Tuesday, April 19, 2022
This day in Herstory: Maria Yuryevna Sharapova, born April 19, 1987, is a Russian former world No. 1 tennis player. She competed on the WTA Tour from 2001 to 2020 and was ranked world No. 1 in singles by the Women's Tennis Association (WTA) for 21 weeks. She is one of ten women, and the only Russian, to achieve the career Grand Slam. She is also an Olympic medalist, having won silver in women's singles at the 2012 London Olympics. (more)
Time for measured debate on role of GPs in helping children with gender dysphoria - Dr Angus McKellar and Dr Anthony Latham
As General Practitioner physicians (GPs) we have serious concerns about the recent exponential rise in children, predominantly girls, who present with gender dysphoria to their doctor. Increasingly a form of ‘rapid-onset’ dysphoria is being encountered. The Tavistock ‘Gender Identity Development Service’ in London, had a 20-fold increase in referrals between 2011 and 2019 and now has a waiting list of over 5000 children. The Sandyford clinic in Scotland has a waiting list of over 900 under-18s, a rise of 749 since 2017.
From The Scotsman (UK)
By Dr Angus McKellar and Dr Antony Latham
April 19, 2022
We are privileged to be able to listen to our patients, understand their concerns and achieve a shared understanding of their problems. It is wonderful to accompany our patients and their families on their journeys, often through many years. We always seek to act in their best interests and to cause them no harm. We acknowledge the great distress that children who have gender dysphoria experience.
We have studied the literature on gender dysphoria in children, and have followed the case of Keira Bell, who recently brought a legal case against the Tavistock clinic which she attended as a child. She, and increasingly many others, have now de-transitioned, affirming their biological sex but having already undergone life-changing, irreversible changes to their bodies from sex hormones and surgery.
It is well established that at least 80 per cent of children who present with gender dysphoria will become comfortable in due course with their biological sex if a watchful waiting policy is pursued. Research shows that most have significant mental health and social issues which need addressing as the main priority. Yet most children with gender dysphoria are still prescribed puberty blockers. Over 95 per cent of these children then go on to have sex hormone treatment and surgery – both of which cause irreversible changes to their bodies. Children as young as 10 have been put through this system.
The questions for us as GPs are: What is our duty of care if the biomedical treatment of children with gender dysphoria is believed to harm the children both physically and/or psychologically? Have such children the ability to make such life changing choices for what is still experimental treatment? What if a GP believes that biological sex is immutable? Are we obliged to prescribe puberty blockers? Are GPs at risk from the litigation that will surely occur? … continue reading
Sex denialism helps nobody
Who is responsible for the backlash against women’s and LGBT rights?
From The Critic (UK)
By Victoria Smith
April 19, 2022
We can’t say Laurie Penny didn’t warn us. Last week, the journalist complained that she’d “been trying to warn ‘Gender Critical’ feminists for years that their movement was being hijacked by the far right”.
“Now they’ve got dictators and religious extremists openly using their arguments to justify homophobic hate campaigns and wars of conquest,” she fretted, having earlier noted that “trans people are the wedge issue for a new, global right determined to eliminate abortion, ban gay marriage and reverse a century of feminist progress”.
While I missed Vladimir Putin’s support for female-only rape crisis centres — but not his army’s support for rape — you’ve got to admit that she has the beginnings of a point. While the Guardian warns of an impending election bonanza for Europe’s far-right populists, across the Atlantic we are seeing abortion outlawed in Texas and Oklahoma. The backlash against women’s and LGBT rights is real.
Can it be pure coincidence that this is happening just as “what is a woman?” becomes the ultimate gotcha question for politicians? I don’t think so. The only point on which Penny and I disagree is who is to blame.
Perhaps if you’re Laurie Penny, or Owen Jones, or the CEO of Stonewall or countless other commentators eager to link far-right bigotry to JK Rowling and Mumsnet, it all seems incredibly simple. You told those witches, didn’t you? Just repeat “trans women are women” and no one gets hurt. … continue reading (and SUBSCRIBE to The Critic!)
