enough about it yet. every gender industry stat, study and claim is a lie. gender ideology has been implimented pushing these lies in secret. why do ppl believe it? because they dont know anything about it. if they did , gender ideology wouldnt have gotten so far. but now ppl are finding out about it. and those that love the idea of this homophobic mens rights movement are spending their time attacking what they view are limited groups that oppose it. the problem with that idea is gender ideology affects everyone. so gender ideology will be scrutinized. and what ppl will find is that none of its slogans or claims hold up.
no, trans id kids dont commit suicide much more than ave. no, gender "care" doesnt help anything. Evidence shows gender "care" to be extremely harmful and completely homophobic.
gender ideology harms women placing them at risk from bio men in their personal spaces. gender ideology harms kids. most kids who hv dysphoria had trama, abuse, homeless autistic or just having normal dysphoria due to being gay. every long term study shows most kids grow out of dysphoria with unmedicated puberty. but once they take the blockers most go on to sterilzing meds. the last thing kids need are homophobic unqualified school employyes pushing the false idea that normal issues are due to the false idea of gender.
people pushing gender ideology have had 15 years pushing fake studys based on meaningless online polls and low quality short term studys that are also fraudukant. UK, sweden, Finland looked at all these "studys" and found their garbage. the "care" doesnt work. no evidence shows it helps anything. ppl pushing this fraud also demand dysphoric ppl be prevented from getting what they really need - psych care. this is a fraud voodoo religion that preys on vulranable people and pushed by the $10 trillion global medical industry. once they take the meds their dysphoria increases. amsterdam says those getting gender care long term have 50% lower life expectancy. thats not a study. thats an actual count. unlike other places, they have a centralized dept that keeps records.
the glee in the authors words suggest a kind of happiness of how so many have been tricked by this scam. naturally, some men dont care if others are harmed, as long as its not them. but some ppl do still give a shit. and once they find out what a fraud this is, gender ideology will go out of favor in the US, like it has in other places that have tried it.
Kyle, thank you for this thoughtful comment. Do you happen to have a link or citation so that I may learn more about the life expectancy findings from Amsterdam?
https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/958259
this study is often sited as evidence that trans id people commit suicide more often, since they also found trans id adults have suicide rate 20x more than ave. so, usually this "study" is cited by people pushing gender care as evidence that trans id people need help. i dont dispute that. the question is what type of help. its known that trans id kids commit suicide at rates close to average. so here is proof of a before and after where the suicide rates are greater after taking the meds. amsterdam residents are participants in many studys that claim gender care helps. as always, when the broader population is considered, its found the opposite is the reality. the "care" cant work if those using the meds have 50% reduced life expectancy, especially since most kids grow out of dysphoria and dont need any care without the meds. its only after taking meds that lead to these terrible outcomes. if im missing something, i would be intrested to hear.
Perfectly stated!!
Right on, thank you for this.
I’ve been bothered by this centering of LGB youth in the conversation about gender id harms and finding it problematic, and I also bristle when people argue that it affects neuro-diverse kids more.
I believe that we have to stop centering some identities as more important, meaning, this gender ideology is coming for all kids, boys girls, straight gay, with all types of personalities, and all types of neural behaviors.
We must stop playing the ‘who is the biggest victim’ game by saying that all kids are at risk and all are of value and all must be protected. Straight or gay they are all deserving of our help.
That is a very good point that if we build the assoc between straight and trans we might actually get this ended.
Also, we need some freaking fun role models who will stick up for these kids to be themselves.
But ... we do make some identities as more important, do we not? Isn’t that what identity politics and intersectionality are all about? Some identities have been marginalized so now they must have what may appear to be an outsized voice. That way they can affect the culture that has oppressed them and denied them their voice.
"Afflict the comfortable and comfort the afflicted," is what journalists used to say. The sentiment has some surface appeal, but such blunt-instrument justice when applied to most human problems just doesn't work very well.
