Credentials Are Not a Substitute for a Logical Argument

Credibility does not stem from credentials, but from an ability to articulate ideas clearly and support claims with reason and evidence.

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Yesterday,

Christina Buttons

and I drove to the Tennessee State Capitol in Nashville to support our friend, Chloe Cole, a detransitioned woman who testified in support of HB 2816, or the “Detransition Bill of Rights.” This bill mandates that gender clinics accepting Tennessee state funds for gender transition procedures also offer detransition procedures. Additionally, it requires insurance entities that cover gender transition procedures to also cover detransition procedures.

It’s difficult to understand how anyone could oppose this bill. It simply ensures that those harmed by gender medicine receive appropriate medical care tailored to their unique needs. Yet, as we stood outside the hearing room, listening to the proceedings on a friend’s phone, we encountered resistance. A woman nearby, who was visibly upset about Cole’s presence due to her advocacy for limiting “gender affirming care” (GAC) to adults in Tennessee, directed her frustration towards us once she realized we supported Cole. Her agitation grew, and she was soon joined by a few of her friends who began lecturing us on the supposed life-saving benefits of GAC.

Despite their claims of medical expertise and familiarity with the literature on GAC, it became immediately clear that their grasp of the facts was tenuous and their position relied entirely on unquestioningly parroting the claims of Left-wing media outlets. For instance, they dismissed a recent study on gender dysphoric adolescents and young adults in Finland, which found low suicide rates and no evidence of benefits of gender reassignment, by showing us a headline claiming the study had been debunked. They had not engaged with the study directly and could not provide a critique of its methodology or findings. Their trust in their preferred news source was absolute and unquestioned.

The situation escalated when the first woman attempted to prove the efficacy of GAC by presenting a list of studies on her phone. Suddenly, she somehow became convinced that Buttons had insulted her by calling her a “groomer”—an accusation that was entirely false. Despite Buttons repeatedly stating that she did not call her a groomer, the woman proceeded to have a public freak-out, culminating in her assaulting the man who was recording the encounter and damaging his phone.

Regrettably, we don’t have footage of the moments leading up to her outburst; our recording began only after her behavior turned aggressive. However, she does appear to have a track record of yelling at people at the Capitol. Following the assault, security intervened promptly, escorting her away, while the rest of us were warned to remain composed or face expulsion, even though we had always been calm.