A quarter of the girls in my daughter’s class identify as transgender. Seven out of 28. When I said that on Twitter recently, I was roundly attacked for being a TERF who makes up ridiculous stories to harm trans people. While I may be a TERF, I did not make this up. A quarter of the girls in my kid’s class identify as boys. One of them has had four names this year so far: she started the year as a girl, and has since cycled through three boy names, most of them from anime series.
I thought that I had left a comment here, but apparently not.
In my life, I have never seen such a bad idea as the idea behind transgenderism (that a person can choose their gender) spread like wildfire through a large percentage of the population. Actually, that may not be entirely true. The right wing of our country is held hostage by multiple bad ideas, but I always expected liberals to be more rational than that.
The idea that human beings can choose their gender runs SMACK up against common sense and science. But this bad idea somehow managed to wiggle its way into the liberal psyche: "Human beings SHOULD be able to determine who they are, so choosing your gender makes sense." But it doesn't, of course. Your body decides what you are.
Homosexuality is being used as the template for transgenderism, but there are huge differences. First, being gay is about sex. If you have a sexual impulse to touch someone of your gender, that makes you gay. Now, there ARE some deeply trans people who longed to dress as the opposite sex from a very early age, and those are the truly transgender people. Debbie Hayton has written about secretly bringing girls' clothing into her home at a very early age (when she was a boy), and trying them on in private. But most people who are calling themselves trans didn't do that kind of thing. Rather, they have a slew of OTHER reasons for saying they are trans, reasons which are not the same as deeply wanting to be the opposite sex. Gay boys may admire women's clothes and fashions, or their long hair, or may want to wear jewelry. Girls may be envious of the social freedom that boys possess, or they may hate their periods that just started. But those reasons don't make them trans.
The second difference between gays and trans people is in the evidence. To find out if you are gay, all you have to do is have sex with someone of your sex. If you love it, you're gay. If it didn't do much for you, you aren't. But to find out if you are trans involves taking drugs and hormones, and then waiting for changes to occur to your body, and also dressing as the opposite sex. By the time you figure out that you don't like the way you are changing, you may already be sterile -- or, in the case of girls, your voice may have already dropped to the baritone range, a change that can't be undone (as far as I know).
Of all people, TEACHERS SHOULD KNOW HOW IMPRESSIONABLE KIDS ARE. If you make a suggestion to them, a portion of them will pick up on the suggestion even if it is not suitable for them. Knowing as they do the irreversible medicalization that comes with being trans, no teacher or school should EVER suggest to a child that the child might be trans. Affirmation is ALWAYS the wrong approach with kids. Any kind of Affirmation will just encourage them to start the medicalization process, and that is where the danger is.
Another aspect of child psychology is that no child wants to be a child. It means having little power and self-determination in society. All kids are anxious to grow up. And so, if you tell a kid, "this very important decision [whether or not you are trans] is for you to make", some kids will jump at the chance, and they'll make the wrong decision.
This comment (which I think I'm going to adapt as a short article on my own Substack) wouldn't be complete if I didn't make this point: In the final analysis, trans people are not a happy group. They live in a gray area between male and female. If they are F>M, they can achieve the appearance of a cute boy, but they will still have a vagina in their pants. If they are M>F, they can get the breast implants, but the vagina they get (if they can afford it) may cause them all kinds of medical problems. Ditto for the fake male genitals that girls sometimes get. The bottom line is that you are no longer GENUINE -- you are neither a genuine boy or a genuine girl. You are a pretender. Trying to fit into society with a body that is half-male and half-female is a constant struggle. In additional, being trans makes you a lifelong medical patient.
Oh wow. Shocking. Your little girl is in the middle of a whole group of insane people, teachers, counselors, and many parents, pushing her and her fellow classmates toward further crazy. No wonder she is miserable. You wanted woke lite, and got monster WOKE. Have you thought of taking her out of that asylum?
Has any mother or father been strong enough to just refuse to go along with the child's new gender, and say No - you're my son (or daughter) and I love you as you are, I won't recognize you as the alternative sex, and that's it? And then let CPS or Social Services do what they will?
