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Detransitioners Respond: A Letter to Attorney General Garland

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Detransitioners Respond: A Letter to Attorney General Garland

The medical safeguarding of children should not be a political issue.

Chloe Cole
,
Cat Cattinson
,
Ritchie
,
Sinéad Watson
,
Prisha Mosley
,
Helena
, and
Grace Lidinsky-Smith
Oct 7, 2022
167
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Detransitioners Respond: A Letter to Attorney General Garland

www.realityslaststand.com

October 7, 2022
The Honorable Merrick Garland
Attorney General 
U.S. Department of Justice 
950 Pennsylvania Ave, N.W.
Washington D.C. 20530

Dear Attorney General Garland,

We are writing as a group of individuals who formerly identified as transgender. Many of us were young teenagers when we decided, on the direction of medical “experts,” to pursue irreversible hormone treatments and surgeries to bring our bodies into closer alignment with what we thought was our true “gender identity.” Many of us had extensive histories of mental illness. Many of us had experienced significant childhood trauma. But all of this was ignored because we uttered the word “gender.” This utterance placed us on a narrow medical pathway that led us to sacrifice our healthy bodies and future fertility in obeisance to the claim that our suffering was a result of having a “gender identity” that did not “match” our biological sex. In other words, we were “born in the wrong body.”

We didn’t know better; we were young, and we trusted our doctors. Our parents were also misled. They were told the common myth that if they did not “affirm” our new identities, which entailed fully approving our medical transition, then we would likely commit suicide. Given these options, what loving parent wouldn’t choose to transition their child? This is not informed consent, but a decision forced under extreme duress.

Some of us have chosen to speak out publicly about the harm that “gender affirming care” has caused us. But most detransitioners choose to remain silent or anonymous, because unlike the joyful and supportive communities that welcome all who transition, no such loving community awaits us. Instead, we are routinely harassed and browbeaten into silence for being an inconvenience to popular narratives around “gender.” But our growing population is becoming impossible to ignore, and others have started amplifying our suppressed voices by denouncing the uncontrolled medical experiments being performed on children in hospitals in the name of “gender affirming care.”

The American Medical Association, American Academy of Pediatrics, and Children’s Hospital Association fully endorse the “gender affirmation” model of care, which prevents medical professionals from questioning a child’s self-reported transgender identity, and from exploring possible underlying factors causing their dysphoria. These endorsements, however, run counter to the recommendations of other countries, such as Sweden, Finland, and the U.K., who have conducted systematic reviews of evidence and concluded, unanimously, that the risks and uncertainties outweigh any known benefits. American medical organizations have not conducted a systematic review of the evidence; their recommendations are based on a small number of badly flawed studies and ignore contravening evidence from other studies (precisely what systematic reviews are meant to prevent). 

The recent letter by these groups calling on the DOJ to put pressure on social media companies to censor who they portray as “high-profile users on social media” sharing “false and misleading information” is nothing more than an attempt to silence the reasonable voices of concerned critics calling for a more cautious approach to experimental medical practices impacting vulnerable children. 

We condemn all violence, threats of violence, and intimidation directed at physicians and hospital staff without caveat, and anyone who engages in such behavior should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. But we also cannot ignore the harms being carried out against countless children in the name of “gender affirmation” that constitute much more than mere threats—we bear the literal scars of this medical violence. 

We must not conflate passionate criticism with violence or incitement of violence.

The medical safeguarding of children should not be a political issue. Since truth is a prerequisite for justice, we must ensure that the already hot embers of political tribalism are not stoked. Children deserve the best evidence-based medical care available. Silencing the victims and critics of “gender affirming” practices is not a pathway to truth and justice, but to ignorance and further harm. 

Please do the right thing.

Signed,

Chloe Cole
Helena Kerschner
Cat Cattison
Sinéad Watson
Grace Lidinsky-Smith
Ritchie
Prisha Mosley
Detransitioners Respond A Letter To Attorney General Garland
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If you’re a detransitioner, consider becoming a member of Detrans United, an organization by detransitioners for detransitioners with the goal of providing support and community for those harmed by “gender-affirming” care. This organization is currently in its infancy, and there will be more to come.

If you are not a detransitioner but would like to support them, consider making a donation to Detrans United.

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Detransitioners Respond: A Letter to Attorney General Garland

www.realityslaststand.com
A guest post by
Chloe Cole
18 year old detransitioner from the Central Valley of California. I was put on blockers and T at 13 and got a double mastectomy at 15. My aim in speaking out is to help other gender dysphoric individuals and to end this medical mistreatment in youth.
A guest post by
Cat Cattinson
Detransitioned woman, activist, molecular biology graduate, musician.
Subscribe to Cat
A guest post by
Ritchie
Detrans Male
A guest post by
Sinéad Watson
31 year old woman who medically transitioned between 2015 and 2019. I began detransition in October 2019, and have been speaking out for those who suffer from gender dysphoria, and those who regret transition, ever since.
A guest post by
Prisha Mosley
I am a 24 year old former trans child. I was not treated for my mental health conditions and instead pushed towards trans care. I am permanently changed.
Subscribe to Prisha
A guest post by
Helena
24
Subscribe to Helena
A guest post by
Grace Lidinsky-Smith
Detransitioned woman and patient advocate.
25 Comments
Mark Christenson
Oct 7, 2022Liked by Colin Wright, Prisha Mosley

Thank you for writing this--I pray that it is received and acted on. Our daughter is currently caught in the lies of the ideology. We want to get her the help she needs, but we find it hard because of the reasons you mentioned. Thanks for speaking up and sharing your personal stories.

Warm regards,

Mark

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Kate@genspect.org
Oct 7, 2022Liked by Colin Wright

Thank you so much for speaking up, each and everyone of you! I know some of you, and many of your team-mates, “tribe” members. I love you all; I know how much your honesty helps other youth and their parents. Here for you any time

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