The Testosterone Hangover
The Biden administration says transgender kids are entitled to ‘gender-affirming’ medical care. These girls disagree. ‘I have this intense rage in me over the harm that was done to me.’
From Common Sense (USA)
By Suzy Weiss
April 19, 2022
When Chloe woke up from an elective double mastectomy, she texted her mother in the waiting room: “Booba gone.”
This was a little over two years ago. She was 15 at the time. “The typo was intentional,” she told me recently. “I thought it was funny.”
“Is that a good thing?” her mom replied.
“Yes,” Chloe texted back.
“I don’t think that answer aged well,” she said to me.
Chloe, who lives in California’s Central Valley, always hated her body. She spent a lot of time on Tumblr and learned words like “pansexual” and “bigender.” She remembers when she was 12, sitting on her bed, thinking, “Maybe I’m meant to live as a boy.”
By 2018, at age 14, Chloe was well along the path to what she imagined was boyhood. She was going by Leo. She was taking puberty blockers. And her mother was administering her weekly testosterone injections. Two years later, in early June 2020, she went under the knife.
Chloe was the beneficiary of what transgender activists call “gender-affirming care,” which means all the adults in her life—doctors, nurses, social workers, teachers, parents—actively supported her decision to become the person she believed she was meant to be, even if that person required an elective mastectomy in high school. Or taking puberty-blocking drugs. Or injecting cross-sex hormones, like testosterone.
In this, Chloe is also the poster child for the Biden administration’s recently announced transgender policy. … continue reading (and SUBSCRIBE to Common Sense!)
A Song, and A Thank You to our Supporters
From Parents with Inconvenient Truths about Trans (PITT) (USA)
April 19, 2022
The PITT parents are fortunate to have a number of supporters from outside of the impacted parent community. We frequently hear from these allies in the comments section or via email. They offer us words of encouragement, and give offers to help.
Recently we heard from a singer-songwriter artist who has been following PITT, and who felt compelled to loan her unique talents to our movement. Please take the time to listen to her song, dedicated to us, the parents who are fighting to save our children from the gender cult—and have some tissues ready when you do. We are so grateful for this gift!
Please listen to the song, and read a post explaining it (also reposted below) at: Icy Storm, by Elizabeth Hummel
PITT is written and edited by parents (and our illustrations are also created by parent artists!), but more and more, everyday, we are not fighting alone. Thank you to all who are part of our village—we are stronger because of you. Thank you for hearing us and amplifying our voices in all sorts of ways! … continue reading (and SUBSCRIBE to PITT!)
Yes, Kids Are Getting Gender Surgeries
Marketing the "miracle cure" of double mastectomy to kids on TikTok
From Broadview with Lisa Selin Davis (USA)
By Lisa Selin Davis
April 19, 2022
“I just feel so foolish,” Grace said to me. We were sitting in a Greenwich Village diner, commiserating over how we’d both been duped, or allowed ourselves to be duped, by the gender culture wars. Grace appeared last year on the 60 Minutes segment on detransitioners—so far one of the only mainstream media pieces that has delved into this important subject, and, famously, the only 60 Minutes segment in history which was vociferously objected to before it aired.
If I’d been duped into believing, and reporting, that the science of gender-affirming care was settled, Grace had been duped into partaking of that care, and one thing she felt so foolish about was believing that a double mastectomy would alleviate her suffering. Instead, it increased it, and began her course-correction to detransition.
But why wouldn’t we believe it? After all, the AMA, the AAP and loads of other medical and psychological associations—not to mention the President—have endorsed these medical interventions for young people with gender dysphoria, despite the fact that multiple other countries have abandoned or pulled back on them in the past two years. … continue reading (and SUBSCRIBE to Broadview!)
Sajid Javid slams NHS gender services for children as he claims Tavistock's controversial practices are 'bordering on ideological' and must not be a 'one-way street'
Javid was responding to an MP's concerns on NHS gender services for children
He said services are too affirmative to children changing their natural born sex
A recent review found medics are pressured to support children to swap gender
Comments are latest in an ongoing Tory-split on trans conversion therapy issue
From Daily Mail (UK)
By JOHN ELY
April 19, 2022
Sajid Javid today criticised NHS gender services for British children as 'bordering on ideological'.
