The NYT article contains this highly misleading 4th paragraph:
>If and when teenagers should be allowed to undergo transgender treatments and surgeries has become a raging debate within the political world. Opponents say teenagers are too young to make such decisions, but supporters including an array of medical experts posit that young people with gender dysphoria face depression and worsening distress if their issues go unaddressed.
Note that only supporters of medical treatments are said to have "an array of medical experts" on their side, opponents are portraryed as "political".
As an NYT subscriber, I wrote the author of the article a polite email pointing out that there is "an array of medical experts" on the other side as well, which the author knows perfectly well.
I also said in the email that I'm sure the author is under tremendous pressure from trans activists (likely including friends and colleagues) to tilt the reporting, and that I hope the pressure can be resisted in the interests of fairly presenting the facts.
Lobotomies once had an array of supporters, including the Nobel Prize awarding committee.
There is no such thing as gender dysphoria. The feeling that one's body is wrong is a symptom of a deeper condition, not a reality or condition by itself. In males, it's usually autogynephilia or porn addiction. In females, it's usually childhood sexual abuse trauma.
Allowing this for adults means children will be targeted. There is no stopping it. It all must be ended, for all ages. It's simply based on a lie.
It's more common that it's autogynephilia or porn addiction in males because males are driven by perversion. A minority may have abuse, like someone like Walt Heyer.
But for females, it's more common that it's sexual abuse. They're trying to become the threat that abused them as a way to self-protect. The problem is, that is impossible.
Inflammation may also be involved. Lenz et al. triggered allergies in pregnant dams and the offspring became LGBT. Women with PCOS (of inflammatory nature) have high testosterone, high LGBT rates. Obese men have disturbed sexual hormones etc. Bipolars have brain inflammation and high rates of bisexuality. Dr. Will Powers has noticed a high rate of inflammatory disorders in the trans community and a subgroup that can't increase cortisol when needed. The brain-adrenal-thyroid-gonads axis is involved.
Yes, why such a high rate of transgenders in USA? It has higher rates of all causatjve factors for LGBT but also a very high rate of vaccination during pregnancy compared to other countries. Around half of pregnant women are vaccinated. I have the impression that this high rate of prenatal vaccines is unique to the USA.
PCOS is associated with and quite possibly caused by childhood abuse. But not sexual or physical abuse, but emotional abuse—the speciality of mothers, I dare say. To that we can add the research showing that male transsexualism is associated with having had a borderline mother (NB, it is borderlines, not bipolars, who tend toward bisexuality).
What a surprising result: borderline mothers shame their daughters' blossoming bodies (must eliminate the competition!) and their sons' burgeoning desires (or "perversions," if you're Kat) alike.
I would not for a second dispute that the spate of grown-ass men transitioning is largely driven by sexual cravings, and craven cravings at that. But to suggest that boys on blockers—e.g., Jazz Jennings—are pursuing their perversions is not only offensive in its misandrist cynicism but laughably stupid. Such boys are, after all, rendered incapable of orgasm or even sexual desire—seemingly just the way Kat prefers men to be.
Sorry but that's as unhelpful as saying that sex is a spectrum. It's equally but oppositely wrong. We should not counter 'their' stupidity with an equivalent stupidity in the other direction. Of course gender dysphoria is real. And yes, there will almost always be some deeper reason for it but that doesn't mean that the plain observed reality of gender dysphoria isn't there, it means, as you say, that we usually need to dig deeper to treat it.
Sex is binary and immutable--female and male, nothing more. A chromosome test proves it, egg and sperm proves it, and genetic disorders do not mean that it's not binary.
If you're going to use a stupid term like "gender dysphoria," then you should be able to define "gender."
Nope. 'gender dysphoria' is a single semantic entity that can't properly be dismantled. We both know what it means -- people who are unhappy with the reality of their biological sex. We also both know that the word 'gender' by itself is an ideological battleground and different tribes will give different definitions. BTW don't be hostile, we're on the same side of the barricade, I just think your strategy on this point is not helpful to our side.