I am a Russian/Canadian, formerly licensed in Canada as a therapist. The social contagion we are seeing in Canada and the US is not happening in Russia. Why? Because LGBTQ+ propaganda was totally banned in schools more than 15 years ago. I have multiple cousins in Russia with school-age children and when I talk to them about my therapy/coaching practice and what happened to my daughter - they have no clue what I am talking about and good for them, obviously. So since Russian children are not learning about this "born in the wrong body" theory - they don't interpret their normal discomfort of puberty as gender dysphoria. On the other hand, I consult with fellow Russian and Ukranian immigrants in Canada and they are tearing their hair out because of what's happening to their children - just this constant indoctrination in schools that is very difficult to stand up to. Many parents I consulted chose to go back to their native land to save their children.
I am a counselor and we have been silenced. The medical community has pushed us out. They treat the trans population the same as they would any birth defect. Sad.
Why is your daughter still in this school?! Get her out of that madness. Get far away from her “friends” and all social media. Go on an extended trip in nature with the tuition funds. This is no joke. Do it before you lose her.
It's simle when considering the cohort on question.
Every kid “was” something as suggested by the influences around them. Fireman. Astronaut. Ballerina. Rock Star. Football Star.
Add the digital realm and the plot thickens (or sickens). “I’m a boy now!” “I’m a girl now!” “I’m nothing now!” As suggested by teachers, doctors, influencers, media.
Why are there no 74-year-old’s with gender epiphanies?
They’ve lived too long to be duped. So there is no money in a target group like this.
I am a seasoned journalist. I have read your substack and your comments' section and find what you parents have gone through, and still go through, absolutely heartbreaking.
Im in the process of developing a series on transgenderism and the ramifications on minors and their parents and families.
Ive worked for four US networks, covered 3 wars, written two books, about to finish my third in the next month, and investigated human trafficking - all its face - sex, internet, labor, child soldiers, organ, medical etc in 140 countries since 2000.
If any of you would like to be interviewed, please reach out to me personally at dolanchristine@aol.com, but not until after Dec 15th b/c I have to finish this current manuscript. I send my prayers to all of you during this holiday season. And, if you want to just reach out now to remember, I will come back to you after Dec 15.
The American Academy of Pediatricians has one single directive when it comes to "gender dysphoria": affirm the gender! In turn, this means social transition followed by hormonal transition followed by surgical transition. If the family is not supportive of affirming their kid's gender, they are to be seen as a potential threat to their child's well-being. Here's a false claim from their website that they are using to intimidate families and school staff alike: "In this regard, suicide attempt rates among 433 adolescents in Ontario who identified as “trans” were 4% among those with strongly supportive parents and as high as 60% among those whose parents were not supportive" (from the section on Family Acceptance here: https://publications.aap.org/pediatrics/article/142/4/e20182162/37381/Ensuring-Comprehensive-Care-and-Support-for?autologincheck=redirected )
Btw, not only is this a small sample to base a policy on, the doctor who wrote this study, jack Turban, received 15K from a pharmaceutical that manufactures puberty blockers. Shocker!
There exist real world things - objects, movements, ideologies, peoples - for which we inherently use names or labels in order to have discussions. These names and labels are absolutely needed, and are not inherently any problem.
However some labels can be misleading (eg: lumping together things which are better understood separately, or splitting up things which are better understood together), or can become simple slurs rather than communication tools.
I try to keep my tools sharp - for the purpose of communication across divides, not for twisting narratives to be "right".
In the spirit of seeking incrementally better terminology, I now call the movement in question "critical social justice" ideology. At the core of its many manifestations is a desire for social justice, for uplifting the oppressed. However, this ideology involves a particular framing and framework and strategy for accomplishing that goal - one based on critical theory, and postmodernism and variants. Of course most street level activists may not even realize the intellectual roots of the ideology they have absorbed - even while adopting its perspectives and tactics and focuses.
"Critical Social Justice" is intended to be a neutral term which both advocates and opponents can understand as descriptive, rather than as a slur or misrepresentation.
So I'm not talking so much about "more" labeling, but about more accurate and less emotionally charged terminology to describe existing things which we need to be able to discuss.
