Am I concerned that Trump's policies will harm my "trans" daughter? Nope

Non, nein, nyet, newp, no way, no how

I am fortunate to have truly good friends who support me in my non-affirmation of my daughter’s trans identity. They are raging liberals and I’m confident that had I affirmed my daughter, they would all be on board for accepting that I now have a son and would enthusiastically use her chosen male name. But, because they are good people and sane and patient, they were willing to hear me out on the Cass Review and on what’s happening in other countries around “gender affirming care”. Because they have known my daughter since she was young, they’ve witnessed the ROGD-ness of it all. She is not and has never been gender non-conforming. She was a girly girl who implored me to wear dresses more often and do something (anything!) with my hair.

I try not to talk about my daughter with them too often because it is a sad story and tends to suck any positive energy out of the room. But, because they are kind and thoughtful, they often ask about her. Last week, one of them asked me the question I knew was coming and dreaded - was I more concerned for my daughter (or more concerned than usual) now that Trump is in office, with his anti-trans agenda? Recall the raging liberal part.

I was prepared for this question and hoped to use it as a teaching opportunity. I answered truthfully and, I hope, respectfully. No, I am not worried for trans people now that Trump is in office. On this issue, I would be more concerned for my daughter if Kamala Harris had won the election. And here’s why….

Trump’s policies do not threaten trans-identified people. They do not “deny their existence”. Trump administration policies are not impinging on their civil rights. But his policies are not affirming trans-identified people in the delusion that they actually are the opposite sex, or that, if they take enough drugs and have enough surgery, they can change their sex. And, with the release of the HHS Comprehensive Review of Medical Interventions for Children and Adolescents with Gender Dysphoria his administration can point to the science behind all this. Or rather, lack thereof.

But if Vice President Harris had won, my family, and others in the same predicament, could have had four more years of delusional thinking. Four more years of the media and the establishment (government, schools, hospitals, etc.) enshrining gender ideology in everything they do. Four more years of them affirming my daughter, which means four more years of her on T. What’s even more galling is that this is the party of “follow the science” when it comes to climate change. But also the party of “suppress anything that doesn’t conform to our platform” when it comes to sex and gender. Just ask Representative Seth Molton. Or this guy. Or her.

And it’s not just my daughter I’m concerned about. I’m also concerned about female athletes who are losing to men competing as women. I’m concerned about women housed with men in prisons or homeless shelters; women’s loss of single sex spaces (changing rooms, bathrooms); women’s loss of the ability to refer to themselves as women. All of these would probably continue apace under the Harris Administration. Of course, no one can say what would happen for sure. Lobotomies, cigarette smoking, thalidomide – all these were eventually recognized as dangerous after being touted as healthy by the medical community.

Also, with Trump in office, there’s a slim chance this bill, banning the use of Medicaid, CHIP, and Affordable Care Act funds for ALL gender-transition procedures, will pass. Doubtful that could ever happen in a Harris administration.

So, am I more concerned for my trans-identified daughter now that Trump is in office, with his “anti-trans” agenda? Nope. I am more hopeful than ever that those in authority will no longer confirm her harmful delusional and that she might become more in touch with reality.

And I think it’s possible to have an opinion about the Trump administration’s policies regarding transgender medicine without commenting on any of his other policies. That may be the most controversial opinion of all.