IF THEY’RE UNHAPPY WITH THEIR SEX, WHY ARE YOU USING THE TERM GENDER?
Do you honestly not see how fucking stupid you sound?
People unhappy with reality? You know what that’s called—DELUSION.
Thanks for admitting you can’t even define “gender.”
You want to know why you can’t? BECAUSE IT’S A LINGUISTICS TERM WITH NO APPLICATION TO HUMANS.
Therefore, “gender dysphoria” does not exist.
Lol "single semantic entity"--meanwhile it doesn't even exist. Complete and utter horseshit. People like you are the reason male rapists are in women's jails. Have some shame.
A male who isn’t happy about being a male is still male—he’s probably just a porn addict or autogynephile.
Thanks for proving my point. This is too easy. You’re not smart enough for this.
Btw, I didn't ask you for advice and I wouldn't benefit from it.
I didn't ask for what you think about my "strategy." My strategy works fine, and that is because I can define simple words.
You can't. You're the one who isn't helpful. Be quiet and step aside for the ones who actually know what they're talking about.
Now run along. Go play video games and stop getting in the way. This is why males ruin everything with their stupid lack of self-awareness.
Because the phrase is 'gender dysphoria'. If we're discussing the phrase 'gender dysphoria' then I'm going to discuss the phrase 'gender dysphoria'.
> —DELUSION.
Of course. What is your point?
> Thanks for admitting you can’t even define “gender.”
Oh, I could define it, but why bother? We both know how the woke define it, and we both know how we'd define it. Why belabor the obvious?
> A male who isn’t happy about being a male is still male—
Of course. The term for his unhappiness is 'gender dysphoria'. One and all use the term that way so, since it's meaning is clear, I don't know why you have a problem with it.
Oh, and on the contrary, it's a term that ONLY applies to humans. No animal is capable of the level of mental illness that is required to have gender dysphoria. Not a single horse, not a single starfish, not a single beetle has ever had gender dysphoria.
I noticed the article didn't mention the Cass Report or the official legal actions by European authorities restricting the use of puberty blockers and hormones. I guess the Borg's news blackout on those developments remains in full force and effect.
This is criminal. Being complicit with WPATH and hiding medical reviews? This is so abhorrent I’m questioning whether I read the article correctly. Good fracking grief! The insanity is incredible. And yes, of course the White House with its rainbow colored display, announcing a trans holiday on the same day as Easter is complicit. Parents losing their parental rights to protect their children from being butchered. It’s all so outrageous! But then I’m not just old school, I’m old, old, old school.
Apparently the American Academy of Pediatrics, a formerly respected institution, has also been complicit—you mention it elsewhere (in the Free Press), just wanted to highlight it as it is what my first daughter’s pediatrician had tried to gaslight me with and that is COMPLETELY maddening as they purport to be an authority to your kids (and then that triangulates YOU as the mom and dad out of the picture). Then, society is perplexed as to why this Academy with all its lofty goals of guiding children and parents could do so much harm 🤬. I want to be the friend to have drinks with you and do talk about The Issue. Gah! 😵💫
I'd like to think that this scandal is a sign the horror of gender affirming care is ending, but as Helen Joyce pointed out, the parents who have transitioned their children (and I'd argue the doctors performing the surgeries) are going to be unable to accept the depravity of what they've done for their own sanity. They're going to dig in for the rest of their lives like the WW2 Japanese soldiers stranded in the south Pacific in denial that the war has ended, was lost.
I’m a bit surprised JH didn’t publish. They are well within their rights to, to whichever papers they want. It’s often considered bad practice to publish without the consent of all authors, but it’s not illegal to. Perhaps they will change their mind with time when the needle on this issuw shifts.
Ah! That is disappointing. Usually academics that I have worked with (I’m employed in a private corporation) fight hard to maintain the IP as the publishing is of much greater to the researchers that it is to the corporation. But in this case I could see how that may differ.