“…gender ideology is coming for all kids…”
A straight girl with a mastectomy is no more or less deserving of help than a gay boy on puberty blockers.
The harm is real and it is not discriminatory.
Agree. I’d like my trans identified kid to be as cared about as LGB or autistic kids. They’re all kids who are at risk. They’re all being preyed upon in the same way. They’re all fed the same script, encouraged to demand affirmation from family and separate from them if the family doesn’t comply. They’re all at risk for being put on dangerous drugs and undergoing surgeries.
Absolutely SPOT ON. I just worked on a theater piece with teenagers, something I have done for over 30 years. 1/3 of the girls were they or he! ONE THIRD. None of the effeminate theater boys were changing their pronouns, at least in my show. However, there is a lot more of that now too and I think it will continue to increase but this is currently a mostly girl issue. There are also so many 14 year old girls saying they are Bi or Asexual or Demisexual etc etc. My husband is a public school teacher and you are so absolutely right on with your analysis there. I will be sharing this!
We Terven 🇬🇧 absolutely understand that this is normal teenage behaviour. In a world without puberty blockers-no problem. But as with the ‘Mullahs’ of other ideologies it’s a numbers game. For every 100 who go to the training camp, 10 will commit and one carry out an irreversible act. Sexual function and reproductive function are lost for life.
"Terven" Terf has a plural. I love it!
Love all of this 🫶🏼💯🙏🏼🙌🏼
Well done! The mental health pros I've talked to say that these days. the majority of transitioning kids are on the autism spectrum. They're not gay.
HI Christina, I believe that in certain states it is considered "conversion therapy" to poke about why a child may claim to be trans instead of immediately affirming them as trans.
And yes, I have heard that many children presenting as trans can also be depressed, anxious, anorexic, and autistic. But, as I understand it, once they say "trans" or appointment is made because of "trans" identity, trying to find out whether they are indeed or not is what is now called conversion therapy.
I was fairly effeminate boy and believe I would be considered trans now......and possibly been counseled to consider puberty blockers and everything else. Most gender dysphoric children grow up to be gays and lesbians and are totally content in their biological bodies.
In my state could lose my license or be subject to investigation/discipline if I question a transgender person’s self-diagnosis or refuse to write a letter in support of body modification due to said self-diagnosis. I have incredible ethical concerns that the lack of actual therapy will cause regret and ultimately harm to human beings. So while I continue to be a therapist, I do not work with minors, and consider affirmative care beyond the scope of my practice. The alternative is lie awake at night wrestling demons.
That makes some sense as many on the autism spectrum feel like they don't know how to fit in socially and are looking for a set of rules/behaviors to feel (or fake) belonging to some group, any group.
Considering that autism is linked to abnormal exposure to sex hormones in utero -- particularly testosterone(*) -- it makes a lot of sense that girls who go on to identify as boys would also have an elevated chance of being autistic.
(*) for example, see https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8280339/
By the way, the very fact that the majority of transitioning kids are on the autism spectrum suggests that it's a really minor problem.
A problem for the parents and the transitioning kids, of course, but if they're the bulk of the kids transitioning then this isn't a social contagion amongst mainstream US.
Hi Education Realist: Any thoughts on the statement made by Berkeley professor below and the additional thread:
https://twitter.com/WomenReadWomen/status/1562101167093841921
https://twitter.com/sciam/status/1562455099582349320
Good read, overall. I think ‘gender critical’ (GC) is a better term than “TERF”. I know some women are “TERF and proud” and maybe this post was focusing on that demographic. I just prefer to see “TERF” used as little as possible since ideologues, bad actors and useful idiots use that term to dehumanize women.
Have you heard this one--TERF: Tediously Explaining Reality to Fuckwits ? From mumsnet. I was thinking the same though reading the piece... I winced a little at the term knowing it was meant for moms like me, and knowing it’s a modern slur... the language land-mines make the conversation even more difficult than it already is...