The Health Secretary said treatment must not be a 'one-way street' as he waded into the ongoing debate about controversial gender dysphoria treatment for teenagers.
Gender dysphoria is used to describe a sense of unease a person may have because of a perceived 'mismatch between their biological sex and their gender identity', according to the NHS.
In the UK, gender identity services for children and adolescents are managed by the Tavistock and Portman NHS Foundation Trust.
Today in the Commons, Tory MP James Sunderland referenced a recent review into the centre's gender dysphoria services.
Mr Sunderland said the review, for NHS England, found a 'profound lack of evidence on the best approach to treat gender dysphoria in children'.
He then asked if the Health Secretary shared his concern that, in spite of the review, the NHS still insisted on making a child's 'expressed' gender identity the start point of their treatment. … continue reading
Girlguiding settlement statement
From Girlguiding (UK)
April 19, 2022
We have been involved in a legal case with a former volunteer since 2018 and we have now reached a settlement. Please find our statement below.
Girlguiding's full statement regarding its legal case with Katie Alcock:
Girlguiding celebrates the ever-growing diversity of its membership. We are committed to balancing the views, needs and wants of all of our members in a complex and changing world. It’s important that we do this in a thoughtful and respectful way, reflecting our volunteer code of conduct. So we have a diversity and inclusion strategic plan which underpins our commitment to inclusion.
Girlguiding recognises that gender critical beliefs are protected under the Equality Act and that there are girls and volunteers who hold gender critical beliefs within our membership. We respect and value their right to do so, and to express those beliefs. Girlguiding is also, and shall remain, a home for trans people. Whatever their protected characteristics, all our young members and adult volunteers are welcome within Girlguiding.
We have listened carefully to Katie’s concerns. We understand them and take them seriously. Whilst these are complex and evolving issues, we agree that sex and gender are different, and will reflect this in the language we use.
The safeguarding and wellbeing of girls has and will always be at the heart of everything we do. We constantly review and update all our policies in line with government guidance and the law. We welcome constructive feedback from all of our volunteers, which helps ensure we have robust procedures in place. It is testament to the support of dedicated and passionate volunteers that we are able to use their input to refine and enhance what we do. … continue reading
Never "Really" Trans
From MOTHERGENDER (USA)
By MOTHERGENDER
April 19, 2022
As a detransitioner I often hear the phrase, “you were never really trans.” But what does this mean?
On a surface level, I suppose that statement could be interpreted as true. To realize that you identify with your biological sex and not with a gender identity outside of that is by definition, not aligning with a transgender identity. However, according to the website transquality.org, also known as the National Center for Transgender Equality,
“Transgender people are people whose gender identity is different from the gender they were thought to be at birth.”
The above definition can be found in a similar format all over the internet. I was also under the assumption that a person did not need to medically transition or have gender dysphoria to have their identity validated by the trans community. Therefore, if we are to be respectful and take this definition seriously, as an ally and socially educated person would do; detransitioned people who at one time held a gender identity that was different from the gender they were assumed to be at birth, were actually- really trans. … continue reading (and SUBSCRIBE to MOTHERGENDER!)
Australian Charity Mails Free Breast Binders to Girls As Young as 12
"Pay-it-forward" program by TransFolk of WA targets vulnerable girls without parental consent or medical oversight
From 4W (USA)
By Jessica Williams
April 19, 2022
Anew investigation by 4W revealed that TransFolk of WA, a registered Australian charity, is sending chest binders to girls without parental consent or medical oversight. “Chest binding” is the act of forcefully restricting breasts to flatten them as much as possible, and binders are targeted at females.
Pay-It-Forward binder program targets vulnerable girls
On April 6, TransFolk of WA announced on their Facebook page that they had mailed over 85 binders recently through their “Pay-it-Forward binder program.” The program distributes chest (breast) binders to “people that otherwise couldn’t afford a binder.”