This is different, they were reviewing existing studies, not conducting a new one. It's more like reviewing proposals or being on a panel of experts to write a report on something for some government agency. Those things don't necessarily get published, they go to the commissioning agency, which decides whether to release them or not.
I have no experience with this issue, but I do wonder whether JHU medical institutions would do the same thing with drug research by faculty that came to similar adverse conclusions regarding the subject drug.
JHU used to be a beacon of sanity in this field, but the Christian psychiatrist who was head of the department retired and Dr. Richard/Rachel Levine must have been given a role in selecting his replacement.
Richard Levine was confirmed in order to do this. This is the goal, and it always has been.
If this is allowed for adults, children will be targeted. There is no stopping it. That is why the whole thing must be stopped. It is a fraud, for everyone, at any age.
Children can no more "consent" to have their healthy breasts and genitalia removed or take puberty blockers than they can
"consent" to have sex with an adult.
Similarly, parents and doctors can no more approve such permanent mutilation simply because a minor child desires it than they can approve their participation in pedophilia.
Ultimately society will see the truth and ban the practice as we have banned female genital mutilation. Do people support that practice if the parents consent? I truly hope not
It is monstrous to believe otherwise and those who do will ultimately be held to account for their actions. The obscene bureaucrat Rachel (Richard) Levine among those in the dock.
Really appreciating your work. As a philosopher I’ve been trying to make sense of this weird cultural shift from a conceptual rather than from a medical angle. Some pieces are probably user-unfriendly but the concluding piece conveys the gist if anyone’s interested! https://neilgascoigne.substack.com/p/terf-love?r=3h9xp4
These truths need to get out to the wider public. People need to see that we cannot trust the authorities. We are private citizens, they are public servants. They are here to serve us and keep us safe, they are lying to us and conspiring against us and not acting in our best interest. People need to see this.
It's interesting to me me that WPATH wanted Hopkins to conduct the review in the first place...it suggest overconfidence that Hopkins would legitimately affirim WPATH's standards and/or confidence that they could exert sufficient pressure.
I was asked by a large blue state Medicaid program to do my usual policy review and analysis and make a recommendation when Obama told govt insurance programs to pay for “gender services.” I realized after looking up all the WPATH “experts” they were a sham. Group of LGBTQ activists who’d done no actual research. But of course, the Obama WH pointed to them as “experts.” 🙄 The best research available were two longitudinal registry studies from Sweden and either Denmark or the Netherlands. The suicide rates in late 20s went back up. The worst thing was the clear ten-year early mortality for those who did full transitions. I told the state not to cover them, it’s all cosmetic, but they had no choice. The eye opener was the first request for a patient estimated $500K MINIMUM up to a MILLION if all the surgeries done! Knew right then this was about the MONEY. 😡
This is an obvious attempt to discredit WPATH. Anyone who reads what they produce in good faith will find a highly professional organization that produces fact-based, science-based opinions. Read their work for yourself and form your own opinion. Don’t listen to people with an obvious agenda like this to give you the whole story.
I wonder what the underlying motivator is. Is the Democratic party or the AAP taking huge donations from pharmaceutal companies or medical insurance companies? There is a large amount of hidden investment somewhere.
The NYT article contains this highly misleading 4th paragraph:
>If and when teenagers should be allowed to undergo transgender treatments and surgeries has become a raging debate within the political world. Opponents say teenagers are too young to make such decisions, but supporters including an array of medical experts posit that young people with gender dysphoria face depression and worsening distress if their issues go unaddressed.
Note that only supporters of medical treatments are said to have "an array of medical experts" on their side, opponents are portraryed as "political".
As an NYT subscriber, I wrote the author of the article a polite email pointing out that there is "an array of medical experts" on the other side as well, which the author knows perfectly well.
I also said in the email that I'm sure the author is under tremendous pressure from trans activists (likely including friends and colleagues) to tilt the reporting, and that I hope the pressure can be resisted in the interests of fairly presenting the facts.