How about "Biological Realists"? Gender Critical sounds like we have some criticism of gender theory, but are otherwise ok with it. I just don't care about anyone's internal sense of gender identity, and I have none of my own, and I don't see a good reason to let males into females' spaces, or reorganize sports teams, or become a medical patient because of one's gender. I also don't see why someone else's understanding of reality should trump my own.
Well I think that’s just being radically gender critical (called “bio-essentialism” by some) and, like “TERF,” it’s problematic because it inherently denies the experience of anyone & everyone “under the trans umbrella.” Which obviously you’re free to do. My aim was just to point out that not everyone who’s gender critical is trans-exclusionary.
"Bioessentialism, a shorthand for biological essentialism, is the idea that we are born with specific, immutable traits by virtue of our sex. To a bioessentialist, sex maketh man. “Sex,” in this case, means everything from hormones like testosterone to “manly” traits such as not displaying emotion. This line of reasoning formed the cornerstone of traditional patriarchal structures: “Men are stronger, less emotional and better suited to lead.” It persists today in the form of gender roles, gender-based exclusion, and transphobia." SO, Bioessentialism is NOT TERFness, or being radially gender critical - it is basically thinking that people are biologically-bound by sex stereotypes - rather like gender ideologues, only the bioessentialists seem to think the bodies we are born with determine who/how we are via sexist stereotype, and the gender ideologues use the same stereotypes and then insist on body mutilation to try to "match" stereotypical behaviour with fake body similarity. Both are gross, but the latter is physically dangerous and very lucrative for the people providing the "affirming care."
Thanks. I never had a good sense of what “bio-essentialism” referred to because I’ve only ever seen TRAs use the term + I never bothered to look it up.
I prefer to see less focus on specifics of language. This is what the TRAs do. Endless self-involved debates about minutia of word meanings.
This is great to have Moonlit Piglet here. I think I'd actually refer to our position as that of Gender Critical Feminists or GC Feminist Allies, TERF being a reclaimed slur against mostly (not only) women. Just like I and my friends can call me a dyke but not anyone I don't know and love — especially not men.
There is something to be said about the shifting population. I can see how it also may shift given how conservative or liberal the area. Mostly, as a Nana to two teen boys, one likely ASD, one very socially driven who likes nail polish, I worry about how all this regressiveness will play out in their lives. And for all the kids, and girls in particular, that to be female is to be feminine, male to be masculine.
I'm glad there are teachers like you and I wish administers had more sense.
I would ask the author the same thing I've asked many old-school liberals (which is what he claims to be): are you prepared to vote on this issue?
DEI and gender ideology will be the issue on which I vote in 2022 and 2024. I am a conservative Christian, but I would vote for Bernie Sanders if I thought he would root out this hideous ideology. It's that dangerous as far as I'm concerned. I'm asking if there are any old-school liberals who agree with me on that? And if so, are willing to cast a vote for someone you disagree with on everything except gender ideology?
If liberals are serious about defeating the woke lunacy, I think you need to start figuring out how to be OK with climbing into bed with some deplorables for a while. Because we're the only friends you have right now. The only question is whether you hate us more than you hate what's being done to America's children.
BTW: Good piece. Very much worth reading, and thank you for placing it outside your paywall. This is the kind of story that needs to be heard widely.
Im prepared to become a single issue voter on this. I’m a lifelong Dem (now politically homeless) and will not vote Dem again unless a candidate openly and vociferously denounced this ideology.