I thought that I had left a comment here, but apparently not.
In my life, I have never seen such a bad idea as the idea behind transgenderism (that a person can choose their gender) spread like wildfire through a large percentage of the population. Actually, that may not be entirely true. The right wing of our country is held hostage by multiple bad ideas, but I always expected liberals to be more rational than that.
The idea that human beings can choose their gender runs SMACK up against common sense and science. But this bad idea somehow managed to wiggle its way into the liberal psyche: "Human beings SHOULD be able to determine who they are, so choosing your gender makes sense." But it doesn't, of course. Your body decides what you are.
Homosexuality is being used as the template for transgenderism, but there are huge differences. First, being gay is about sex. If you have a sexual impulse to touch someone of your gender, that makes you gay. Now, there ARE some deeply trans people who longed to dress as the opposite sex from a very early age, and those are the truly transgender people. Debbie Hayton has written about secretly bringing girls' clothing into her home at a very early age (when she was a boy), and trying them on in private. But most people who are calling themselves trans didn't do that kind of thing. Rather, they have a slew of OTHER reasons for saying they are trans, reasons which are not the same as deeply wanting to be the opposite sex. Gay boys may admire women's clothes and fashions, or their long hair, or may want to wear jewelry. Girls may be envious of the social freedom that boys possess, or they may hate their periods that just started. But those reasons don't make them trans.
The second difference between gays and trans people is in the evidence. To find out if you are gay, all you have to do is have sex with someone of your sex. If you love it, you're gay. If it didn't do much for you, you aren't. But to find out if you are trans involves taking drugs and hormones, and then waiting for changes to occur to your body, and also dressing as the opposite sex. By the time you figure out that you don't like the way you are changing, you may already be sterile -- or, in the case of girls, your voice may have already dropped to the baritone range, a change that can't be undone (as far as I know).
Of all people, TEACHERS SHOULD KNOW HOW IMPRESSIONABLE KIDS ARE. If you make a suggestion to them, a portion of them will pick up on the suggestion even if it is not suitable for them. Knowing as they do the irreversible medicalization that comes with being trans, no teacher or school should EVER suggest to a child that the child might be trans. Affirmation is ALWAYS the wrong approach with kids. Any kind of Affirmation will just encourage them to start the medicalization process, and that is where the danger is.
Another aspect of child psychology is that no child wants to be a child. It means having little power and self-determination in society. All kids are anxious to grow up. And so, if you tell a kid, "this very important decision [whether or not you are trans] is for you to make", some kids will jump at the chance, and they'll make the wrong decision.
This comment (which I think I'm going to adapt as a short article on my own Substack) wouldn't be complete if I didn't make this point: In the final analysis, trans people are not a happy group. They live in a gray area between male and female. If they are F>M, they can achieve the appearance of a cute boy, but they will still have a vagina in their pants. If they are M>F, they can get the breast implants, but the vagina they get (if they can afford it) may cause them all kinds of medical problems. Ditto for the fake male genitals that girls sometimes get. The bottom line is that you are no longer GENUINE -- you are neither a genuine boy or a genuine girl. You are a pretender. Trying to fit into society with a body that is half-male and half-female is a constant struggle. In additional, being trans makes you a lifelong medical patient.
What does this mean?
Oh wow. Shocking. Your little girl is in the middle of a whole group of insane people, teachers, counselors, and many parents, pushing her and her fellow classmates toward further crazy. No wonder she is miserable. You wanted woke lite, and got monster WOKE. Have you thought of taking her out of that asylum?
Has any mother or father been strong enough to just refuse to go along with the child's new gender, and say No - you're my son (or daughter) and I love you as you are, I won't recognize you as the alternative sex, and that's it? And then let CPS or Social Services do what they will?
Oh, for heaven's sake, what is this?????