Lobotomies once had an array of supporters, including the Nobel Prize awarding committee.
There is no such thing as gender dysphoria. The feeling that one's body is wrong is a symptom of a deeper condition, not a reality or condition by itself. In males, it's usually autogynephilia or porn addiction. In females, it's usually childhood sexual abuse trauma.
Allowing this for adults means children will be targeted. There is no stopping it. It all must be ended, for all ages. It's simply based on a lie.
In males, it's usually childhood sexual abuse trauma.
It's more common that it's autogynephilia or porn addiction in males because males are driven by perversion. A minority may have abuse, like someone like Walt Heyer.
But for females, it's more common that it's sexual abuse. They're trying to become the threat that abused them as a way to self-protect. The problem is, that is impossible.
Inflammation may also be involved. Lenz et al. triggered allergies in pregnant dams and the offspring became LGBT. Women with PCOS (of inflammatory nature) have high testosterone, high LGBT rates. Obese men have disturbed sexual hormones etc. Bipolars have brain inflammation and high rates of bisexuality. Dr. Will Powers has noticed a high rate of inflammatory disorders in the trans community and a subgroup that can't increase cortisol when needed. The brain-adrenal-thyroid-gonads axis is involved.
Prenatal & Childhood vaccines likely involved as risk factors & consistent with your point about inflammation (neuro inflammation)
Yes, why such a high rate of transgenders in USA? It has higher rates of all causatjve factors for LGBT but also a very high rate of vaccination during pregnancy compared to other countries. Around half of pregnant women are vaccinated. I have the impression that this high rate of prenatal vaccines is unique to the USA.
PCOS is associated with and quite possibly caused by childhood abuse. But not sexual or physical abuse, but emotional abuse—the speciality of mothers, I dare say. To that we can add the research showing that male transsexualism is associated with having had a borderline mother (NB, it is borderlines, not bipolars, who tend toward bisexuality).
What a surprising result: borderline mothers shame their daughters' blossoming bodies (must eliminate the competition!) and their sons' burgeoning desires (or "perversions," if you're Kat) alike.
I would not for a second dispute that the spate of grown-ass men transitioning is largely driven by sexual cravings, and craven cravings at that. But to suggest that boys on blockers—e.g., Jazz Jennings—are pursuing their perversions is not only offensive in its misandrist cynicism but laughably stupid. Such boys are, after all, rendered incapable of orgasm or even sexual desire—seemingly just the way Kat prefers men to be.
Borderline mothers also are a causative/risk factor. Borderline Personality Disorder and bipolar have a lot of overlap.
Borderline mothers also are a causative/risk factor. Borderline Personality Disorder and bipolar have a lot of overlap.
Males are driven by perversion? Sure, and females are driven by fashion and popularity contests. That accounts for ROGD just fine.
> There is no such thing as gender dysphoria.
Sorry but that's as unhelpful as saying that sex is a spectrum. It's equally but oppositely wrong. We should not counter 'their' stupidity with an equivalent stupidity in the other direction. Of course gender dysphoria is real. And yes, there will almost always be some deeper reason for it but that doesn't mean that the plain observed reality of gender dysphoria isn't there, it means, as you say, that we usually need to dig deeper to treat it.
Bulllshit, Ray.
And I'll prove it.
Sex is binary and immutable--female and male, nothing more. A chromosome test proves it, egg and sperm proves it, and genetic disorders do not mean that it's not binary.
If you're going to use a stupid term like "gender dysphoria," then you should be able to define "gender."
Go ahead. What is "gender"? Define it.
Nope. 'gender dysphoria' is a single semantic entity that can't properly be dismantled. We both know what it means -- people who are unhappy with the reality of their biological sex. We also both know that the word 'gender' by itself is an ideological battleground and different tribes will give different definitions. BTW don't be hostile, we're on the same side of the barricade, I just think your strategy on this point is not helpful to our side.