TransFolk of WA is a registered Australian charity and Lotterywest grant recipient based in Western Australia. According to its website, the organization hosts online and in-person support groups for “trans women, trans men, non-binary folk, youth, parents of trans people and partners of trans people.”
Chest binding has “become a popular practice” to flatten your chest “to make it more male-presenting,” according to WebMD. This is common among girls and women who claim to “identify” as boys and men or, increasingly, “non-binary.” Sometimes, those using binders suffer from sex dysphoria, a mental illness that causes extreme discomfort or detachment from one’s body. … continue reading (and SUPPORT 4W!)
'Harry Potter' Star: Anger Towards Rowling in Trans Debate Is 'Misplaced'
From Newsweek (USA)
By EMMA NOLAN
April 19, 2022
One former Harry Potter star has defended J.K. Rowling and said that anger towards the author over her views about transgender people are "misplaced."
Miriam Margolyes who played Professor Pomona Sprout in the Harry Potter films has come out in support of Rowling and described her as a "generous woman."
Rowling has been embroiled in a number of controversies over her views about the transgender community and several actors associated with the Harry Potter franchise have publicly disagreed with her, including Daniel Radcliffe, Eddie Redmayne and Emma Watson.
The author has denied feeling negatively toward transgender people. The accusations of transphobia stem from June 2020 when she took to Twitter to criticize an op-ed piece that discussed "people who menstruate," rather than using the term "women."
Prior to this, Rowling made headlines in 2019, when she publicly supported Maya Forstater, a U.K. tax specialist who was fired over tweets that were deemed to be anti-trans. … continue reading
Leaked text messages from Dominic Perrottet to Scott Morrison reveal he BACKS the PM's position on keeping biological men away from women's sport: 'Girls and women should be free'
Liberal candidate Katherine Deves apologised for anti-trans tweets last year
Moderate figures in party have called for her to be disendorsed for Warringah
Ms Deves a no-show at community forum as she continues to divide Liberals
NSW Premier has weighed into topic of transgender athletes in women's sport
Believes 'girls and women should be free to play sport against girls and women.'
From Daily Mail (UK)
By KYLIE STEVENS and CHARLIE MOORE
April 19, 2022
Dominic Perrottet has broken his silence about the inclusion of transgender male athletes in women's sport after his private text messages of support to Scott Morrison were leaked.
The text messages, obtained by The Australian, reveal the NSW Premier supports the Prime Minister's position on women and sport - going against his treasurer Matt Kean's calls for Katherine Deves, the federal candidate for the northern Sydney seat of Warringah, to be disendorsed.
In a statement on Tuesday night, Mr Perrottet called for 'sensitive' debate but said he believes 'girls and women should be free to play sport against girls and women'.
Katherine Deves shut down her social media and was forced to apologise after historic tweets emerged of Ms Deves compared lobbying to stop transgender athletes from competing in women's sport to standing up against the Holocaust.
She sparked more backlash on Tuesday night after she withdrew from a community event for local candidates, hours after Prime Minister Scott Morrison angrily took aim at the growing 'pile on' against her. … continue reading
Leap of Faith
Guest post on dysphoria
From Ceri Black Writes (UK)
By Lauren Black
April 19, 2022
Lauren Black is a butch lesbian who lives with dysphoria. She chooses not to transition, instead campaigning under the banner “love the skin you’re in.” She writes here about the difference between gender and sex dysphoria, and about the religion of gender identity ideology. She also writes frankly about negotiating a sexual relationship whilst dysphoric, and why testosterone is not a solution to the difficulties she has. She writes about grounding herself in her womanhood and her lesbian identity, and about the solidarity and sisterhood she finds there.
Gender vs Sex dysphoria
Gender dysphoria is defined in the DSM5 as a “persistent and consistent discomfort” with your gender. People with this condition experience a “marked incongruence between their experienced or expressed gender and the one they were assigned at birth.” This definition smuggles in many things I do not believe; gender is not assigned at birth, sex is observed; gender is just another way to say “stereotypes” and is an unhelpful concept. In fact, “gender dysphoria” as it appears in the DSM 5 is not a definition but a profession of faith. … continue reading (and SUBSCRIBE to Ceri Black!)