I am a Russian/Canadian, formerly licensed in Canada as a therapist. The social contagion we are seeing in Canada and the US is not happening in Russia. Why? Because LGBTQ+ propaganda was totally banned in schools more than 15 years ago. I have multiple cousins in Russia with school-age children and when I talk to them about my therapy/coaching practice and what happened to my daughter - they have no clue what I am talking about and good for them, obviously. So since Russian children are not learning about this "born in the wrong body" theory - they don't interpret their normal discomfort of puberty as gender dysphoria. On the other hand, I consult with fellow Russian and Ukranian immigrants in Canada and they are tearing their hair out because of what's happening to their children - just this constant indoctrination in schools that is very difficult to stand up to. Many parents I consulted chose to go back to their native land to save their children.
I am a counselor and we have been silenced. The medical community has pushed us out. They treat the trans population the same as they would any birth defect. Sad.
Where is this. Give the school board a copy of the Cass review.
Why is your daughter still in this school?! Get her out of that madness. Get far away from her “friends” and all social media. Go on an extended trip in nature with the tuition funds. This is no joke. Do it before you lose her.
It's simle when considering the cohort on question.
Every kid “was” something as suggested by the influences around them. Fireman. Astronaut. Ballerina. Rock Star. Football Star.
Add the digital realm and the plot thickens (or sickens). “I’m a boy now!” “I’m a girl now!” “I’m nothing now!” As suggested by teachers, doctors, influencers, media.
Why are there no 74-year-old’s with gender epiphanies?
They’ve lived too long to be duped. So there is no money in a target group like this.
Seems simple to understand the dynamic in play.
You chose this by your own admission
Is your daughter in a mental institution?
Pull your daughter
toss her phone
Thank you for trying to hold back that tsunami. Save your daughter - a wounded detransitioner
B*llsh*t
I am a seasoned journalist. I have read your substack and your comments' section and find what you parents have gone through, and still go through, absolutely heartbreaking.
Im in the process of developing a series on transgenderism and the ramifications on minors and their parents and families.
Ive worked for four US networks, covered 3 wars, written two books, about to finish my third in the next month, and investigated human trafficking - all its face - sex, internet, labor, child soldiers, organ, medical etc in 140 countries since 2000.
If any of you would like to be interviewed, please reach out to me personally at dolanchristine@aol.com, but not until after Dec 15th b/c I have to finish this current manuscript. I send my prayers to all of you during this holiday season. And, if you want to just reach out now to remember, I will come back to you after Dec 15.
God Bless You and your families,
Christine Dolan
The American Academy of Pediatricians has one single directive when it comes to "gender dysphoria": affirm the gender! In turn, this means social transition followed by hormonal transition followed by surgical transition. If the family is not supportive of affirming their kid's gender, they are to be seen as a potential threat to their child's well-being. Here's a false claim from their website that they are using to intimidate families and school staff alike: "In this regard, suicide attempt rates among 433 adolescents in Ontario who identified as “trans” were 4% among those with strongly supportive parents and as high as 60% among those whose parents were not supportive" (from the section on Family Acceptance here: https://publications.aap.org/pediatrics/article/142/4/e20182162/37381/Ensuring-Comprehensive-Care-and-Support-for?autologincheck=redirected )
Btw, not only is this a small sample to base a policy on, the doctor who wrote this study, jack Turban, received 15K from a pharmaceutical that manufactures puberty blockers. Shocker!
There exist real world things - objects, movements, ideologies, peoples - for which we inherently use names or labels in order to have discussions. These names and labels are absolutely needed, and are not inherently any problem.
However some labels can be misleading (eg: lumping together things which are better understood separately, or splitting up things which are better understood together), or can become simple slurs rather than communication tools.
I try to keep my tools sharp - for the purpose of communication across divides, not for twisting narratives to be "right".
In the spirit of seeking incrementally better terminology, I now call the movement in question "critical social justice" ideology. At the core of its many manifestations is a desire for social justice, for uplifting the oppressed. However, this ideology involves a particular framing and framework and strategy for accomplishing that goal - one based on critical theory, and postmodernism and variants. Of course most street level activists may not even realize the intellectual roots of the ideology they have absorbed - even while adopting its perspectives and tactics and focuses.
"Critical Social Justice" is intended to be a neutral term which both advocates and opponents can understand as descriptive, rather than as a slur or misrepresentation.
So I'm not talking so much about "more" labeling, but about more accurate and less emotionally charged terminology to describe existing things which we need to be able to discuss.