IF THEY’RE UNHAPPY WITH THEIR SEX, WHY ARE YOU USING THE TERM GENDER?
Do you honestly not see how fucking stupid you sound?
People unhappy with reality? You know what that’s called—DELUSION.
Thanks for admitting you can’t even define “gender.”
You want to know why you can’t? BECAUSE IT’S A LINGUISTICS TERM WITH NO APPLICATION TO HUMANS.
Therefore, “gender dysphoria” does not exist.
Lol "single semantic entity"--meanwhile it doesn't even exist. Complete and utter horseshit. People like you are the reason male rapists are in women's jails. Have some shame.
A male who isn’t happy about being a male is still male—he’s probably just a porn addict or autogynephile.
Thanks for proving my point. This is too easy. You’re not smart enough for this.
Btw, I didn't ask you for advice and I wouldn't benefit from it.
I didn't ask for what you think about my "strategy." My strategy works fine, and that is because I can define simple words.
You can't. You're the one who isn't helpful. Be quiet and step aside for the ones who actually know what they're talking about.
Now run along. Go play video games and stop getting in the way. This is why males ruin everything with their stupid lack of self-awareness.
Idiotic.
Because the phrase is 'gender dysphoria'. If we're discussing the phrase 'gender dysphoria' then I'm going to discuss the phrase 'gender dysphoria'.
> —DELUSION.
Of course. What is your point?
> Thanks for admitting you can’t even define “gender.”
Oh, I could define it, but why bother? We both know how the woke define it, and we both know how we'd define it. Why belabor the obvious?
> A male who isn’t happy about being a male is still male—
Of course. The term for his unhappiness is 'gender dysphoria'. One and all use the term that way so, since it's meaning is clear, I don't know why you have a problem with it.
Oh, and on the contrary, it's a term that ONLY applies to humans. No animal is capable of the level of mental illness that is required to have gender dysphoria. Not a single horse, not a single starfish, not a single beetle has ever had gender dysphoria.
I noticed the article didn't mention the Cass Report or the official legal actions by European authorities restricting the use of puberty blockers and hormones. I guess the Borg's news blackout on those developments remains in full force and effect.
How ironic that the author implies medical evidentiary support when said evidence is distributed by WPATH, the group at the heart of the scandal.
This is criminal. Being complicit with WPATH and hiding medical reviews? This is so abhorrent I’m questioning whether I read the article correctly. Good fracking grief! The insanity is incredible. And yes, of course the White House with its rainbow colored display, announcing a trans holiday on the same day as Easter is complicit. Parents losing their parental rights to protect their children from being butchered. It’s all so outrageous! But then I’m not just old school, I’m old, old, old school.
Apparently the American Academy of Pediatrics, a formerly respected institution, has also been complicit—you mention it elsewhere (in the Free Press), just wanted to highlight it as it is what my first daughter’s pediatrician had tried to gaslight me with and that is COMPLETELY maddening as they purport to be an authority to your kids (and then that triangulates YOU as the mom and dad out of the picture). Then, society is perplexed as to why this Academy with all its lofty goals of guiding children and parents could do so much harm 🤬. I want to be the friend to have drinks with you and do talk about The Issue. Gah! 😵💫
I'd like to think that this scandal is a sign the horror of gender affirming care is ending, but as Helen Joyce pointed out, the parents who have transitioned their children (and I'd argue the doctors performing the surgeries) are going to be unable to accept the depravity of what they've done for their own sanity. They're going to dig in for the rest of their lives like the WW2 Japanese soldiers stranded in the south Pacific in denial that the war has ended, was lost.
I’m a bit surprised JH didn’t publish. They are well within their rights to, to whichever papers they want. It’s often considered bad practice to publish without the consent of all authors, but it’s not illegal to. Perhaps they will change their mind with time when the needle on this issuw shifts.
My guess is that JHU was paid by WPATH to do this, under contract, and so the IP belongs to WPATH.