If you believe James Lindsay the appearance of the D.E.I. matches the installation of the "commissariat" in totalitarian communist countries. Reports on the destruction of worthy lives and reputations by Substack authors almost always involve a D.E.I. kangaroo court of vague accusations, little to no evidence, and a morally gutless administration willing to allow the destruction of their University or business. It follows the feminist tactic of shunning, character assassination, the anonymous complaint, whisper campaigns and the pile on weaponization of students or "woke" employees who poison the environment and threaten the destruction of the institution if their demands aren't met. Interestingly, after the persecution, the" hurt feelings" plaintiff's in the debacle often end up suing the institution for big money and moving on to greener pastures. Today's B.Weiss COMMON SENSE features the century old business destroyed by the woke minions at Oberlin college. A college found guilty of fraud and defamation that merely flipped the courts the finger and refused to pay the settlement. Woke is a communist grift and considers itself above the law and obviously, so does the American justice system.
For a look at where this is leading us, the recent arrest of a British citizen for posting a meme that made "someone anxious" is a fine example. Later, he was told that if he paid a fine and took "sensitivity training" charges would be dropped. Five policemen came to make the arrest. The WEF/CCP juggernaut is destroying lives all over Europe and America is clearly in its sights. Feel the heat?
The author makes it clear that if he doesn't keep his head down his job is at stake. Where is his freedom of thought, speech and action? Out of FEAR he can't even sign his name to the article. The HORROR is the "this is everyday life" attitude of the author and his colleagues. We are under assault by venal and avaricious people.
Whence the HORROR?
Escalating irrational crime in the streets. Exploding homelessness. The open graft, corruption and ineptitude of our compromised political leadership is in our faces. Think of it, rationalize it, paint it any color you like, create a special "ism" or pronoun but the fact remains. Our children are the only future we possess. Only a morally bankrupt, inept and tyrannous leadership would allow the disintegration of public education and, at a profit, the psychic and physical butchery of of its young.
My opinion: We are in the midst of a pandemic more powerful than Covid or the plague. Proximity to the disease has made us all ill. "We the people" are trapped in the power shadow of the malignant narcissism of world totalitarian communist utopian finance. The theft and destruction of the American economy and the gutting of American industry by criminal finance, and the collapse of Christian moral values has left us with no moral center and, the psyop manipulation of reality by the big tech surveillance state intentionally makes America suffer the equivalent of borderline personality disorder. Because of the gas lighting and crisis to crisis crazy (LIE) America cannot hold a sane center ("..define what a woman is please") and is overwhelmed by the forces of chaos and manipulation. Everyone feels the disease, but no one can diagnose it. It is "Babel". Everyone speaks the language but no one can understand it. Which, is the intended outcome of all manipulated narcissism.
Welcome to the new feudalism. Will it be the lady or the tiger? Heal or perish.
I think this will last no longer than Sixties radicalism did--10 to 15 years. Yes, it will do a lot of damage in that time. ( So does just living.) But it's a parasitic social phenomenon, not an economically or ideologically determinative issue.
When exactly did the 60's radicalism go away? They didn't stop protesting the institutions; they took them over. And now their kids are the woke.
I'm referring to highly demonstrative, sometimes violent, radical politics that began (roughly) with the Free Speech Movement (1964) and ended (roughly) with the flameout of the Symbionese Liberation Army in 1974. Did everything you don't like about the Sixties go away then? Of course not.
See my reply to Brian, below.
Thanks for a very interesting read. You made a number of insightful points, in my opinion. I especially agree with your observation that "most of these children are transitioning precisely because they want to roleplay as an oppressed minority." The fact that they are role-playing is evident in their behaviors... I alluded to that point in the lighthearted essay "What’s a Woman, What’s a Man, What’s an Alien to Do?"
https://everythingisbiology.substack.com/p/whats-a-woman-whats-a-man-whats-an
Adolescents have always assumed unusual identities and tried on unusual costumes (metaphorically speaking) as they explored various lifestyle options. Historically, it's been the adults' roll to shepherd them back to reality. Sadly, many adults have been seduced by the fantasies... and many of those adults are bad actors. Thank you again for a great read, Frederick
Yes. The triumph of the adolescent mind is at the heart of many of our social ills. Trace it back to the 1960s, or to Rousseau, or wherever, but there’s clearly been an increasing absence of (real) adults in the room in recent years. This gender mania is one result. The cult of Trump is another, as is the self-sabotaging response to him (TDS, if you will) that has characterized many of those individuals and institutions who were supposed to act like adults.