Ah! That is disappointing. Usually academics that I have worked with (I’m employed in a private corporation) fight hard to maintain the IP as the publishing is of much greater to the researchers that it is to the corporation. But in this case I could see how that may differ.
This is different, they were reviewing existing studies, not conducting a new one. It's more like reviewing proposals or being on a panel of experts to write a report on something for some government agency. Those things don't necessarily get published, they go to the commissioning agency, which decides whether to release them or not.
Fair enough, thanks for explaining.
I have no experience with this issue, but I do wonder whether JHU medical institutions would do the same thing with drug research by faculty that came to similar adverse conclusions regarding the subject drug.
JHU used to be a beacon of sanity in this field, but the Christian psychiatrist who was head of the department retired and Dr. Richard/Rachel Levine must have been given a role in selecting his replacement.
Richard Levine was confirmed in order to do this. This is the goal, and it always has been.
If this is allowed for adults, children will be targeted. There is no stopping it. That is why the whole thing must be stopped. It is a fraud, for everyone, at any age.
https://kathighsmith.substack.com/p/a-political-troon-the-ridiculous
Children can no more "consent" to have their healthy breasts and genitalia removed or take puberty blockers than they can
"consent" to have sex with an adult.
Similarly, parents and doctors can no more approve such permanent mutilation simply because a minor child desires it than they can approve their participation in pedophilia.
Ultimately society will see the truth and ban the practice as we have banned female genital mutilation. Do people support that practice if the parents consent? I truly hope not
It is monstrous to believe otherwise and those who do will ultimately be held to account for their actions. The obscene bureaucrat Rachel (Richard) Levine among those in the dock.
Let’s see what news agencies cover this.
The Economist:
https://www.economist.com/united-states/2024/06/27/research-into-trans-medicine-has-been-manipulated
Really appreciating your work. As a philosopher I’ve been trying to make sense of this weird cultural shift from a conceptual rather than from a medical angle. Some pieces are probably user-unfriendly but the concluding piece conveys the gist if anyone’s interested! https://neilgascoigne.substack.com/p/terf-love?r=3h9xp4
These truths need to get out to the wider public. People need to see that we cannot trust the authorities. We are private citizens, they are public servants. They are here to serve us and keep us safe, they are lying to us and conspiring against us and not acting in our best interest. People need to see this.
https://open.substack.com/pub/caroldansereau/p/affirming-trans-identities-is-harmful?r=505il&utm_medium=ios
Who gave WPATH all the power? WTF?!
It's interesting to me me that WPATH wanted Hopkins to conduct the review in the first place...it suggest overconfidence that Hopkins would legitimately affirim WPATH's standards and/or confidence that they could exert sufficient pressure.
I was asked by a large blue state Medicaid program to do my usual policy review and analysis and make a recommendation when Obama told govt insurance programs to pay for “gender services.” I realized after looking up all the WPATH “experts” they were a sham. Group of LGBTQ activists who’d done no actual research. But of course, the Obama WH pointed to them as “experts.” 🙄 The best research available were two longitudinal registry studies from Sweden and either Denmark or the Netherlands. The suicide rates in late 20s went back up. The worst thing was the clear ten-year early mortality for those who did full transitions. I told the state not to cover them, it’s all cosmetic, but they had no choice. The eye opener was the first request for a patient estimated $500K MINIMUM up to a MILLION if all the surgeries done! Knew right then this was about the MONEY. 😡
This is an obvious attempt to discredit WPATH. Anyone who reads what they produce in good faith will find a highly professional organization that produces fact-based, science-based opinions. Read their work for yourself and form your own opinion. Don’t listen to people with an obvious agenda like this to give you the whole story.
I wonder what the underlying motivator is. Is the Democratic party or the AAP taking huge donations from pharmaceutal companies or medical insurance companies? There is a large amount of hidden investment somewhere.
I know this was a long time ago but I would put money down this is connnected to the Pritzkers.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jennifer_Pritzker
He is a billionaire TIM who is politically connected and a huge dem donor.