Maybe — hopefully — we are reaching peak juvenophilia and we’ll see in coming years and decades a gradual return to the valorization of maturity and wisdom. The new slogan will be: “Don’t trust anyone under 30!” (Or who behaves like it, whatever their age.)
I agree with you, and I hope you are correct. I'm not clear on why there's been a surrender to youthful (naïve and uninformed) exuberance. I spent a lot of time in the "real" world as well as in academia. Those in academia, where much of this began, are of a completely different mindset than those in the outside world, as you know. However, I'm at a loss to understand why so many nonacademic institutions have failed to live up to their adult responsibilities. Maybe the adults are just trying to be "cool", or "hip", or "dope", or whatever. Or, maybe they just don't know any better. Thanks so much for your comment.
Thank you. This is very interesting. In my country in Europe, the kids who trans still seem to be mainly LGB, autistic or abused children (anecdotal evidence from the parents of ROGD association and personal friends (I have 2 degrees of separation with 13 kids… 1 degree with 5. I mean…).
I also fear that in the schools and the gouvernent, we don’t have secret TERFs waiting for the moment to speak up, but people who don’t really care one way or another, find it silly but not seeing it for what it is.
I do think that as the genderists are pushing more and more and calling anyone disagreeing fascists (and TERFs), regular people will start to push back.
One thing that should be mentioned and is not always:
Trans is the NUCLEAR BOMB of the parent-child war during adolescence.
Children grow into adolescence to find the road to adulthood, and this goes thru Mom and Dad. To win the war, to impose the teen will on the parent, many things used to be done. Today, the trans argument is the sure-fire winner - if you don't agree that I am in the wrong body with the wrong plumbing and wiring, I will kill myself.
That's the NUCLEAR BOMB.
What to do? Simply HOLD THE FUCKING LINE, Mom and Dad. Do not use the pronouns. Do not use the new name.
I'm not sure disowning the child would help. Wouldn't that just push them deeper into their cult world? I'm dealing with this with my 19-year-old (who hasn't done anything medical yet, thank God). I'm very clear that her dad and I don't support any of this and that we think it's dangerous and regressive, but that we love her unconditionally. I'm pretty sure if we "disowned" her, she'd head straight for the arms of some glitter family somewhere. FWIW, she's gay and autistic, so that lines up with what I've seen with friends' kids and heard in TERF-World.
Yeah, you are right. I will edit my comment to remove that. But somehow these kids have to know that they are embarking on a terrible journey. What the bright line, IMHO, is surgery.
In progressive states today, what you're advocating is actually illegal, could qualify as conversion therapy, would definitely result in a CPS visit, and could easily result in you losing custody of your children.
I'm not saying it's bad advice. But stopping this takes much more. We are home educating Christians and this transition nonesense has even seeped into our church coop. Fortunately though, it's so rare that the 1 or 2 ("I'm really a boy" -- and it's always that direction) kids aren't valorized but just humored and treated as kind of odd.
Thank you! Excellent piece.
It's misfit straight kids with Mental Health issues who are the biggest victims. Foster youth ID as trans at fifteen times the % of kids at large.
In a culture that values victimhood above all else while teaching some youngsters that they are privileged oppressors by virtue of their race, you will find that some white kids try to enhance their social status by embracing the identity of a victim. Since these white kids can't pass themselves off as black or Hispanic, they opt for non-binary. When they realize that isn't radical enough, they move up to trans.
Critical "theory" (more of a idiotic hypothesis) is being used to destroy young minds and bodies.
"To them, a girl deciding she’s non-binary isn’t some radical blow against the white cisheteropatriarchy or a terrible result of brainwashing by a woman-hating society."
When I was a kitten, attention-seeking human girls usually decided that they were bisexual for a while.